Myths of Sport Performance

Stretching? Sleep? Fatigue? Psychological Safety? Pregnancy? Leadership?

Sport Performance is a complex, highly studied, highly debated and often controversial mixture of theories, opinions and evidence. This book aims to demystify some of the most pervasive myths, misconceptions and realities surrounding the how, what and why of improving performance in sport.

Ultimately, you’ll learn the truth about a particular myth, based on the most credible evidence available.

The subject is multidisciplinary in nature, made up of a myriad of sciences and philosophies, with the aim (the majority of the time) of improving performance, well-being, and health. Readers will learn multidisciplinary perspectives of sport and performance, from the physiological, psychological, pedagogical, sociological, and even philosophical.

Yes, this book is underpinned by science, but we also invited authors from around the world to bring their own personal experiences to the chapters, hence including not just experts within academia, but also those working on the ground of sport and performance. Contributors include lead sport scientists working in national institutes of sport, physiotherapists, sport and exercise psychologists, former athletes and high-performance consultants. It is important to us that this book is read by practitioners in the field of sport, and therefore is informed by those successfully working in these areas.

Whichever area of sport you compete, participate, work, or have an interest in, this book provides both the research underpinnings and practical considerations for you to be able to apply to your own environment and context. Whether you just become more aware of a specific topic, or you actually change what you do as a result, we hope you enjoy reading as much as we enjoyed putting together.

Dr Amy. E Whitehead, PhD, CPsychol, HCPC is Reader (Associate Professor) in Sport Psychology and Coaching at Liverpool John Moores University. Dr Whitehead is a sport and exercise psychologist accredited with the British Psychological Society and is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. Dr Whitehead delivers sport psychology support and coach development to a range of athletes and coaches, and also brings this work into her teaching in the classroom.

Jen Coe is an advocate of greater gender equity  and inclusivity in sport and is dedicated to promoting well-being across the sporting landscape. With over two decades of experience working in high performance environments, she champions a culture of performance through well-being in her work with organisations and individuals. Jen has worked from grassroots to elite level across a portfolio of sports, in roles such as coaching, analysis, coach development and sport psychology. She currently works within the women’s professional game in football as the Performance Well-being Lead an exciting role and key to supporting the players journey into, through and after professional sport.