Drawing on his work with some of the top teams in professional sports, noted sport psychology consultant Gary Mack shares with you the same techniques and exercises he uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle." These 40 accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes will help you gain the "head edge" over the competition.

Being a successful coach is not just about Xs and Os and winning games. It’s about coaching young people to become successful athletes—and successful human beings. But unless you already have the teaching skills of an educator, the training expertise of a physiologist, the administrative leadership of a business executive, and the counseling wisdom of a psychologist, you will rely on this third edition of Successful Coaching to discover how to excel as a coach. Successful Coaching offers an in-depth introduction to the coaching profession and is specifically written for the high school and serious club coach. Integrating the latest sport science research with practical knowledge acquired by highly experienced coaches, this book features new sections on sportsmanship, coaching diverse athletes, managing athletes’ behavior, preventing and addressing drug and alcohol abuse, and coaching using the games approach. Five sections serve as the foundation for the book: Principles of Coaching emphasizes the value of a coaching philosophy and how to achieve the three major objectives of coaching: create a team of winners; help young people have fun; and motivate young people to develop physical, psychological, and social skills. Featured is a new chapter devoted to coaching diverse athletes, in which coaches learn about developmental differences in youth, cultural and gender differences, and differences in physical and mental abilities. Also new are specific guidelines on sexual harassment, sexual relations, and homosexuality in sport, making Successful Coaching the first book to offer written guidelines that address these issues. Principles of Behavior discusses how to communicate and motivate players, as well as manage problem behaviors among athletes, using a positive discipline approach. Principles of Teaching introduces the games approach to coaching and details how to incorporate this new approach into teaching technical and tactical skills. Coaches will learn how to develop an instructional plan for each practice and for the entire season. Principles of Physical Training includes five new chapters on training basics, training for energy fitness, training for muscular fitness, nutrition, and battling drugs. Coaches will learn to develop training programs for better sport performance and to ensure the health and safety of their athletes. Principles of Management covers the interpersonal and administrative basics required for building a solid coaching foundation that emphasizes team, relationship, and risk management. Helpful advice on working with fellow coaches, administrators, officials, medical personnel, parents, and the media is also included. With more than 500,000 copies sold since the release of the first edition, Successful Coaching is the best-selling general coaching book ever published. Produced by the American Sport Education Program (ASEP) and written by ASEP founder Rainer Martens, Successful Coaching serves as the text for ASEP’s Coaching Principles course. This course is used by many colleges and universities and endorsed by numerous state high school associations and other sport organizations as the preferred professional development program for their coaches. Each year, more than 25,000 coaches take this course to further their professional development and meet coaching certification requirements. Successful Coaching, Third Edition, was reviewed by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education (NCACE) and complies with the NASPE National Standards for Sport Coaches and the NCACE Guidelines for Accreditation of Coaching Education.

Play with Freedom ... And Win More!The Best Tennis of Your Life is an inspirational and practical guide that will help players of all levels finally master the mental game. Author Jeff Greenwald draws from his unique background as a world-class player, sports psychology consultant, psychotherapist, and former coach to provides 50 specific tools you can immediately apply in any match situation. This comprehensive guide will show you how to:embrace nerves and play even better under pressuremaintain confidence to win more consistentlydevelop a pin-point focusaccess an ideal level of intensityplay with a renewed sense of passion and freedomWhy wait any longer to play the best tennis of your life? Get the mental edge with this invaluable resource and watch your game soar.

Every tennis player at any age and skill level wants to play high-level tennis without pains and injuries. If you strive for improvement but cannot train as hard as you wish to, because you hurt often, this is a book for you. You will find practical advice on how to adjust your training to the requirements of your body, and how to achieve maximum tennis fitness that will improve your performance and your tennis game. You will learn how to:listen to your bodyunderstand what your body is telling youstrengthen your weaknessesbalance your strengthsdiscover and correct your imbalancesprevent future injuriesimprove your tennis performance through mindful fitness

Increase strength, power, agility, and quickness and take your game to a much higher level. Complete Conditioning for Tennis details how to make the most of your training time with exercises, drills, and programs designed to-assess your fitness level,-improve footwork,-increase speed and flexibility,-enhance stamina,-boost mental focus, and-prevent common injuries.Additionally, the 90-minute DVD takes you on court and into the gym to demonstrate the drills and exercises used by the pros. Endorsed by the United States Tennis Association, Complete Conditioning for Tennis is simply the best guide to developing the highest level of athleticism for success in the sport.

