Coach Dawn Writes

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I believe in training my team’s brains…showing them how they are in control of their situation and their view of their situation. Mind Gym by Gary Mack is a great book for individuals and teams to challenge themselves to develop their mental games. While it may not supply your athletes with new and unique ideas about the mental aspects of sports, it will give them real life examples of folks who’ve been successful using the techniques mentioned in the book. It’s also a bulletin board’s friend, because it’s full of great quotations…here are a few:

“Successful people take responsibility for themselves and their game. They understand that it’s not the event but how they respond to it that’s most important.”

“Motivation depends in a very large part on goal setting. The coach must have goals. The team must have goals. Each individual must have goals—real, vivid, living goals. Goals keep everyone on target.”

“Failure is the best teacher in the world…you get to learn from what happens to you—both good and bad—in a real-live game situation.”

“Consistency separates good athletes from great ones. The best athletes win consistently because they think, act, and practice consistently.”

“Sports is more than a contest of physical ability. Sports also test courage, which comes from the Latin word meaning heart. And it’s the human heart where the hero within us lives.”

The rundown: Mind Gym is a short book with short chapters that are pretty easy to read. The author is a sports psychologist who has worked with many professional athletes to push them past their own personal mental barriers. While he does supply some mental exercises that athletes can use, I think the best parts of the book are the stories and testimonials from the athletes themselves.

Recommended for: It’d be a great team book. Every year, I pick a book for my team to read as a group and this one would be awesome…especially if you know that the mental side of the game will be a weak point for your team. It’s full of good examples from professional athletes and most importantly, it’s an easy read that won’t overwhelm your players with their other studies.

Not recommended for: It’s not a deep book that will challenge your coaching philosophy…but rather a book that says what you’re probably already saying to your team. Don’t buy it thinking you’re going to get all sorts of bright ideas, but rather a support system to your current coaching system.

I enjoyed this book because it’s something that my athletes can keep with them that shows them how to control their thoughts and win the mind game.

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Do you have a coaching nerd in your life who just loves to learn more and more about their sport and their craft? Then I’d bet that they love to read books! Keep checking back as I talk about three books that are great for coaches: Gender & Competition by Kathy DeBoer, Mind Gym by Gary Mack, and Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy.