Sport Psychology for Athletes, Coaches & Parents CEXTN34-202540

This course will illustrate how to apply sport psychology principles to enhance human performance in aspects such as; Confidence, motivation, leadership, team cohesion, anxiety control, visualization, communication, goal-setting, concentration, character development and overcoming injury. It will emphasize on understanding the psychological processes involved in human performance, models of intervention that can enhance and improve learning and performance conditions, and the strategies which can elicit and influence favorable psychological perceptions and outcomes.

Instructor Bio: Paul Sapsford has taught Sport Psychology at Las Positas College for over 15 years. His undergraduate thesis examined the Home Advantage in Professional Soccer and was conducted with first team professionals at Crystal Palace FC. He lectured in the field of Sport Psychology at Saint Mary’s University College (UK), and collaborated on research into the FIFA Experiment on Semi-Professional soccer which was later published in the Journal of Sports Sciences. His post graduate studies at Exeter University (UK) and Saint Mary’s College of California culminated in his thesis on the relationship between coaching behavior, collective efficacy and team cohesion. He holds a USSF “A” License and has coached D1 NCAA athletics at both Stanford University and Saint Mary’s College of California. While at Stanford he guided the Cardinal women’s soccer team to an elite eight finish in the 2002 NCAA playoffs and was named National Coach of the Year by Soccer America for this achievement. He also served Northern California as Director of Coaching, where he specialized in sport psychology and coach education