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On Top of Your Game: Mental Skills to Maximize Your Athletic Performance
In recent years, more athletes and coaches have recognized the powerful impact the mind has on an athlete’s performance. Physical skill alone is not enough to successfully deal with the demands of being an athlete. An increasing number of athletes are utilizing mental skills training to improve their confidence and feel more in control of their performance.
Coaches and athletes are becoming more educated in understanding sport psychology and are seeking out ways to learn how to be “mentally tough”. On Top of Your Game can help athletes stay focused, motivated, and most of all, truly dedicated to their sport. From recreational to elite athletes, people are searching for ways to improve their performance.
On Top of Your Game provides the necessary tools to regain control of your performance, including:
How to decrease feelings of anxiety before competition
How to increase confidence in ability to perform under pressure
How to increase awareness of personal mental obstacles
How to gain a belief in your ability to accomplish goals and perform to athletic potential
How to achieve more consistent results
Rekindle the passion for sport and competition
And for coaches:
Simple and effective ways to address mental skills training
How to develop a common language around the psychology of sport
How to decrease mental errors of their athletes
And most of all, how to help their players perform to their potential
Athletes spend tremendous amounts of time, money, and energy on their sport and they deserve to get the most out of that time. And athletes can’t gain the benefits from their sport participation if they are overwhelmed by feelings of pressure and anxiety. On Top of Your Game is the book that shows them they don’t have to be. The tools are creative, clear, and have been used by hundreds of athletes for improving their own performances. The book includes written exercises for gaining clarity and self-awareness, worksheets providing direction towards behavior change, and exercises for focus and control.
“In my 30+ years in cycling I have had many opportunities to see extremely physically talented athletes fail to live up to their potential because they were never able to balance their physical talent with the mental side of sport. During that same time I have seen good athletes have championship winning performances due in part to their mental strength. Now more than ever, with so much information available to everyone instantaneously, many athletes tend to look everywhere except to themselves for improvement.
Carrie Cheadle’s “On Top Of Your Game” is a fantastic resource for every level of athlete from weekend warrior to World Champion who is looking to strengthen their mental game and thus improve performance by looking within. With an easy to read format, “Take-Aways” & “Tools” at the end of each chapter and the “...there is no right or wrong way” approach, Cheadle definitely has a winning book on her hands. Drawing on personal experience as well as the experiences of the many athletes she has worked with, a nice balance of real life and textbook examples is achieved to make easy understanding for everyone.”
-Kurt Stockton
1990 US Professional Road Cycling Champion
Team Manager & Director NOW and Novartis for MS Women’s Professional Cycling Team
“I started this book while going through an injury and when the first few pages opened up with a personal story by Carrie of overcoming an injury herself, I knew I was going to benefit from reading the rest! The way she uses her own journey as an athlete, and combines that with her extensive studies in sport psychology, makes this book a 'must have' for any level of athlete. We just don't give enough credit to the power of the mind. Don't be lazy! Read this wonderfully written piece of work and start the process now.”
-Lesley Patterson
3 x Off-Road World Triathlon Champion
Coaches and athletes are becoming more educated in understanding sport psychology and are seeking out ways to learn how to be “mentally tough”. On Top of Your Game can help athletes stay focused, motivated, and most of all, truly dedicated to their sport. From recreational to elite athletes, people are searching for ways to improve their performance.
On Top of Your Game provides the necessary tools to regain control of your performance, including:
How to decrease feelings of anxiety before competition
How to increase confidence in ability to perform under pressure
How to increase awareness of personal mental obstacles
How to gain a belief in your ability to accomplish goals and perform to athletic potential
How to achieve more consistent results
Rekindle the passion for sport and competition
And for coaches:
Simple and effective ways to address mental skills training
How to develop a common language around the psychology of sport
How to decrease mental errors of their athletes
And most of all, how to help their players perform to their potential
Athletes spend tremendous amounts of time, money, and energy on their sport and they deserve to get the most out of that time. And athletes can’t gain the benefits from their sport participation if they are overwhelmed by feelings of pressure and anxiety. On Top of Your Game is the book that shows them they don’t have to be. The tools are creative, clear, and have been used by hundreds of athletes for improving their own performances. The book includes written exercises for gaining clarity and self-awareness, worksheets providing direction towards behavior change, and exercises for focus and control.
