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Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence
Praise for
Mind Gym
:
"Believing in yourself is paramount to success for any athlete. Gary's lessons and David's writing provide examples of the importance of the mental game." (Ben Crenshaw, two-time Masters champion and former Ryder Cup captain)
"Mind Gym hits a home run. If you want to build mental muscle for the major leagues, read this book." (Ken Griffey Jr., Major League Baseball MVP)
"I read Mind Gym on my way to the Sydney Olympics and really got a lot out of it. Gary has important lessons to teach, and you'll find the exercises fun and beneficial." (Jason Kidd, NBA All-Star and Olympic gold-medal winner)
"I love the book Mind Gym." (Madison Kocian, 2016 US Women's Gymnastics Team, 2015 Uneven Bars World Champion, as told to Us Weekly)
In Mind Gym, 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 40 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". Mind Gym will give you the "head edge" over the competition.
Please This is an historical recording. The audio quality represents the technology of the time when it was produced.
"Believing in yourself is paramount to success for any athlete. Gary's lessons and David's writing provide examples of the importance of the mental game." (Ben Crenshaw, two-time Masters champion and former Ryder Cup captain)
"Mind Gym hits a home run. If you want to build mental muscle for the major leagues, read this book." (Ken Griffey Jr., Major League Baseball MVP)
"I read Mind Gym on my way to the Sydney Olympics and really got a lot out of it. Gary has important lessons to teach, and you'll find the exercises fun and beneficial." (Jason Kidd, NBA All-Star and Olympic gold-medal winner)
"I love the book Mind Gym." (Madison Kocian, 2016 US Women's Gymnastics Team, 2015 Uneven Bars World Champion, as told to Us Weekly)
In Mind Gym, 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 40 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". Mind Gym will give you the "head edge" over the competition.
Please This is an historical recording. The audio quality represents the technology of the time when it was produced.
Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 419 reviews
October 25, 2019
I’ll get right to it. This one was tough to pull myself through. I’m very surprised at the amount of positive comments and overall rating for this book. There is an alarmingly small amount of actionable content here given its status proclaiming otherwise. The average chapter length is perhaps 3 or 4 pages long. In my opinion, it’s hard to cover any meaningful topic in 3 or 4 pages.
The brevity could almost be forgiven if the writing was precise, deliberate, and the ideas well-researched. But that is not the case. Most topics are covered in personal anecdotes, inspirational quotes, and an obscure comparison connecting the idea at hand to some historical athletic figure in a situational example. Most of it confuses correlation and causation (many examples like “Nolan Ryan spent hours before each game thinking about his pitches, even refusing to answer phone calls from friends and family. He is remembered as one of the greatest pitchers of all time.”)
If you’ve read a true behavioral psychology book - see “Thinking Fast and Slow” for example - you get a great respect for the lengths researchers go to in order to design scientific experiments, isolate variables, and do all the things necessary to prove ways in which the human mind works and how to take specific steps to better yourself and take advantage of your own humanity in that way. If that’s the kind of book you’re looking for, this is not it.
However, I’ve given it two stars as opposed to one because I understand that some may just want an easy read and pick up some quick inspiration to help prepare themselves before an athletic event. It’s not scientific, it’s not really even based on anything, but the ideas are agreeable enough that maybe someone can get a useful habit or two from reading.
The brevity could almost be forgiven if the writing was precise, deliberate, and the ideas well-researched. But that is not the case. Most topics are covered in personal anecdotes, inspirational quotes, and an obscure comparison connecting the idea at hand to some historical athletic figure in a situational example. Most of it confuses correlation and causation (many examples like “Nolan Ryan spent hours before each game thinking about his pitches, even refusing to answer phone calls from friends and family. He is remembered as one of the greatest pitchers of all time.”)
If you’ve read a true behavioral psychology book - see “Thinking Fast and Slow” for example - you get a great respect for the lengths researchers go to in order to design scientific experiments, isolate variables, and do all the things necessary to prove ways in which the human mind works and how to take specific steps to better yourself and take advantage of your own humanity in that way. If that’s the kind of book you’re looking for, this is not it.
However, I’ve given it two stars as opposed to one because I understand that some may just want an easy read and pick up some quick inspiration to help prepare themselves before an athletic event. It’s not scientific, it’s not really even based on anything, but the ideas are agreeable enough that maybe someone can get a useful habit or two from reading.
