by David R . Kauss (Author)
Even the most physically gifted athletes struggles in competition when they lose control over their thoughts and emotions. This book arms athletes with the tools they need to understand, manage, and maximise their mental and emotional forces - factors that often determine who's an all-star and who's an also-ran . Kauss looks at how athletic performance fits into each client-athlete's lie experience. His total athlete system takes into account each athlete's internal strengths and weaknesses instead of applying a predefined set of mental training exercises. The author presents five case studies illustrating real challenges faced by real athletes. He helps readers identify the people and events in their lives that have either contributed to their success or in some way undermined their sport performance. Once they have pin-pointed these underlying factor, he teaches the athletes how to develop individualised mental training packages that will help them perform their best no matter how difficult the challenge. By analyzing and then rechanneling these forces in positive ways, athletes are better able to reach their potential.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 280
Publisher: Human Kinetics Publishers
Published: 01 Oct 2000
ISBN 10: 073600176X
ISBN 13: 9780736001762
David R. Kauss, PhD, has been practicing psychology since 1978, but he began his psychological consulting work with athletes and coaches--including the UCLA football and baseball teams--four years earlier. In his role as a consultant, Kauss has provided performance-enhancement training to athletes and coaches at the elite and professional levels. He wrote about his early work with athletes in his first book, Peak Performance.
In 1984 he became a registered sport psychological consultant for the U.S. Olympic Committee, working with athletes before and during their Olympic competition. His work with athletes also involves coaching: Kauss coached senior-league baseball for seven years and assorted youth sports for many years.
A member of the American Psychological Association, Kauss is also an associate professor of psychology at UCLA. He received his BA from Harvard University and his doctorate in clinical psychology from UCLA. When he's not helping athletes improve their performance, Kauss enjoys tennis, travel, and spectator sports. He and his wife, Laurel, live in Pacific Palisades, California, with their two children.