“In my 30+ years in cycling I have had many opportunities to see extremely physically talented athletes fail to live up to their potential because they were never able to balance their physical talent with the mental side of sport. During that same time I have seen good athletes have championship winning performances due in part to their mental strength. Now more than ever, with so much information available to everyone instantaneously, many athletes tend to look everywhere except to themselves for improvement.
Carrie Cheadle’s “On Top Of Your Game” is a fantastic resource for every level of athlete from weekend warrior to World Champion who is looking to strengthen their mental game and thus improve performance by looking within. With an easy to read format, “Take-Aways” & “Tools” at the end of each chapter and the “...there is no right or wrong way” approach, Cheadle definitely has a winning book on her hands. Drawing on personal experience as well as the experiences of the many athletes she has worked with, a nice balance of real life and textbook examples is achieved to make easy understanding for everyone.”
-Kurt Stockton
1990 US Professional Road Cycling Champion
Team Manager & Director NOW and Novartis for MS Women’s Professional Cycling Team
“I started this book while going through an injury and when the first few pages opened up with a personal story by Carrie of overcoming an injury herself, I knew I was going to benefit from reading the rest! The way she uses her own journey as an athlete, and combines that with her extensive studies in sport psychology, makes this book a 'must have' for any level of athlete. We just don't give enough credit to the power of the mind. Don't be lazy! Read this wonderfully written piece of work and start the process now.”
-Lesley Patterson
3 x Off-Road World Triathlon Champion
248 pages, Paperback
First published October 25, 2013
46 people are currently reading
301 people want to read
About the author
Carrie Jackson Cheadle
2 books10 followersCarrie Jackson Cheadle lives just north of San Francisco, California and has been working on the performance of teams, organizations, and individual athletes and exercisers since 2002. She is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and author of the book On Top of Your Game: Mental Skills to Maximize Your Athletic Performance and co-author of Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries as well as the co-host of the podcast The Injured Athletes Club.
She has been interviewed as an expert resource for articles that have appeared in publications such as Outside Magazine, Shape Magazine, Men’s Fitness, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Women’s Running Magazine, Bicycling Magazine, New York Times, and HuffingtonPost. She is a sought-after speaker and has spoken and consulted with many collegiate teams, cycling teams, and triathlon teams, as well as corporate organizations including CamelBak. She’s also been featured in the TrainingPeaks blog and webinar series as an expert in Mental Skills Training.
Carrie has worked with athletes of all ages and at every level, from recreational athletes to elite and professional athletes competing at national and international levels. Carrie also specializes in working with athletes and exercisers with Type I Diabetes and she’s the director of the Mental Skills Training Program for Diabetes Training Camp.
She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology at Sonoma State University and her Master of Arts degree in sport psychology at John F. Kennedy University. Carrie has taught both undergraduate and graduate levels for psychology classes and is currently adjunct faculty for John F. Kennedy University.
Carrie is engaging, energetic, and fun. She has a great sense of humor and employs a reallife approach to working on the mental aspects of sport and performance with her clients. Carrie has her own personal commitment to lifelong fitness and when she isn’t working you might find her hiking a trail, playing guitar, or hitting the slopes on her snowboard.
She has been interviewed as an expert resource for articles that have appeared in publications such as Outside Magazine, Shape Magazine, Men’s Fitness, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Women’s Running Magazine, Bicycling Magazine, New York Times, and HuffingtonPost. She is a sought-after speaker and has spoken and consulted with many collegiate teams, cycling teams, and triathlon teams, as well as corporate organizations including CamelBak. She’s also been featured in the TrainingPeaks blog and webinar series as an expert in Mental Skills Training.
Carrie has worked with athletes of all ages and at every level, from recreational athletes to elite and professional athletes competing at national and international levels. Carrie also specializes in working with athletes and exercisers with Type I Diabetes and she’s the director of the Mental Skills Training Program for Diabetes Training Camp.