August 23, 2022
Imagine you buy a cookbook expecting all kinds of delicious recipes and useful food-prep techniques, and instead you end up with a bunch of stories about how one time, this one guy, in this one kitchen, baked a pie so bad that no one would eat it... So what did he do? He blocked all the negative self-talk, used more butter, and that's how he baked the best peach cobbler in the land and won first place at the fair!
So that's where we're at. This book is not so much a guide in the sense that it outlines a practice to become better at managing the mental game, it is more of a compendium of stories that illustrate some isolated aspects of sports psychology and how they were used successfully by his clients.
It is very quotable and entertaining to read, but it is a bit aspirational as far as guides go.
So that's where we're at. This book is not so much a guide in the sense that it outlines a practice to become better at managing the mental game, it is more of a compendium of stories that illustrate some isolated aspects of sports psychology and how they were used successfully by his clients.
It is very quotable and entertaining to read, but it is a bit aspirational as far as guides go.
April 6, 2011
This book caught my eye when it cropped up on a friend's reading list (Thanks, Virb!). I am in the middle of training for a half marathon, and I figured I could use a pep talk. Mind Gym fit the bill nicely. It contains many inspirational stories, mostly from professional athletes with whom the author has worked in his career as a sports psychology consultant and counselor. Many anecdotes came from baseball, football and golf greats. I'm not very familiar with those sports; I hope that by reading this book I have expanded my knowledge base for trivia.
I was surprised that the Mind Gym concept highlighted in the title of the book did not receive greater discussion. Mack's mental preparation advice for athletes basically boils down to one paragraph: "To get the head edge, try creating your own mind gym, [an imaginary retreat where you can go before games to reflect and mentally prepare]. You always can do mental practice, even when you are physically tired or injured. Make your images as vivid and as clear as you can. See yourself overcoming mistakes, and imagine yourself doing things well. Remember, confidence comes from knowing you are mentally and physically prepared" (page 17).
It's good advice, and it has broad applications for sports and other pursuits. This read was an interesting complement to other mindfulness and focus exercises I have tried recently. I got the pep talk I was looking for and some motivation to stick with my running program. By substituting performer for athlete, I also appreciated Mack's advice about self-discipline and building confidence as it relates to my role as accompanist for my church choir. As my friend Andrea put it so eloquently last week, "Confidence is trusting in the other side of the equation." When I know that I have done everything I can to prepare for a performance, I can let go of my anxiety, immerse myself in the music as it unfolds, and be in sync with my choir teammates and director/coach.
I was surprised that the Mind Gym concept highlighted in the title of the book did not receive greater discussion. Mack's mental preparation advice for athletes basically boils down to one paragraph: "To get the head edge, try creating your own mind gym, [an imaginary retreat where you can go before games to reflect and mentally prepare]. You always can do mental practice, even when you are physically tired or injured. Make your images as vivid and as clear as you can. See yourself overcoming mistakes, and imagine yourself doing things well. Remember, confidence comes from knowing you are mentally and physically prepared" (page 17).
It's good advice, and it has broad applications for sports and other pursuits. This read was an interesting complement to other mindfulness and focus exercises I have tried recently. I got the pep talk I was looking for and some motivation to stick with my running program. By substituting performer for athlete, I also appreciated Mack's advice about self-discipline and building confidence as it relates to my role as accompanist for my church choir. As my friend Andrea put it so eloquently last week, "Confidence is trusting in the other side of the equation." When I know that I have done everything I can to prepare for a performance, I can let go of my anxiety, immerse myself in the music as it unfolds, and be in sync with my choir teammates and director/coach.
May 4, 2021
I only read this honestly because it fit a challenge I was doing. I'm normally not one for self-help because they tend to come off preachy and while this one wasn't preachy, I still had issues with it.
Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence, on the surface, is a book to help athlete's unlock their potential using their minds. The author states that the information in the book can be applied to any situation - which is true - but it's definitely made for big sports fans because man, the name dropping here is crazy. Which brings me to my first issue with the book. It felt like a who's who among the sports world. Every page was littered with "When I worked with..". It was very braggy and I for one, wasn't impressed.
