This is a recommended list of reading material provided by University of Northern Iowa Strength and Conditioning Coach Jed Smith. He believes these books can help either the competitive athlete or the “weekend warrior” tackle the mind component of making oneself better, not just on the field, but in life, as well.
Mind Gym: An Athletes Guide to Inner Excellence by Garry Mack and David Casstevens
Noted sports psychology consultant Gary Mack explains how your mind influences your performance on the field or on the court as much as your physical skill does, if not more so. Through forty accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes from prominent athletes—many of whom he has worked with—you will learn the same techniques and exercises Mack uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle."
Ironmind: Stronger Minds, Stronger Bodies by Randall Strossen
An exercise for the mind. The articles in this book help you achieve new levels of performance. This book will not only help you with your weight training, it will help you in any situation that requires mental strength, stability and confidence. If you’re looking for a unique way to improve your training, this is what you've been looking for.
The Mental Athlete by Kay Porter
The Mental Athlete is the applied sport psychology handbook for competitors and coaches. It contains exercises, tests, and worksheets that will guide you through the steps of mental achievement for improved performance.
Winning Ways: Succeed in the Gym and Out by Randall Strossen
This is the sequel to IronMind: Stronger Minds, Stronger Bodies, but unlike Physics 101A and 101B, you can read these books in either order. What happens when some traditional psychological thinking gets applied to such non-traditional arenas as training? Big results --results that spill over, too, from the gym to the rest of your life.
Psyching for Sport: Mental Training for Athletes by Terry Orlick
This complete psychological training program will help athletes perform consistently closer to their full potential. Includes step-by-step directions for improving athletic performance through relaxation and imagery training, centering techniques, and goal setting.
The Complete Keys to Progress by John McCallum
John McCallum's articles -- he teaches us to squat, how to achieve success through hard work, and how to care for our health as we build size and strength -- and the whole time, he entertains us with his stories filled with such characters as the legendary Maurice Jones, the mythical Marvin, and the mountainous Doug Hepburn. If you were to only buy one book -- ever--on how to train, this is it.
The Art of War by Sun Tzu (Translated by Thomas Cleary)
Conflict is an inevitable part of life, according to this ancient Chinese classic of strategy, but everything necessary to deal with conflict wisely, honorably, victoriously, is already present within us. Compiled more than two thousand years ago by a mysterious warrior-philosopher, The Art of War is still perhaps the most prestigious and influential book of strategy in the world, as eagerly studied in Asia by modern politicians and executives as it has been by military leaders since ancient times. As a study of the anatomy of organizations in conflict, The Art of War applies to competition and conflict in general, on every level from the interpersonal to the international. Its aim is invincibility, victory without battle, and unassailable strength through understanding the physics, politics, and psychology of conflict.
Hagakure by Yamoto Tsunetomo
A collection of philosophy notes written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo that offers both instruction and insight to the Way of the Samurai, the secret code of the Samurai Warrior.
Budo Secrets by John Stevens
In budo -- which can be translated as "the way of brave and enlightened activity" -- martial arts and spirituality merge at the highest level of skill. Budo Secrets contains the essential teachings of budo's greatest masters of Kendo, Karate, Judo, Aikido, and other disciplines. Timely and instructive, these writings are not just for martial artists -- they're for anyone who wants to live life more courageously, with a greater sense of personal confidence and self-control, and with a deeper understanding of others.
Secret Tactics by Kazumi Tabata
In the tradition of The Martial Artist's Book of Five Rings, one of America's most experienced teachers of karate offers new interpretations of fundamental martial arts texts. The book includes new translations of essays on leadership, correct behavior, character, and values. "Hereditary Manual of Fighting Techniques" by Yagyu Tajimanokami Munenori explores the relationship between philosophy and warfare and the mental preparation for successful fighting. In "The Ultimate Sword," Takuan Soho describes the unremitting effort that must be undertaken to become a true master of strategy.
The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi (Translated by Thomas Cleary)
The Book of Five Rings is one of the most insightful texts on the subtle arts of confrontation and victory to emerge from Asian culture. Written not only for martial artists but for anyone who wants to apply the timeless principles of this text to their life, the book analyzes the process of struggle and mastery over conflict that underlies every level of human interaction. The Book of Five Rings was composed in 1643 by the famed duelist and undefeated samurai Miyamoto Musashi.
The Warrior Mind by Jim Prichard
THE WARRIOR MIND: ANCIENT WISDOM FROM THE MARTIAL ARTS FOR LIVING A MORE POWERFUL LIFE is about more than martial arts as a sport or science. These ancient arts help build mental discipline for all kinds of challenges, and THE WARRIOR MIND builds upon this concept whether or not you practice the physical aspects of martial art. Jim Pritchard describes how principles of martial arts translate into basic principles of mental strength. Six fundamental principles of such a disciplined mind are illustrated with applied principles and inspiring stories to make for a motivational self-help primer for business and lay readers alike.
The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance by Timothy Gellway
A phenomenon when first published in 1972, the Inner Game was a real revelation. Instead of serving up technique, it concentrated on the fact that, as Gallwey wrote, "Every game is composed of two parts, an outer game and an inner game." The former is played against opponents, and is filled with lots of contradictory advice; the latter is played not against, but within the mind of the player, and its principal obstacles are self-doubt and anxiety. Gallwey's revolutionary thinking, built on a foundation of Zen thinking and humanistic psychology, was really a primer on how to get out of your own way to let your best game emerge.
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