Resources and Reading
I trust the resources and books included below will be useful to you in your ongoing development whether this is as a facilitator of athlete development, a parent or an emerging athlete.
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Trademark Cards
These cards are an invaluable tool I use to support athletes in defining their trademarks. I particularly like these ones as they include a definition of each word. If you have completed the IDP profile course and want to get started with facilitating this exercise this is a worthwhile purchase.
Legacy-James Kerr
The All Blacks are a dominant world brand in World Rugby. As a ‘kiwi’ (New Zealander) this book talks to the culture and leadership of athletes in teams. It speaks to meaning, growth and character in an easy to read format. A book that I have given to many I have coached.
Protect Yourself at All Times
Having been involved and researched boxing, the lack of understanding of the business and the risks and pitfalls for emerging boxers is immense. This book is a 12-round must read for those involved in professional sport - “boxing is not a game”.
Perform Under Pressure
Another excellent book describing concepts of pressure and stress, giving a clear explanation of the human brain. Dr Ceri Evans uses a RED-BLUE conceptual tool to help athletes understand how they can manage pressure to improve performance on and off the field/court.
The First Rule of Mastery
High-performance psychologist Dr Michael Gervais coined the phrase FOPO, fear of what other people think. This book is provides mental skills and practices to help us deal with these worries, fears and expectations. “When we give more value to other people’s opinions than our own, we live life on their terms not ours”
The Mindful Athlete
George Mumford has been behind the scenes supporting mindfulness as the secret to pure performance at the Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers, working with Kobe Bryant and Coach Phil Jackson. “Energy has to build and be released at the right time - the timing of the release is not intentional but natural and effortless”
Lead with Purpose, Make and Impact
This book offers 44 lessons in effective coaching and leadership. This is an excellent book to assist you with defining and documenting your own coaching philosophy - a great accompanying read to the IDP Profile Course.
A Practitioner and Parents Guide to Talent Development
Another more academically directed read this book is aimed at the facilitators and parents involved in the talent identification. While this book extends beyond the scope of the emerging athlete programme it provides a useful resource offering insights to pathways programme design.
Stress, Wellbeing and Performance in Sport
This book is more academically directed but a great resources for those wanting to dig deeper into the stress in sport research. Section 1 deals with appraising and coping with stress. Section II and III discusses the responses, moderators and outcomes of stress while Section IV explains how stress management can promote thriving.
Embracing Hope
Viktor Frankl’s quote "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves" is well re-knowned. His principles for living and his story of survival, alongside other existential philosophers and psychology underpin the individual development approach and as such this a worthwhile inclusion in this list.
The Winning Mindset
David Niethe’s energetic approach and his experiences as a practitioner in the mental skills space provides insight into some methods that be included as an adjunct to action plans and stress management strategies that can improve your performance in life and sport.