Which leads to my next issue, so much of the book was just talking about who he worked with and not on how the deeper issues were dealt with. Everything was very surface based. "He used his mind to create positivity and therefore he got better." Not kidding, this was most of the book. All in all, this book wants you to think positive thoughts because those are better than negative thoughts and negative thoughts will affect your performance. There, you guys have read the book now.
Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence, on the surface, is a book to help athlete's unlock their potential using their minds. The author states that the information in the book can be applied to any situation - which is true - but it's definitely made for big sports fans because man, the name dropping here is crazy. Which brings me to my first issue with the book. It felt like a who's who among the sports world. Every page was littered with "When I worked with..". It was very braggy and I for one, wasn't impressed.
Which leads to my next issue, so much of the book was just talking about who he worked with and not on how the deeper issues were dealt with. Everything was very surface based. "He used his mind to create positivity and therefore he got better." Not kidding, this was most of the book. All in all, this book wants you to think positive thoughts because those are better than negative thoughts and negative thoughts will affect your performance. There, you guys have read the book now.
January 12, 2016
Great resource tool for performance development whether it be in athletics, vocational life or a particular avocation where you are seeking to excel. I often use this book with coaching clients and pair it with 'The War of Art' as resource tools.
His key premise is that we reach a level of physical competency that can only be elevated by our mental game. The peak level of performance is unleashed - or stopped by what we think - not what we do. This is about developing our mental game.
It is critical that we understand the core of our selves - how we are wired, what stops us, what motivates us and what can help us break through to the next level. Gary Mack does a great job of giving short 'exercises' with stories about what is needed in order to access our peak performance.
By changing our thinking - we can change our performance.
It is our responsibility to think and access our potential - and learn what our blocks are and choose to shut them out.
We must 'learn how to learn' so we can constantly improve.
He addresses 'fear' at length. Fear is a two edged sword - At some level it can motivate and at other levels it can shut us down. Being aware of fear and what level to let in and what level to shut out - is critical to performance improvement (and moving ahead in life)
I've underlined over 100 key concepts in this book that are useful for me as an elite athlete and as a performance coach.
Highly recommend this one :)
His key premise is that we reach a level of physical competency that can only be elevated by our mental game. The peak level of performance is unleashed - or stopped by what we think - not what we do. This is about developing our mental game.
It is critical that we understand the core of our selves - how we are wired, what stops us, what motivates us and what can help us break through to the next level. Gary Mack does a great job of giving short 'exercises' with stories about what is needed in order to access our peak performance.
By changing our thinking - we can change our performance.
It is our responsibility to think and access our potential - and learn what our blocks are and choose to shut them out.
We must 'learn how to learn' so we can constantly improve.
He addresses 'fear' at length. Fear is a two edged sword - At some level it can motivate and at other levels it can shut us down. Being aware of fear and what level to let in and what level to shut out - is critical to performance improvement (and moving ahead in life)
I've underlined over 100 key concepts in this book that are useful for me as an elite athlete and as a performance coach.
Highly recommend this one :)
May 17, 2013
1. It was an amazing book for me because it changed my whole perspective on how to view my results in sports and also changed my perspective in many other things.
2. I can relate this book to me in many ways. Most of all, I can relate it to baseball. If I get up to bat and I have a bad at-bat, I can now think "It's okay I'll do better the next time." Instead of dwelling on the bad at-bat I had the first time. If I make an error in the field and I think "I'll get the next one" rather than pouting and dwelling on the bad moment. It showed me that being positive is proven to pay off. It's taught me to be more positive.
3. It's a "must read" for any athlete. If you're not an athlete you might not be able to appreciate the references it makes to sports but It could still show you that it's important to have a positive attitude.
4. The trainer of Mike Tyson, Cus D'Amato, uses a simile saying that emotions, particularly anger, are like fire. They can cook your food and keep you warm, or they can burn your house down. The author also uses imagery a lot showing when staying positive in game situations when it's most important to control your thoughts and emotions like being at-bat in baseball.
2. I can relate this book to me in many ways. Most of all, I can relate it to baseball. If I get up to bat and I have a bad at-bat, I can now think "It's okay I'll do better the next time." Instead of dwelling on the bad at-bat I had the first time. If I make an error in the field and I think "I'll get the next one" rather than pouting and dwelling on the bad moment. It showed me that being positive is proven to pay off. It's taught me to be more positive.