She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology at Sonoma State University and her Master of Arts degree in sport psychology at John F. Kennedy University. Carrie has taught both undergraduate and graduate levels for psychology classes and is currently adjunct faculty for John F. Kennedy University.
Carrie is engaging, energetic, and fun. She has a great sense of humor and employs a reallife approach to working on the mental aspects of sport and performance with her clients. Carrie has her own personal commitment to lifelong fitness and when she isn’t working you might find her hiking a trail, playing guitar, or hitting the slopes on her snowboard.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 4, 2018
Good read with lots of helpful tools/worksheets for working on the mental side of training.
December 13, 2019
Extremely helpful. Definitely if you are an athlete combating falling out of love with your sport but wanting to persevere this is the book for you! Very easy to read.
January 7, 2020
Great book. Easy to read and a great tool for working mental skills.It comes to me in perfect timing. Reading it is worth.
Gives advices not only for sports but also for live.
Gives advices not only for sports but also for live.
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March 2, 2015I would give the book "On Top Of Your Game" a 5 star rating because of the effect it has had on my life. As an athlete this book has helped me prepare for my upcoming track season and has taught me what it will take to perform to my potential. I would definitely recommend this book to any athlete no matter what sport they play or what they want to accomplish in that sport. I believe this book would we be helpful to them and help motivate them to succeed. This book is written for athletes but I believe it is not only for athletes. I would also recommend it to anyone who wants to succeed at something that is important to them or something they want to accomplish. The author has a lot of experience with preparing the mental game and experience with athletes of all types. All of her stories make it an easy and fun book to read and learn from. I guarantee that whoever reads this book will get something out of it that will be helpful to them at some point in their life.
December 24, 2013
I won this book in a first reads giveaway. And thanks to the author for sending me a copy just days after.
So I have read and taken a few classes covering some of the topics in sport psychology covered in this book and every time I always enjoy how these practical mental skills can help anyone not only in the context of sport, but also in any aspect of performance in life.
Cheadle covers anxiety, motivation, goal setting, relaxation for the mind and body, focus, preparation, reflection/feedback, and setbacks. Each chapter summarizes key points followed by tools to develop concerning each topic.
For any athlete the mental aspect of sport should not be overlooked. And On Top of Your Game is a great book to begin learning and developing mental skills for sport and life.
So I have read and taken a few classes covering some of the topics in sport psychology covered in this book and every time I always enjoy how these practical mental skills can help anyone not only in the context of sport, but also in any aspect of performance in life.
Cheadle covers anxiety, motivation, goal setting, relaxation for the mind and body, focus, preparation, reflection/feedback, and setbacks. Each chapter summarizes key points followed by tools to develop concerning each topic.
For any athlete the mental aspect of sport should not be overlooked. And On Top of Your Game is a great book to begin learning and developing mental skills for sport and life.
January 8, 2014
People often ask, how do I work on my mental game? On Top of Your Game is an excellent resource to do just that!!! Dr. Carrie captures all the essential mental skills needed to play your best when it matters the most. The book offers specific mental training exercises to not only reach your potential, but also how to successfully train and compete. Her work with many world-class athletes is evident with all the spot on examples! Lastly, the "take-a-way" tools at the end of each chapter is simply awesome!
September 6, 2016
I read a number of reviews of sports psychology books before choosing one for a summer reading book. After finishing this one, I'm glad I chose it. This wasn't a gimmicky book or one full of fluff. Cheadle was direct, interesting, applicable, and is an excellent writer. She gives broad enough scenarios that they can be applied to any sport and specific enough scenarios that you know the principles and skills work.
As a coach, this is a book I am sure to reference and read over and over again, and I think any and all coaches and athletes should read it.
As a coach, this is a book I am sure to reference and read over and over again, and I think any and all coaches and athletes should read it.
April 26, 2014
I won this book and learned a lit from it. I am going to have my son read it as I am sure it will help him in bis athletic endeavors
August 13, 2019
Given to me by my Tri coach -helped somewhat
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews