Mental Training for Peak Performance: Top Athletes Reveal the Mind Exercises They Use to Excel [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Steven Ungerleider (Author), Nick Bollettieri (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2005

Mental Training for Peak Performance teaches you that sweat isn't enough.

"To play well, you have to learn to channel the emotions, both the highs and the very lows."--Pete Sampras, number-one ranked tennis player in 1994

"If you haven't done your mental homework in training, you don't have anything to fall back on when you face."--Margaret Groos, 1988 Olympic marathoner

"If you can expect the unexpected, you can emotionally lick anyone."--Benji Durden, 1980- Olympic Marathon Team

Before you can win on the track, court, links or slopes, you have to win in your head. Now, a top sports psychologist reveals the mental strategies champion athletes use to excel in a variety of sports, from cycling to downhill skiing, marathon running to mountain biking, golf to tennis.

Includes strategies used by:

Mark Plaatjes, 1993 world marathon champ
Rebecca Twigg, winner of the 1993 World Cycling Championship
Picabo Street, 1994 Olympic silver-medal skier
Chuck Hoga, professional golfer and coach to Peter Jacobson, Johnny Miller, Ray Floyd, Mike Reid and Duffy Waldorf
Janet Evans, four-time gold-medal Olympic swimmer
Mike Pigg, number two-ranked triathlete in the world

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"To play well, you have to learn to channel the emotions, both the highs and the very lows."--Pete Sampras, number-one ranked tennis player in 1994

"If you haven't done your mental homework in training, you don't have anything to fall back on when you face."--Margaret Groos, 1988 Olympic marathoner

"If you can expect the unexpected, you can emotionally lick anyone."--Benji Durden, 1980- Olympic Marathon Team

"Mental Training for Peak Performance recounts the personal experiences of athletes who have used mental training to achieve their great successes. It really works!"--Bob Mathias, executive director of the National Fitness Foundation, Fresno, California

"A must-read for any athlete who wants to maximize the possibilities of performance."--Donna Lopriano, president of the Women's Sport Foundation, East Meadow, New York

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Mental Training for Peak Performance teaches you that sweat isn't enough.

"To play well, you have to learn to channel the emotions, both the highs and the very lows."--Pete Sampras, number-one ranked tennis player in 1994

"If you haven't done your mental homework in training, you don't have anything to fall back on when you face."--Margaret Groos, 1988 Olympic marathoner

"If you can expect the unexpected, you can emotionally lick anyone."--Benji Durden, 1980- Olympic Marathon Team

Before you can win on the track, court, links or slopes, you have to win in your head. Now, a top sports psychologist reveals the mental strategies champion athletes use to excel in a variety of sports, from cycling to downhill skiing, marathon running to mountain biking, golf to tennis.

Includes strategies used by:

Mark Plaatjes, 1993 world marathon champ
Rebecca Twigg, winner of the 1993 World Cycling Championship
Picabo Street, 1994 Olympic silver-medal skier
Chuck Hoga, professional golfer and coach to Peter Jacobson, Johnny Miller, Ray Floyd, Mike Reid and Duffy Waldorf
Janet Evans, four-time gold-medal Olympic swimmer
Mike Pigg, number two-ranked triathlete in the world

"Mental Training for Peak Performance recounts the personal experiences of athletes who have used mental training to achieve their great successes. It really works!"--Bob Mathias, executive director of the National Fitness Foundation, Fresno, California

"A must-read for any athlete who wants to maximize the possibilities of performance."--Donna Lopriano, president of the Women's Sport Foundation, East Meadow, New York

Steven Ungerleider, Ph.D., is a psychologist at integrated Research Services in Eugene, Oregon. Since 1984 he has served on the U.S. Olympic Committee Sports Psychology Registry. He is the author of Quest for Success and co-author of Beyond 20Strength.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594860289
• ASIN: B000SOVCCI
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,591,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Help reach your full sporting potential, November 12, 2001

By 

Matthew Griffin (Mt Helen, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mental Training for Peak Performance: Top Athletes Reveal the Mind Exercises They Use to Excel (Paperback)

This book is an excellent resource and guide for anyone who is looking to try and get the most out of their sporting potential. It is an easy to read and well structured guide which gives you a number of exercises to help calm the nerves and keep the mind positive and focused. It also explains why each exercise works and has advice from elite athletes who have applied the techniques to their own sport. If you are a person who suffers from nerves on race day or looses confidence when they get to the start line, then this book is a must have for you.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Marginally helpful on conditions, October 20, 2003

By 

ServantofGod - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mental Training for Peak Performance: Top Athletes Reveal the Mind Exercises They Use to Excel (Paperback)

In the first 69 pages of this 183 page book, the author explained how important mental training could be to sports performance supported by info/statistics about Olympic/World Class sports stars, and introduced various techniques including self talk, breathing, meditation, imagery, visual rehearsal and so on. Those were the sessions with relatively higher appeal and practical value. The rest of the book covered, in individual chapters, specifics of ten different sports (mountain biking, skiing, marathon, golf, volleyball.....), elaborated with quotes and short stories from top performers and their coaches.

For serious players, these sessions were too concise. Actually, I am an above average player in tennis, cycling and swimming. (These three were covered individually in the book). However, I dont find the chapters devoted to each of them really helpful to lift my performance up.

To those amateurs who know very little about mental training, this is an acceptably good start. For serious players, they should have known a lot more here and there from sports magazines, newspaper columns and even websites. Furthermore, I think that the book could be much enhanced if the author could shift the weight back more on general topics (he definitely has more material to write for more than 69 pages) instead of talking specifically but so little on individual sports.

To conclude, this book can be helpful, but only marginally and conditionally.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mental Training, November 27, 2002

By 

Lorraine M. Colasanti (St. Clair Shores, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mental Training for Peak Performance: Top Athletes Reveal the Mind Exercises They Use to Excel (Paperback)

This book is perfect for any busy athelete. It's easy to read and it's principals are easy to follow and can be adapted to any type of sport. It's small enough to throw in your gym bag and take with you anywhere. It's not bogged down with testimonies from athletic super stars, just matter of fact and simple.
If your looking for an extra edge in your competitions or just looking to reach your own personal goals, this book is a must.