3. It's a "must read" for any athlete. If you're not an athlete you might not be able to appreciate the references it makes to sports but It could still show you that it's important to have a positive attitude.
4. The trainer of Mike Tyson, Cus D'Amato, uses a simile saying that emotions, particularly anger, are like fire. They can cook your food and keep you warm, or they can burn your house down. The author also uses imagery a lot showing when staying positive in game situations when it's most important to control your thoughts and emotions like being at-bat in baseball.
October 31, 2013
A lot of the sports psychology in this book is pure common sense, but I was able to glean a few gems from it and apply them to my roller derby mindset.
Complaints: The author has worked with baseball and football players, and is an avid golfer. So many of his examples are of males and male-sports and I found it hard to relate. A similar book by a female author would be great.
Also, the book is from 2001. A lot of the idolized figures have now fallen out of favor... Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods, Mark McGwire to name a few. Sigh.
Complaints: The author has worked with baseball and football players, and is an avid golfer. So many of his examples are of males and male-sports and I found it hard to relate. A similar book by a female author would be great.
Also, the book is from 2001. A lot of the idolized figures have now fallen out of favor... Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods, Mark McGwire to name a few. Sigh.
June 25, 2012
Great book for anyone interested in Sports Psychology, or improving their attitude and performance in an athletic setting. I think parts of this book also apply to non-athlete's as it retrains your way of thought and your ability to believe in your body.
October 23, 2018
Really enjoyed this! One day when I'm grown up I'll be disciplined and have a clean, orderly, well-kept mind like Grace. Thanks for the recommendation, Grace!
October 7, 2013
Mind Gym: An Athletes's Guide to Inner Excellence is a book that I would strongly recommend to anyone that has ever had experience with competitive athletics or general knowledge of sports. This is a book that I think would be great for teachers and coaches to recommend to their high school athletes or students. I was given this book and read it shortly after it was released during my time in high school athletics and read it again this past summer. The book covers a variety of mental strategies when it comes to athletic performance and goes in depth to what frame of mind can allow you to be at your best as well as pointing out what thought processes can send cause you to struggle in sports. As I mentioned though, even if someone is not in competitive athletics but still is familiar with sports, they can make connections with their everyday life and think of ways that they can approve their frame of mind to be more successful in whatever they do.
January 3, 2021
An excellent self-help book that, while geared towards athletes, has applicable teachings to work and life. Some of my favorite takeaways were:
Facing fear - ignoring fear isn't always the best approach. Sometimes it needs to be faced head on, acknowledged, accepted, and then can it be moved past.
In the zone - the feeling that comes when everything works and is hitting on all cylinders. According to the book the zone is a reward for years of hard work. The zone can't be forced.
Going slower to go faster. Lots of chapters and stories on this. Includes breathing exercises and studies that show running at 90% is faster than trying to go 100% because of better form and muscle activation.
Would have loved more in-depth exercises and techniques. Worksheets and instructionals. Will look up the authors website.
Facing fear - ignoring fear isn't always the best approach. Sometimes it needs to be faced head on, acknowledged, accepted, and then can it be moved past.
In the zone - the feeling that comes when everything works and is hitting on all cylinders. According to the book the zone is a reward for years of hard work. The zone can't be forced.
Going slower to go faster. Lots of chapters and stories on this. Includes breathing exercises and studies that show running at 90% is faster than trying to go 100% because of better form and muscle activation.
Would have loved more in-depth exercises and techniques. Worksheets and instructionals. Will look up the authors website.
October 11, 2020
While reading this book I caught myself time and time again highlighting and taking a moment to really digest what I just read. This usually always gives me a cue to whether or not I feel that the book is truly useful and can be applied to better my life and performances as a professional athlete. I can strongly say that this book has plenty of strategies and insights to build a truly bulletproof mindset within life and athletics in particular. I would treat this book as more of a mindset bible to come back to whenever you can/need to.
Overall there is plenty to take away from but the biggest thing is to actually apply the ideas to truly see the positive results this book can have on your life.
Overall there is plenty to take away from but the biggest thing is to actually apply the ideas to truly see the positive results this book can have on your life.
