Science in Soccer : Translating Theory into Practice

Contents: Foreword. Introduction. 1. Shaping the Performance Culture. 2. Delivering Applied Sports Psychology Support in Professional Football Academies. 3. Sports Psychology Support at First-Team Levels in the English Premier League. 4. Physical Preparation of Elite Soccer Players. 5. Prevention with Treatment and Rehabilitation. 6. Fitness Assessment in Football. 7. Monitoring Player Load and Fatigue Status. 8. Nutrition for Soccer. 9. The Development of Players. 10. Performance Analysis in Professional Football. 11. Practitioner Reflections from Industry. Index.

Sports Science and Soccer offers a series of contemporary insights into the multidisciplinary approach to delivering sports science support (physiology, psychology, performance analysis, sociology) from leading academics and practitioners in elite level professional football.

Each chapter includes a number of practical examples and case studies which demonstrate how the latest scientific research is translated into supporting elite players. Illustrations help you relate to and understand the scientific and practical processes that sports scientists adopt when approaching the planning, delivery and assessment of their work. The book also outlines the challenges that individuals face in integrating sports science support into the performance model of a club.

This book provides a unique series of insights into the important professional and craft skills that are required to gain employment in the football industry, whether as a Fitness and Conditioning Coach, Performance Analyst, Sports Psychologist or Performance Director. This is the first text to present a series of reflections from sports science graduates that have successfully gained employment in the professional football industry. (jacket)