5ish Good Reads

There are many good reads that have shaped my professional perspectives over the years.  These are reads that I find on the bookshelf closest to my desk and ones that I often recommend to coaches, sports parents, and graduate students.  This is a list of “5ish” because I can always find a few more that I love and you will notice that found a few good excuses to sneak a few of these others into the following lines.  Check them out and enjoy:

1.  Mindset by Carol Dweck – After so many years of excellent research, it was great to see Dr. Dweck share her insights in a book marketed for the masses.  An easy read – with wisdom that is spot on when considering the optimal mindset for high performance.  This is a book that I have recommended to many youth sport parents.  The feedback from parents after reading it is amazing… it really seems to hit close to home.

2.  The Power of Mindful Learning by Ellen Langer – An quick read with numerous implications for any educator or coach.  Clarifies how practice leads to learning, what concentration is, and how to create quality memories.  I picked it up in 1996 and a year does not go by that I don’t flip through it.  Langer’s Mindfulness also sits on my bookshelf and is another read that gets at learning and motivation, but did not quite make the “top 5” list.

3.  Golf and the Spirit by M. Scott Peck – I often say that I believe this is the best sport psychology book out there that was never meant to be a “sport psychology” book.  Best known For the Road Less Traveled, Peck takes a moment in this book to reflect on the passions of his life – golf, spirituality, and the practice of psychology/psychiatry.  The whole book is solid, but the “back nine” (second half of the book) has given me many professional insights – in particular check out chapter 10 (Teaching and Learning) and chapter 14 (The Human Condition).  Almost daily, when sitting down with athletes Peck’s idea of the importance of putting our ideas “on trial” rings in the back of my head.  Ineffective thinking rarely is changed without first requiring “briefs for the prosecution, and briefs for the defense, and then appeals and counterappeals, until a judgment is finally brought in.”  If you want effective thinking that lasts an athletic career – thoughts must be “put on trial.”  A great read and a great gift for any philosophical, golf enthusiast.

4.  How We Decide by Johah Lehrer – Decision making is such a significant part of athletic performance.  This is a read filled with interesting stories and many insights from neuroscience.  It was released around the same time as Gladwell’s Outliers so perhaps it did not get all of the media and mainstream attention it deserved.  It has many practical implications for anyone interested in decision making under pressure.  It shines some light on the question, “How much thinking is too much thinking?”  As a new release its pages are not as well worn as some of the others on this list, but I am sure it will get tattered and torn before too long.

5.  Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control by Albert Bandura – This book will put most people to sleep very quickly, but that is not because of lack of quality, but rather the depth and thoughtfulness of each page…. paragraph.  This book pulls together Bandura’s life’s work of self-efficacy research – simply flipping through the references is stunning, reminding any reader that Bandura “is” self-efficacy.  The book shows how the concepts of self-efficacy can be seen as making the world go round.  From schooling to athletic performance to health and wellness to the workplace – Bandura shows how personal and collective efficacy can shape them all.  Certainly not a light read, but one that offers many insights and understandings.

Honorable mentions – While these five seem not to be leaving the edge of my desk anytime soon, there are many others that could have made the “cut” – Creativity by Csikszentmihalyi, The Expanded Family Life Cycle by Carter and McGoldrick, Meeting at the Crossroads by Brown and Gilligan, The Seasons of a Man’s Life by Levinson, Real Boys by Pollack, The Relaxation Response by Benson, The Road to Excellence by Ericsson, and A Way of Being by Rogers.

I am sure many more will come to mind as I post, but this is a good list of reads that have shaped my professional views.  Ironically, it would appear that there are very few sport books on the list.  Appearance can be deceiving.  Look close.  I know you will find that most great insights on player development and on teaching an effective athletic “mindset” lie in the pages referenced above.  This being said I’m sure a “5ish” list on sports and athletic performance books is likely to hit the blog sooner than later.

Enjoy.

- AHN

Discussions from the heart of sport…

On a rainy night in Vancouver, the pulsing energy could be felt as the crowd of all walks of life milled about and into the arena.  Gordie Howe was in attendance as the Giants skated against the Silvertips.  We sat behind the father of a 15-year old forward who skated for the Silvertips.  A bit of an eccentric fellow who regaled us with stories and philosophy about a family’s journey towards the NHL.  15-20 year old young men, immensely talented, and skating towards hoceky’s biggest stage.

On the sun burnt courts of Delray Beach, Florida the pounding of the pulse of player development could be felt by each over-sized forehand and crisp volley.  Eight courts spattered with players from all corners of the earth popped with energy, laughter, passion, and adolescent optimism.  Some of this talent will peak during college dual matches, much of it will be left on various courts around the world while searching for a handful of Tour points, and a sliver of it will find itself fighting for the big prizes in Sydney, Paris, London, and NYC.

In a museum that bombarded the senses, the greatest potential of sport was evident.  Civil rights, spiritual fulfillment, championship training, and victory upon victory of “The Greatest” were on display.  The Muhammad Ali Center highlighted the complexities of a man and the transcendental potential of the sporting experience were on display.

In the bleachers with 14,000 plus friends and fans on a North Dallas night we looked out to see a horizon dimpled with glowing light towers.  Below teenage boys crashed into and collided with one another.  An army of coaches relayed messages from press box to sideline to field.  Video recorded from multiple angles above and around each end zone.  A Broadway production rumbled, rolled, and danced through halftime.  Throughout, adolescents strived, stumbled, and succeeded in finding glory for at least this moment in time.

The television shines bright each evening with great sports performances, but the “heart of sport” often lies elsewhere.  These are the places where this discussion among colleagues began, will continue, and will now be added to online.   We are a group of peers that are trained in sport and exercise psychology, are passionate about player development, and work in the “heart of sport” each day.  This is a place where you will find reflections on the journey from prospect to professional… and a few things in between.

The perspectives come from academic training and over 35 years of combined experience working with athletes, coaches, and teams.  This being said, each author is unique in his personality and this is likely to be reflected in posts.  The opinions will not necessarily be shared by all of the PSPS bloggers, but certainly the passion and thoughtfulness behind each is always encouraged and appreciated.  For professional and ethical reasons this will not be a place where “gossip” about clients will be shared, but rather this will be a forum where the philosophy, science, application, and execution of quality athletic practice and excellent sports performance will be reflected upon.

Enjoy!