March 7, 2024
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It has a lot of small stories to tie to advice. It tied to baseball and NFL a lot which was harder to fully connect to however it was tied in well to the overall meaning or message
January 25, 2024
I loved this one. It had a lot of small stories and advice and gave a ton of different perspectives. Definitely something that is very helpful for working on the mental game.
September 20, 2025
Read this in one day - loved it!
October 29, 2013
I gave this book 4 stars. I would mostly recommend Mind Gym to athletes. Gary Mack talks mainly about the mind set of athletes. This book was a good read for me because I am an athlete and I can relate to a lot of the mental problems Gary Mack talks about.
December 16, 2016
Best mental training book I've read, hands down.
February 4, 2021
Wow!! I really enjoyed this book! I think when I put it in my “want to read” shelf awhile back, I was originally thinking it would be for me and motivation for the gym and my personal workouts (not at all 🤣), but the whole time I was listening, all I could think is, “Wow!? Did Clint read this book?!” 🤔 I think this book is geared more towards athletes that want to go the extra level in their greatness that have potential to be great when they’re adults. Some points of the book could be work related, and some points could be for anyone, really. But the bulk of the book is words of encouragement and advice for those that want to be GREAT!! Literally, almost this entire book has been said to me at some point during my daughters’ years of sports by my husband. I guess he really does know what he’s talking about. He always says that we need to be careful as parents and be sure to not be overbearing, critical or push them too hard as our kids grow in their sports. They have to want this for themselves, it has to be on their terms, or further down the road, they’re going to fail, and their love of the game will turn. I’m not kidding, I can’t wait to tell him all about it on our walk and tell him how correct he is on analyzing parents, players, the game, etc. 🤩
The book is well written to include all sports. The author quotes numerous world class athletes all through the book, which I loved. He really talks a lot about controlling your mind during your play. I think I related to the 2nd half of the book more so than the 1st half...not sure exactly why, but I did take notes over the entire 1/2-1/3 of the book. I actually think it would be a great book for my daughters to read when they’re a little older and if I still see the same competitive drive in them and they still have big dreams of sports in their future.
I thought about sharing all my notes, but you should just read or listen to the book yourself. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you’re a competitive person. 💗🤩
The most important lesson:
Don’t let your greatest fears get in the way of your dreams. Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do.
The greatest victory is the victory over ourselves. Remember it’s always too soon to quit. 💪🏻
The book is well written to include all sports. The author quotes numerous world class athletes all through the book, which I loved. He really talks a lot about controlling your mind during your play. I think I related to the 2nd half of the book more so than the 1st half...not sure exactly why, but I did take notes over the entire 1/2-1/3 of the book. I actually think it would be a great book for my daughters to read when they’re a little older and if I still see the same competitive drive in them and they still have big dreams of sports in their future.
I thought about sharing all my notes, but you should just read or listen to the book yourself. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you’re a competitive person. 💗🤩
The most important lesson:
Don’t let your greatest fears get in the way of your dreams. Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do.
The greatest victory is the victory over ourselves. Remember it’s always too soon to quit. 💪🏻
September 5, 2022
This book was a literal life changing read. It taught me many different ways to look at sports and life itself. The life lessons the book was trying to imply were to be a good sport, the benefit you will get if you change your attitude, and how it affects others.
Affecting others is always a possibility in a person's way of behaving. Sports phycoligists all around the world have proven this statement correct with many different occurences to back the evidence up. That is one reason I gave this book 5 stars, because it has so much rich knowledge that will follow me in life and in sports.
Being a good sport is always a positive attribute to give to people that are around you. It teaches kids and everyone above the "kid status" to be a good sport and what affect it will not only have on your colleauges, but also your game. Whether that is on the feild, on the ice, or being a parent. That is exactlty why this book is age friendly for everyone.
The benefit of changing your attitude is something not a whole lot of people know about. By changing your attitude, it is scientifically proven that you can change your play, for instance, on the baseball feild. You can channel your adrenaline and fear of failure into pumping your muscles to do more. Feeling calm is the best skill anyone can have in all of sports. That is why any sport inclined person would really want to read this book.
Looking back on all of the positive attributes of this book, I think it is safe to say that anyone of any age could read this book. If you are a sport inclined person, you would have a fun time reading this book. Based on all of this evidence and prior trust, this book would be a good fit for many people under the certain profile.
