Pure Sport: Practical Sport Psychology

It is a welcome and important guide to any athlete, coach or spectator at any level in sport interested in improving their game or knowledge of their sport. Obviously there are already a litany of mental toughness and sport psychology guides out there but what's so commendable about Kremer and Moran's work is the way it blends the theoretical with the practical. Too often books of this nature can be too intimidating for the general reader and end up just preaching to the converted in the academic community, or else they're overly-simplistic, without mention of any studies or research to support their suggestions. Moran and Kremer offer serious academic cred, with recommendations and techniques that are grounded in scientific, proven methods and principles, yet are forever conscious that for this project, their audience is the general, if discerning, sportsperson, not the budding or established sports psychologist.They abide by the principle of all good teaching and writing - don't just tell me, show me . Instead of telling us visualisation is a good thing to do, they show us, by outlining how it works for Ronan O'Gara. Instead of citing academics, they cite winners, from Tiger Woods to Keith Wood. - Kieran Shannon, The Sunday Tribune

Pure Sport is a practical guide to sport psychology with a difference. Written in a lively, accessible and entertaining style, the book is essential reading for anyone involved in sport. It offers numerous practical suggestions and techniques that are based on sound theory and research, and present these in a manner that are non threatening for the casual reader. - Mary-Margaret Meade MSc, PsychWorks, University of Ulster, UK

Entertaining and informative, with interesting quotes from famous sports personalities and anecdotes throughout. The examples cover a wide range of situations and sports, and the book goes into detail on practical suggestions for changing one's behaviour without being bogged down in psycho-jargon. - Dave Shaw, Sport & Exercise Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, UK

This is a very well-written book that will be of interest to athletes and coaches interested in improving their understanding of sport psychology and their own psychological approach to sport. Current theory and research underpin the psychological factors discussed, and these are explained in a very readable manner. - Marc Jones, Faculty of Health, Staffordshire University, UK

The book is conversationally written to engage the casual reader, while being well-informed and grounded in scientific research. Real-life examples are employed to good effect and suitable exercises are provided to ensure that the information is brought into the 'real world'. - Robert C. Eklund, Sport and Exercise Psychology, Florida State University, USA

Readers experience this text as if the authors talk to them, reassure them, guide them, and advise them. In this fluently written book, Kremer and Moran offer many possible theories and interventions, and above all the freedom to choose from them. - Caroline Jannes, European Network of Young Specialists in Sport Psychology (ENYSSP) Newsletter, Volume 5, Issue 1, March 2008

This book is a pure gem! Solidly based in the latest research and presented in a conversational and engaging style, it presents the theory of sports psychology in a very accessible way. Perhaps, more importantly, it explains the vital practical steps one can take to apply this theory to enhance performance. And here's the brilliant bit... the WAY in which the material is presented (especially the sections on Imagining, Improving and Mistake Management) have such wide applicability. They allow the reader to apply this knowledge and these techniques to enhance whatever their 'game' is. - amazon.co.uk reviewer

As an introduction to basic sport psychology, this book serves as essential reading for researchers, psychologists, athletes, coaches, or just the interested reader. - Andrew J. Wawrzyniak, The Psychologist