Don’t let the title fool you, this is an extremely thorough and comprehensive look at sports psychology from every imaginable perspective: the athlete, the coach, the teammate, the parent, etc.
I picked up a copy specifically to help improve my instructing and coaching ability for all of the students and competitors at Paramount BJJ, MMA, Muay Thai and Boxing facility. It’s perfectly formatted as a reference guide and the reader can easily skip around without losing any of the benefits of reading.
The Best Parts:
Determining Your Goals: In this section the author discusses the importance of long-term (1-3 years), midterm (6mos – 1year), short-term (1-6mos) and immediate (1 day to 1 week) goals. The philosophy: each goal should be built upon the last.
Affirmations in the Present Tense: When it comes to self-talk, saying “I am” is much more powerful than saying “I will.” It’s also important to be specific and positive. Rather than saying “Don’t be nervous” you should instead say, “stay calm and composed.”
Preparing for Practice: This is something that most athletes overlook. You should have goals and objectives for practice or training, not just for the competition.
I found this book to be especially helpful from a coaching perspective. In fact, it’s my number 1 recommendation for coaches who are serious about maximizing their athletes’ potential and performance.
I’ve noticed a HUGE difference in my coaching and my Paramount students’ performances since adding this book into my repertoire. Stay tuned for the next and final recommendation, where I’ll give an in-depth review of my favorite book for mental training.