Affecting others is always a possibility in a person's way of behaving. Sports phycoligists all around the world have proven this statement correct with many different occurences to back the evidence up. That is one reason I gave this book 5 stars, because it has so much rich knowledge that will follow me in life and in sports.
Being a good sport is always a positive attribute to give to people that are around you. It teaches kids and everyone above the "kid status" to be a good sport and what affect it will not only have on your colleauges, but also your game. Whether that is on the feild, on the ice, or being a parent. That is exactlty why this book is age friendly for everyone.
The benefit of changing your attitude is something not a whole lot of people know about. By changing your attitude, it is scientifically proven that you can change your play, for instance, on the baseball feild. You can channel your adrenaline and fear of failure into pumping your muscles to do more. Feeling calm is the best skill anyone can have in all of sports. That is why any sport inclined person would really want to read this book.
Looking back on all of the positive attributes of this book, I think it is safe to say that anyone of any age could read this book. If you are a sport inclined person, you would have a fun time reading this book. Based on all of this evidence and prior trust, this book would be a good fit for many people under the certain profile.
February 28, 2017
Mind Gym is an amazing book that contains a lot of life lessons and relates to sports athletes. But you don't have to be an athlete. It can relate to real world problems and situations. The book is mostly about professional athletes and how they deal with situations on sports topics. They mostly tell you how to focus your mind to succeed in your sport.
What i liked about Mind Gym? I liked the lessons it taut me about being an athlete on and off the field. I also liked the quotes in the book about striving for greatness and believing that you can win. An example is "If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don't. If you'd like to win, but you think you can't, it's almost certain you won't".
I would think that all of the athletes that read this book would enjoy and benefit from it. Non- athletes might not enjoy it so much because they can't relate to some situations but it can also be translated to real world situations like not giving up on a job.
What i liked about Mind Gym? I liked the lessons it taut me about being an athlete on and off the field. I also liked the quotes in the book about striving for greatness and believing that you can win. An example is "If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don't. If you'd like to win, but you think you can't, it's almost certain you won't".
I would think that all of the athletes that read this book would enjoy and benefit from it. Non- athletes might not enjoy it so much because they can't relate to some situations but it can also be translated to real world situations like not giving up on a job.
March 15, 2024
Quite the mish-mash of pop-psychology and philosophy from an athlete's perspective which touches on a few important ideas. There are only a few central themes here mostly derived from Buddhist and Stoic philosophy, and maybe some therapy literature. The author talks about visualization, dichotomy of control, the state of flow, cultivation of good habits, and so on. While most of it makes sense, all of it could have been summarized in a single chapter. The book is verbose with examples after examples of specific athletes the author happens to know or know of. Everything is anecdotal and generalizations abound from handful of observations. The credibility only comes from the ideas being picked from revered existing schools of thoughts which the author doesn't really acknowledge, making it sound like they are coming up with these on their own. I'd say a 2.5/5 for some useful insights but it'd benefit from a CliffNotes version.
November 24, 2025
Read this one after I was overcoming not rostering a team that i was hoping to make- i was full of emotions, anger, sadness, frustration- all of the above, i figured it was time to give my mental game a push and begin rebuilding so i could prepare fully for my next opportunity!
- So many important topics and methods were spoken about throughout the booking teaching a young athlete or anyone really, how to mentally overcome road blocks and disappointment but also where mental strength stems from and how we can build a better “mind gym”
- readability: a bit of a trickier read just because each chapter kind of plays into itself adding onto various methods, but generally, the information is quite easy to digest 8.8/10
- So many important topics and methods were spoken about throughout the booking teaching a young athlete or anyone really, how to mentally overcome road blocks and disappointment but also where mental strength stems from and how we can build a better “mind gym”
- readability: a bit of a trickier read just because each chapter kind of plays into itself adding onto various methods, but generally, the information is quite easy to digest 8.8/10
February 21, 2025
As an athlete, this book was inspiring. It helped me shift my mental game and had incredible mental exercises that strengthened my game. I have been struggling with confidence recently and reading this book has helped me implement greater focus and slower breathing while I play. I constantly think about the information presented in this book pregame and even on the court. Each chapter I entered felt super relatable and helped me grow as a player. This book helped me do great things and made me go passed just the physical aspect of my game. If you are an athlete, you must read this to get to the next level.
