Book Description
Rugby is a highly demanding, physical sport. But anyone who has played or coached the game knows that mental skills separate the best players from the rest. Rugby Tough teaches you how to sharpen your focus to play your best. Rugby Tough covers players’ psychological skills, group dynamics, and mental strategies in competitive play. From building team cohesiveness to tactics for defending and attacking, you’ll find all the tools you need to perform at the highest level. This definitive word on mental preparation springs from the experience and expertise of coaches and sport psychologists from England, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Canada, Australia, and the United States who’ve played and counseled many of the world’s best rugby performers. Achieve the mindset of a champion and be ready for the ultimate challenge. Be rugby tough.


About the Author
Bruce Hale possesses firsthand experience and in-depth knowledge of rugby as both a player and coach. He played as a fullback for 10 years at Penn State University. He then coached for 10 years for one of the top U.S. collegiate rugby programs at Penn State University. During that time, he led two men’s rugby teams to the U.S. Collegiate Final Four. Hale is also a certified sport psychology consultant for the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP) and has served as a consultant for the U.S. rugby team. He has specialized in rugby consulting for the U.S. Eagles, the Under 19s, the Cardiff Rugby Football Club, and the Wales Elite 2000 program. Hale is currently the director of academic support services at the University of Maine at Orono. He lives with his wife, Sandra, in Glenburn, Maine. David Collins played rugby at prop for several top-level clubs in England (Bedford, Saracens) and holds an RFU full coaching badge. He served as the sport psychologist for the English RFU and also helped coach Penn State to the collegiate final four in the United States of America. Collins is currently the head of the department of physical education, sport, and leisure studies at the University of Edinburgh. Collins is also a sport psychologist accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) and has consulted with many elite athletes. For BASES, he serves as the president of the psychology section. Collins resides in Edinburgh, Scotland.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Rugby is a highly demanding, physical sport. But anyone who has played or coached the game knows that mental skills separate the best players from the rest. Rugby Tough teaches you how to sharpen your focus to play your best.

Rugby Tough covers players' psychological skills, group dynamics, and mental strategies in competitive play. From building team cohesiveness to tactics for defending and attacking, you'll find all the tools you need to perform at the highest level.