The Champion's Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive

As someone now well into their senior years but who has also been active physically for more than 7 decades in various sports and martial arts, I am always seeking interesting and informative material on a wide range of topics. This is why while browsing on Amazon when I came across this 270-page soft cover book (The Champions mind: How great athletes think, train and thrive by Jim Afremow, PhD) I decided to purchase it. From the very first page I loved this book. If you want to achieve success in not only sports, but all aspects of your life this book provides effective and valuable advice to help you achieve your goals. Indeed, without realizing it in my own martial art life I have been using the methods and lessons taught in this fantastic book. Just keep in mind that you have to actually do the work to succeed at anything. This great book covers the following material: “If you can sport greatness, you've got greatness, be your own champion, master the mental skills, be in it to win, the wisdom of a champion, exercise, nutrition, pain, injuries, and regeneration, take control of your personal destiny, Zen in the zone, golden reflections, your world class game plan, long term survival of the most mentally fit and ultimate victory is yours.” In conclusion, if you are a serious about “being he best you can be” this book is for you. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Tactical principals of the most effective combative systems).

Want to improve your athletic performance without working out more, then get this book by Jim Afremow. I almost did not want to review this book since it has so much solid and practical advise for improving the mental side of athletic performance. Every chapter is backed by research and he includes exercises to practice every performance tip. I first became aware of this book when I read an article in Self magazine about pro golfer Michelle Wie. She talks about how the principles in this book have helped her game. Some of the topics covered include: Self talk Self confidence Focus Breath control to calm down or pump up Dealing with anxiety Positive affirmations Champion leader Pure-race and post race routines Dealing with mental errors Focus on what you can control I read this book at the beginning of my triathlon season this year. I have been able to bounce back much better after a bad race than I have in the past. One of the things I worked with on my coach in the last year was focusing on the things I could control. One of the things my coach does is pre race planning and post race analysis. After every race she has taught me to ask three questions that Afremow also discusses in this book: What did I do that was good? What needs to get better? What changes should I make to become my best? The goal is always to learn from experience, not repeat mistakes, visualize success and improve performance. Afremow states his goals for any athlete using the skills outlined are to: Train with passion and purpose Achieve victory through variety in training exercises Believe they are worth the time it takes to exercise Find support and encouragement Break work into manageable pieces Keep an exercise workout calendar Treat themselves like a champion There is a mental toughness quiz to assess strengths and weakness. Then you can decide which of the strategies will be your top priority. The book is well worth the time of any athlete looking to improve performance. Chris Wodke Author: Running for My Life, Winning for CMT

The book is easy to read and relaxing. I found it a great source for mental preparedness and motivation. Think gold should be your mantra, but to achieve it you must go through and live a gold life!

Amazing Book! Recently I have been trying to find the perfect book that best fits my interests. I am currently a track and field athlete at Iowa State University, so I was trying to find a book that will give me motivation to perform better athletically. At the same time, I wanted to educate myself and learn how to be more confident and prepared while competing. Having the right mindset is essential for every athlete. Right now I would consider myself to be in a good place in my athletic career, but I am always wanting to learn how to have a strong mindset. Having the right mindset is one of the most important and necessary things that an athlete must have. Without this, the athlete might not be able to achieve to his or her greatest capacity. Quality of a positive mindset As a Division 1 athlete, having the right mindset helps me not only to compete better and stay relaxed, but also helps me to enjoy and appreciate my competitions more. Often athletes are too worried about thinking how they can improve physically; for example, how they can run/jump better, what they can do different to achieve certain objectives. However, they are forgetting on how to improve their mindset. Having a positive mindset is what athletes often miss. This book has helped me learn how to set specific goals. Goals don’t have to be too easy nor too hard; they must be realistic and achievable. Trying to accomplish those specific goals has allowed me to stay focused and concentrated on my game. It has also taught me that when competing I must stay relaxed, so in this way emotions do not affect my athletic performance. Importance of reading a book Reading, no matter what its content, is going to influence our lives in a positive way. For example, it is like how exercising transforms our body, reading good content to help us transform our mind by finding a perfect balance in our emotional development. I would definitely recommend this book. It helps athletes to stay focused and relaxed and teaches them to enjoy every part of the game. Being able to know that Olympic athletes and/or professional athletes operate in this way, helps to understand that having the right mental game is what matters the most. Price The price of this book is very affordable. I paid $8.49 for the hardcover. The seller also offers Kindle. But, I honestly think that the price does not matter when it’s a valuable book.

Ótimo livro!

A great book for the athlete or coach that wants that extra reiteration of what makes a champion tick or what to strive for to achieve excellence!

This sports psychology book is written mainly for sports persons. But this is useful for any one engaged in any competitive field where you need to train/prepare hard and long to excel. The concepts are very useful for sports people, stock/commodity traders, stock investors, corporate rats, entrepreneurs, competitive exam takers of any kind etc. Many of the concepts proven in sports arena are very useful in other competitive domains. The book basically helps you train to think in a particular ways which will help you manage the stress and perform to your best potential. It also talks about procrastination and how to mange it to train hard. It proposes certain thinking rituals that you can do. The book espouses certain mental training techniques like...meditation, calming breath exercises, imagery, instant stress release techniques etc. The author is reputed sports psychologist for Olympic athletes, top NBA, NFL, baseball players and these high achievers use these techniques to train their mind. The case studies and accounts of Olympic medal winners are illuminating. I would recommend this excellent book to all especially students in colleges.

Ce livre est excellent pour les personnes qui ont envie de performer dans leurs sports ou dans la vie en général. Il donne de précieux conseils et il est riche en témoignages d'athlètes. Je recommande vivement

The book was in such good condition it was good as new! As soon as I started reading it, I was eager to jot down my own notes next to the author's valuable advice. Very grateful! :)