A Still Quiet Place for Athletes: Mindfulness Skills for Achieving Peak Performance and Finding Flow in Sports and Life

by Amy Saltzman MD, Jim Thompson (Foreword)

Find flow and reach peak performance—in sports and in life. Based on the groundbreaking Still Quiet Place mindfulness program, this workbook provides practical, step-by-step exercises and skills to help you gain present-moment awareness and achieve your athletic goals. Are you looking for unique ways to "get into the game"? To enhance your training and find focus? You aren’t alone. Increasingly, athletes and coaches—from amateur leagues to professional football champs to Olympic athletes—are incorporating mindfulness  practices into their training. That’s because mindfulness can help you lower your stress levels, connect with the moment, and mentally bounce back after setbacks. So whether you're a sports enthusiast or a professional athlete, mindfulness can also help you deal with physical aspects of training, such as fatigue, aches, pains, injury, burnout, and exhaustion. Written by holistic physician, mindfulness coach, and long-time athlete Amy Saltzman, this practical workbook offers mindfulness-based skills you can use any time throughout your athletic career, as well as in daily life. You’ll discover what the author fondly refers to as the “still quiet place,” and from the vantage point of that stillness, you’ll be able to observe your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations—before and during practice and competition, between events, after a miss or significant loss, or exhilarating win. You’ll also find skills for dealing effectively with teammates and coaches, as well as skills for coaching mindfully. A parents guide is also included.  No matter what sport you play, 90 percent of performance is mental. With this workbook as your guide, you can use mindfulness to enhance your training, competitive performance, and your life beyond athletics.

Genres: Psychology

256 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2018

Reviews

[Xia Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. It opens up athletes minds to the world that were living in and all the struggles we face on a day to day basis. Very solid book for your mind to catch a break.

[Pspence5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A Still Quiet Place for Athletes: Mindfulness Skills for Achieving Peak Performance and Finding Flow in Sports and Life,” by Amy Saltzman MD
This excellent guide to performing with flow in sports and life should be read by anyone interested in tapping individual talent, achieving top performance through flow, and living a better life.
Easy-to-read, very well-researched, and featuring great anecdotes, examples and very valuable resources, the “Still Quiet Place for Athletes” defines the place where top performers go to be at their best, and gently shows you how to get there.
To me, after a lifetime in physical education, sport development, and coaching, including over 20 years in the Australian high-performance sports system, this SQPA pulls together many key elements that will make a real difference for athletes, coaches, parents, and committed others.
Read it! Like me, you’ll be back for more.

Peter Spence, Ventnor, Victoria, Australia
05 August 2020

[Peter Spence · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A Still Quiet Place for Athletes: Mindfulness Skills for Achieving Peak Performance and Finding Flow in Sports and Life,” by Amy Saltzman MD
This excellent guide to performing with flow in sports and life should be read by anyone interested in tapping individual talent, achieving top performance through flow, and living a better life.
Easy-to-read, very well-researched, and featuring great anecdotes, examples and very valuable resources, the “Still Quiet Place for Athletes” defines the place where top performers go to be at their best, and gently shows you how to get there.
To me, after a lifetime in physical education, sport development, and coaching, including over 20 years in the Australian high-performance sports system, this SQPA pulls together many key elements that will make a real difference for athletes, coaches, parents, and committed others.
Read it! Like me, you’ll be back for more.
Peter Spence, Ventnor, Victoria, Australia

[LibraryDanielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this workbook to be rather helpful. I'm not a huge fan of mindfulness, so normally I roll my eyes at these titles, but this one wasn't as bad as others. It reminded me strongly of Mind Gym, which I also enjoyed, but from a female perspective, which I quite liked. One part I found especially helpful was the section on coaching mindfully. I'm not a coach, but found the techniques outlined helpful as a player.

[Richard Lehingrat · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good workbook for teen athletes trying to get a mental edge. I’d recommend they read Peak Performance, one of the pioneering books in this genre , first. Two stars.

[Maggie Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book