Mind Games: TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2020 - WINNER

by Annie Vernon

WINNER OF THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2020 – GENERAL OUTSTANDING SPORTS WRITING'A fascinating book about the psychology of elite sport… Mind Games explores compelling territory.' - Don McRae, the Guardian'An amazing book that I very much enjoyed.' - Simon Mundie, Don't Tell Me the Score (BBC Podcast)'...a fascinating book' - Daily MailIt's well known that to reach the top in elite sport, you need to have spent years honing and perfecting your physical ability. However this is only part of the template required to win – the other half is about mind games. Throughout her career as one of the world's top athletes, Annie Vernon struggled with existential questions about the purpose of sport in our comfortable, first-world Why do we do it? What is it in our psyche that makes us push ourselves to the limit? What allows us to mentally overcome the physical pain? Now retired from competition, Olympic silver medallist and world champion rower Annie Vernon has decided to look for answers to these questions. Drawing on her personal experiences and interviews with some of the best coaches, athletes and psychologists from across the world of sport – including Lucy Gossage, Katherine Grainger, Matthew Pinsent, Brian Moore, Brian Ching and Dr Steve Peters – Annie discovers the secrets of how athletes train their brains in order to become world beaters. Annie debunks the myth that elite performers are universally cool, calm and brimming with self-assurance. Through exploring the bits on the inside that nobody can see, Annie instead creates a new understanding of what it takes to be successful in sport and uncovers that, in fact, an elite athlete is not that different from you and me.It's simply a question of mind games.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports

289 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 21, 2019

Reviews

[Olivia Law]

This was a fun, chill read. I LOVE all things elite sport and most things psychology. It was super interesting how Vernon managed to incorporate so many different backgrounds and interviews in this short book. Would definitely recommend if you have a background in high-level performance. #relatable

[Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read this but while it's an interesting read it just didn't engage me fully. It felt more like a lightweight collection of essays than a rounded whole.
Psychology is naturally a very individual matter, so what does that mean for team sports? With TeamGB's success in recent years, this could have been absolutely fascinating.

Contains a lot of rowing-related anecdotes - perhaps inevitable given Vernon's background - but not enough meat. Too much insider, too little investigation.

[Joel Fauson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read for anyone interested in the psychology behind athletic performance. I’m sure there are many other books out there on the topic but this one is highly readable and draws from a number of athletes in many different sports. The author is a world champion rower and a silver medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the Women’s 4x. Highly recommend. Has a chapter on the dynamics in coaching, too.

[Sambasivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is an acclaimed rower having won multiple international medals. She has carried out a research across a set of elite athletes to get into what goes in their mind to motivate them. Good read.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few interesting takeaways from the book, especially the coaching chapter, but it wasn’t a very engaging read - it was just a series of quotes really from elite athletes, with a few snippets of research thrown in for good measure. Disappointing, for me.

[Christian Jennings · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like it, but it seemed like too many over-long interview quotations not sufficiently well digested. An awful lot about how athletes react to their coaches, and less of the more general sports psychology and analysis of athlete motivation than I had been looking for. Still worth a read.

[Stuart Sellers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engagingly written and interesting look at how elite sportspeople deal with the mental demands of sport. Not sure there was that much takeaway for a non-elite though.

[Stephen Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great insight into the life of a professional athlete. Looking at all aspects, from is an athlete born, how you have to look into yourself and lastly how you have to be couched.

A great read

[Olubunmi Adewumi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth a second read

[Pynk Moon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whilst it wasn't offensive in any way the whole thing just felt rather stale and repetitive. There were some interesting parts but they were rather sparse within the whole text.

[Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

A conversational & informative read that reveals beautifully, the great variety in what motivates an elite athlete. Evidence based but relaxed in tone, this book is as instructive as it is enjoyable. As an American man, I appreciate the fresh insights and phrasing of a British author, as well as the female perspective. Highly recommend for coaches, athletes & fans alike.

[Jacqui Crowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gentle humour. Thought it might be heavy going but easy to read, with humour and mentions of chocolate, probably essential when training for elite sport.

[Clare Bowyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely read it again, Annie has an amazing use of footnotes and gave a great insight into the mindset of elite sportspeople.

[Charmaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so normal to feel nervous pre-match and have superstitions in stuff you do.