Athletic Development

Athletic Development: A Psychological Perspective is an examination of the psychological factors that help or hinder the development of participants in sport. This includes influences such as families, coach-athlete interactions, and transitional episodes on an individual’s pathway in sport.

This edited collection of topical chapters shines a unique psychological perspective on the athlete’s development through sport. It explores a range of contemporary themes that influence athlete’s development including:

• An introduction to athletic development which orientates a holistic, psychological perspective of the athletic development process.
• Social influences on athletic development, which explores the impact of varied social influences (e.g., coach, family, peers, school) on sports participation and performance from a psychological perspective.
• Athlete wellbeing, which explores various aspects influencing mental health and welfare as an athlete progresses through their sports career.

The book combines key theory with illustrative case studies, to analyse the complexities of athletic development. It takes a critical perspective highlighting some of the debates and controversies in these areas and uses spotlight boxes in each chapter to focus on questions or topics of particular interest. Athletic Development: A Psychological Perspective is a key reader for all students in the fields of sport and exercise psychology, sport coaching, and related sport science subjects.

Caroline Heaney is a senior lecturer in sport and fitness at The Open University. She is a British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) accredited sport and exercise scientist and a Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered sport and exercise psychologist, and has provided sport psychology support to athletes from club to elite level.

Nichola Kentzer is a lecturer in sport and fitness at The Open University. She is an experienced academic who specialises in sport psychology and education. She is a BASES accredited sport and exercise scientist and an HCPC registered sport and exercise psychologist, and has provided sport psychology support to a broad range of athletes.

Ben Oakley is a professor in sports performance education at The Open University and has previously lectured at Portsmouth and Southampton Solent Universities. Formerly, he worked as a national coach in windsurfing, which included attending the Olympic Games twice. He sits on the advisory board for the Applied Coaching Research Journal and has been an external examiner at five other universities.