A Review of Mind Gym: Revisiting a Sports Management Classic.
Every sports fan remembers watching a game where one team that clearly dominated another in skill and power and then, magically, quickly, unexpectedly the other team won. Expert commentators and fans alike are left scratching their heads, “what happened?” Sports psychologists have the answer. In sports management classic, Mind Gym, Gary Mack1 discusses mastering the inner game. Mack uses his experience with top athletes and research on the psychological factors of success to teach the reader what it takes for athletes to master themselves and make the most of their physical skills so that they can achieve their potential on the field of their choice.
He talks about critical factors in the mental game such as emotional regulation and resilience, psychological concept of coping with stress and adversity. In part two, Mack moves from describing the key components of the mental game and why they are important to discussing the necessity of accepting and enjoying success. This is an inspiring section wherein Mack concentrates his energy on helping athletes realize that they are worthy of success and that their dreams are worth dreaming.
Mack’s1 emphasis on dreams and goals is another important component of this book. Having goals enables the athlete to struggle through adversity because he/she can concentrate on the goal and confront problems with a determined, persistent, tenacious attitude. Indeed, it is valuable to reflect on accomplishments. However, this requires the athlete to know where the journey begins and ends. Without this understanding, there can be no sense of achievement.
Sport Exerc Med Open J. 2015; 1(5): 159-160. doi: 10.17140/SEMOJ-1-123