February 16, 2018
Essentially, mindfulness in athletics, whether that's a sport or the gym. I really really love the concept of mind/body connection, and I have found this to be essential to my self care routines. I got away with just reading the single sentence summaries at the end of each chapter, rather than reading every example. My favorite bit was the acronym ACT: Accept your present state, Create your desired state, Take action through goal setting. I need that painted on my walls.
April 1, 2018
The mind gym gave me a lot of valuable information and was rich with examples of inspiring stories (often where athletes picked themselves up.) This was nice since I’m going through my whole acl surgery/recovery. I will say that it was hard for me to really get into the book just because many of the athletes talked about and references made were to sports I’m not as familiar with. Never the less though, I found a lot of relatable scenarios and I’m defiantly taking away from the book that the mind can have a lot more control of your abilities than even your actually body can.
February 5, 2023
BRILLIANT. This book is small, but packs a punch. Each chapter is just a few pages long and contains a key concept or skill for athletes to apply, perfect for the short attention span of middle school or high school students. Gary Mack tackles tough areas like anxiety and perfectionism with specific skills to help athletes perform at their best.
May 28, 2019
Good tool kit to build your mental muscle in competitive sports. In contrast to typical sports psychology books that tout platitudes, ”Mind Gym” provides practical tips to practice off court to train your mind and reframe your mental models to better compete on court.
December 10, 2024
such a good sports psych book!!! it offers a lot of anecdotal evidence and tips for athletes on how to strengthen their mental game. i especially appreciated all of the MLB references, and i think this is a book all athletes should take the time to read.
March 8, 2017
As I started reading this book I already had learned a great amount. As these athletes tell me these stories I get a good idea of how it’s like to go pro.
Mind Gym is a fictional book written by Gary Mack and David Casstevens that will teach you a lot about the struggles of athletes and the hidden things in sports but also will teach you a lot about life and how to succeed. They talk mainly about mental toughness and just how to keep a good mind set. It features a lot of athletes, and at the start of every chapter they start it off with a famous quote. For example Alex Rodriguez is featured in this book and is probably one of the best parts of the book because he talks about mistakes he has made and how he could've dodged those. Be for read reading this book I didn’t know that sports is more mental than physical. Jason Kidd, who is an NBA All-Star, read this book and learned a lot about it and ended up winning gold in the olympics right after.
Gary Mack and David Casstevens made this book very realistic because they used real athletes experiences. Many of these athletes talked about how this book helped them and how much they liked it. The ways they put the athletes in the book was very organized. It is very interesting!
I really do like this book because it is very helpful, and is very relatable because you could be in any of these situations and this book could help you get out. Many athletes could really use this book because it really fits in our society, and Many people have these problems like when players, featured in this book, were in a slump they said this book really helped them.
I would recommend this book to athletes or people who love documentaries and sports, and if you are any of those people you will love this book.
Mind Gym is a fictional book written by Gary Mack and David Casstevens that will teach you a lot about the struggles of athletes and the hidden things in sports but also will teach you a lot about life and how to succeed. They talk mainly about mental toughness and just how to keep a good mind set. It features a lot of athletes, and at the start of every chapter they start it off with a famous quote. For example Alex Rodriguez is featured in this book and is probably one of the best parts of the book because he talks about mistakes he has made and how he could've dodged those. Be for read reading this book I didn’t know that sports is more mental than physical. Jason Kidd, who is an NBA All-Star, read this book and learned a lot about it and ended up winning gold in the olympics right after.
Gary Mack and David Casstevens made this book very realistic because they used real athletes experiences. Many of these athletes talked about how this book helped them and how much they liked it. The ways they put the athletes in the book was very organized. It is very interesting!
I really do like this book because it is very helpful, and is very relatable because you could be in any of these situations and this book could help you get out. Many athletes could really use this book because it really fits in our society, and Many people have these problems like when players, featured in this book, were in a slump they said this book really helped them.
I would recommend this book to athletes or people who love documentaries and sports, and if you are any of those people you will love this book.
January 9, 2019
Excellent and helpful. I enjoyed the specific exercises tied to a winning mindset, rather than just abstract concepts that I could not bring to fruition.
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