Informed: The Art of the Science of Preparing Athletes

Beyond textbook theory and the research literature there is always a gap to bridge when applying this information with 'live' athletes. In this book we delve into that uncharted territory that lies between. As implied in the title, there is an art to this translation of science into practice, and a great deal of wisdom and nuance involved in the process. We explore what differentiates truly elite practice, citing relevant examples and drawing upon applied experience.This is a book for coaches, leaders, practitioners across disciplines, and athletes who wish to be informed. Key themes include 'higher order skills' to navigate the challenge of truly becoming informed in the 'Information Age', creating a genuinely elite environment, effective coaching and the human interaction element of working with athletes, and the role of the athlete themselves in the process.The text is broken into three parts. The first section is for practitioners. The second, for coaches and leaders. The final part is dedicated to the role of the athlete.

Review :
'In his latest book, Informed: The Art of the Science of Preparing Athletes, Paul Gamble defines what it means to be an informed practitioner, coach and athlete, and in the process provides a compass for us all to navigate the vast world that is high performance sport... Having written multiple textbooks on team and individual sport preparation, Paul steps behind the physical, technical and tactical to shed light on the 'human' part of human performance. This new offering is a guidebook to help us develop our own "reflective practice with teeth." It is witty, candid and doesn't pretend to have all the answers. After all, more often than not, the answer is "it depends"... Each chapter in this book offers a pit stop in support of developing your own reflective practice. You will come away not only inspired to raise the bar in your own little corner of the sporting world, but also equipped with practical tools and ideas to help you survive the fire hose of information that our world of electronic connection brings us on a daily basis.' - Tracy Fober, Physical Therapist and Strength Coach, US Ski and Snowboard Assocation 'Paul Gamble's informedinsport blog has been one of the finest online resources for coaches and sports practitioners for some time now. With his new book Informed - The Art of the Science of Preparing Athletes, I was excited to see how Paul would bring his thoughts and insights to the long form format. Paul's previous publications have been more of the "textbook" type. They have offered comprehensive scientific summaries of the technical aspects of strength and conditioning. Informed is a departure from the collegiate textbook approach and instead is a deep-dive into the soft-skills which underpin coaching and often are at the core of success. Informed is a meaty work with topics aimed at practitioners, coaches, leaders and importantly, athletes themselves. The book maintains a significant breadth and depth of information across topics such as critical thinking, pedagogy, mentoring, reflective practice and attentional focus (for both the coach and the athlete). One of the most impressive aspects of Gamble's text is that he successfully navigates a clear path between scientific evidence, experiential learning and his own opinion while still offering tangible tools and techniques for readers to implement in their practice. He does this in a way that is readable, accessible and usual to the reader. In particular, Gamble outlines clear, evidence-based frameworks and processes for delicate issues such as mentoring and reflective practice which can positively impact on readers' practices immediately. One of the most striking aspects of "Informed" is that it does not shy away from uncertainty. In the age of the internet guru, Gamble offers no "quick fixes". He doesn't claim to have done it all or to have the keys to the kingdom. He doesn't create strawman arguments to seemingly enhance his material. He doesn't attempt to pigeon hole complex behaviour into convenient archetypes or faux-solutions. This humility is utterly refreshing. However, "Informed" is unlikely to have the profile of other texts released recently, on similar topics, for this very reason. In a complex world and a complex craft, it is reasonable for readers to crave certainty and be attracted to promises of "game-changing" information. Gamble resists the urge to make this promise and instead embraces the nuance, subtlety and uncertainty of many aspects of our practice. This isn't an easy sell, but its honest and truly insightful and will be impactful to those with a questioning mind.' - Eamonn Flanagan PhD, Head of Strength and Conditioning at the Irish Institute of Sport