Coaching for performance : realising the Olympic dream / edited by Sarah Lee, Martin Dixon and Tony Ghaye

Includes bibliographical references and index

Realising the Olympic dream - bring on the alchemists / Sarah Lee, Tony Ghaye, Martin Dixon and with a contribution from Beth Tweddle, MBE -- Coaching for performance : an interview with Olympic diving coach, Andy Banks / Martin Dixon, Sarah Lee and Tony Ghaye -- Coaching for performance : reflections of Olympic diving coach, Andy Banks / Martin Dixon, Sarah Lee and Tony Ghaye -- Reflection and the art of coaching : fostering high-performance in Olympic Ski Cross / Matthew Lyons, Steven B. Rynne and Clifford J. Mallett -- One door closes, a next door opens up somewhere : the learning of one Olympic sychronised swimmer / Natalie Barker-Ruchti, Dean Barker, Steven Rynne and Jessica Lee -- Stories of success : cultural narratives and personal stories of elite and professional athletes / David Carless and Kitrina Douglas -- Thought piece : realising the Olympic dream : vision, support and challenge / Calum A. Arthur, Lew Hardy and Tim Woodman -- Developing rapid high-pressure team decision-making skills. The integration of slow deliberate reflective learning within the competitive performance environment : a case study of elite netball / Pam Richards, Dave Collins and Duncan R. D. Mascarenhas -- Reflections on a dream : towards an understanding of factors Olympic coaches attribute to their success / Janet L. Currie and Shelley Oates-Wilding -- Sacrifice : the lonely Olympic road / Amanda J. Wilding, Laura Hunter-Thomas and Roger Thomas -- Multi-directional management : exploring the challenges of performance in the World Class Programme environment / Dave Collins and Andrew Cruickshank -- Politics, power & the podium : coaching for paralympic performance / Anthony J. Bush and Michael L. Silk -- Thought piece : the political process of constructing a sustainable London Olympics sport legacy : three years on / Vassil Girginov

This book celebrates two important aspects of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. For those involved in any aspect of Olympism, and particularly coaches and athletes, London 2012 was about realising dreams, achieving success and participating in competitive sport at the highest level. This book sets out some of these dreams and the part coaches play in this. The book also looks at the notion of 'coaching-for-performance' and does this from an international and multi-sport perspective. From interviews with Olympic coaches, the experiences of those working in the field of high performance and from applied sport researchers, the book uses the metaphor of the 'coach-as-alchemist' in order to capture the dynamics of coach-athlete relationships and performance. Sports such as diving, swimming, gymnastics, skiing are included as well as individual and team sports

Sarah Lee is Subject Leader of Applied Sport Science, University West of England, Hartpury, UK and an elite netball coach

Martin Dixon is a Lecturer in Sport Coaching and Professional Development, Staffordshire University, UK and UEFA-licensed football coach

Tony Ghaye is a positive psychologist and Director, Reflective Learning-International, Gloucester, UK