Rebound

Book excerpt: 'The evidence-backed guidance in this long-overdue resource is as crucial to managing the mental side of injury as good healthcare providers are to managing the physical side.' Matt Fitzgerald, author of 80/20 Running Written by a leading mental skills coach and contributing editor to Runner's World (US), this is a practical guide to building the psychological resilience that athletes need to recover from injury and rebound stronger. Injuries affect every athlete, from the elite Olympian to the weekend racer. In the moment, a traumatic crash, a torn muscle, or a stress fracture can feel like the most devastating event possible. While some athletes are destroyed by the experience, others emerge from their recovery better, stronger, and more confident than ever. The key to a swifter, stronger comeback is the use of mental skills: psychological tools that enable an athlete to take control of their recovery and ultimately use the experience to their advantage. Injury and other setbacks are inevitable – but with training, overcoming them skillfully and confidently is possible. This book will provide a clear, compelling explanation of psychological recovery from injury and a practical guide to building mental resilience. Weaving together personal narratives from star athletes, scientific research, and the specialized clinical expertise of mental skills coach Carrie Jackson Cheadle, it will contain more than 45 Mental Skills and Drills that athletes can use at every phase of their recovery process. These same strategies can help athletes who aren't currently injured reduce their vulnerability to injury, and enable any individual to reach new heights within their sport and beyond.