See your tennis game as you never have before. See what it takes to improve consistency and performance on the court. Tennis Anatomy will show you how to ace the competition by increasing strength, speed, and agility for more powerful serves and more accurate shots. Tennis Anatomy includes more than 72 of the most effective exercises, each with step-by-step descriptions and full-color anatomical illustrations highlighting muscles in action. Tennis Anatomy goes beyond exercises by placing you on the baseline, at the net, and on the service line. Illustrations of the active muscles for forehands, backhands, volleys, and serves show you how each exercise is fundamentally linked to tennis performance. You'll also learn how exercises can be modified to target specific areas, improve your skills, and minimize common tennis injuries. Best of all, you'll learn how to put it all together to develop a training program based on your individual needs and goals. Whether you’re a serve and volleyer, baseliner, or all-court player, Tennis Anatomy will ensure that you step onto the court ready to dominate any opponent.

A tennis tune-up for players of all skill levels. From the serve, ground strokes and volleys to the smashes, lobs and drop shots, this unique coaching manual illustrates each stroke from five angles: front, back, left, right and above. In this all-around skills guide, tennis pro John Littleford delivers expert guidance to identify accurate positioning of feet, body and the racquet -- just like having a personal pro watching, correcting and coaching every swing. Tennis Strokes and Tactics features step-by-step analysis and multi-angle photography that illustrates how to: Track the ball to the racquet head using hand-eye coordination Maintain correct posture and good footwork Establish correct and comfortable grips Hit a forehand with great topspin Master the secrets of the backhand -- one-handed and two-handed Control the ball with power on volleys Serve with more speed, spin and deception Return serve with more punch and accuracy Use the lob and drop shot as devastating offensive weapons Master an accurate and powerful overhead smash Move across the court more fluidly for greater efficiency. Tennis Strokes and Tactics also includes a comprehensive section on effective tactics and strategies for singles and doubles play. Using this innovative guide, tennis players of any level will improve their game.

Match point. Your opponent hits a deep-sliced approach shot to your backhand. To neutralize this attack and regain control of the point, you retaliate with a crosscourt passing shot, low with topspin. Your opponent is forced to return a weak volley to the open court, and you win the point with a passing shot down the line. Game, set, and match.This is just one of the many winning strategies you'll find in Tennis Tactics: Winning Patterns of Play. It's the first book to break down what shots to make and when to make them. You'll learn how to plan your shot selection in competition and put yourself in the best possible position to win every point. Based on an extensive USTA study of actual tournament play by the game's top athletes, Tennis Tactics describes 58 patterns—repeated shot sequences—that will emphasize your strengths and exploit your opponents' weaknesses. It contains 63 drills that show you how to practice the patterns and make them part of your routine during match play. Competitive players, coaches, and instructors will love the book's simple approach for practice and play.Tennis Tactics reviews sound, time-tested strategic principles, then explains how they apply to patterns of play. You'll learn how to choose patterns that fit your style of play, whether you're an all-court player, a counterpuncher, an aggressive baseliner, or a serve-and-volleyer.Next, the book provides strategies and tactics for different areas of the court. You'll learn how to execute 58 patterns for- backcourt (26), - midcourt (8), - net play (8), and - defensive play (16). For each pattern, the book describes and illustrates corresponding practice drills that will help you get an edge on the competition. A Pattern Finder chart helps you quickly locate the shot combinations you want to study and incorporate into your game.Make your practice sessions pay off in competition by using the drills and mastering the patterns in Tennis Tactics: Winning Patterns of Play.

Solid groundstrokes, a confident net game, a dictating serve, a sharp return game, and specialty shots for every situation—build your game from the ground up with the techniques and shots that are essential for success in today’s versatile and powerful game. Combine that with winning tactics for singles and doubles, and Tennis Skills&Drills is your blueprint for taking your game to the next level. Start with assessing the basic techniques for the various strokes and see how you can improve your footwork, grip choices, and swing patterns. Then increase your options with spins, angles, and depth. Complete instruction for all of the strokes along with over 110 practice drills is like having your own personal coach. Since your technique is only as effective as your tactics, the book also covers the key tactical principles and game plans for maximizing your strengths while minimizing your opponent’s. You’ll learn to prepare for, adapt to, and counter every style of play. Whether your goal is to beat your favorite playing partner or to win the next league, state, or national title, Tennis Skills&Drills is your guide to mastering the game.

OVER 130 DRILLS AND EXCERCISES FOR STRENGTH, AGILITY AND QUICKNESSTennis is a dynamic, explosive sport that requires a wide range of skills and a high level of fitness. To play your best, you must combine proper form with peak physcial ability. Ultimate Conditioning for Tennis offers a program for building a rock-solid physical foundation for developing a winning game. Including exercises for everyone from beginner to club pro, the book provides a complete program that incorporates aerobics, plyometrics and functional training. Each exercise is illustrated with step-by-step photos and explained in terms of how it will improve your game--from faster strokes to shaper volleys and perfectly placed passing shots.•Cover the court better•Add power to your shot•Hit perfectly placed winners