Mental Athletes

People are less in touch with their bodies - and especially their breathing - than ever before. Ironically, athletes and others who pride themselves on taking care of their bodies actually put themselves at greater risk. Why? Because they’re asking their body to take on next-level demands, but failing at life’s most essential skill: efficient breathing.

The Playmaker on any team makes the right decision at the right time, almost every time. Despite the constraints of time, tactics, and rules, the best players combine their vision and skills with razor-sharp decision accuracy for an unstoppable competitive advantage. As a follow-up to The Playmaker’s Advantage, their best-selling guide for athletes, coaches, and parents, Daniel Peterson and Dr. Leonard Zaichkowsky now focus on the split-second decision-making process that produces both clutch plays and mental mistakes.

CrossFit trainer Ben Bergeron has helped build the world's fittest athletes, but he's not like other coaches. He believes that greatness is not for the elite few; that winning is a result, not a goal; and that character, not talent, is what makes a true champion. His powerful philosophy can help anyone excel at all aspects of life. Using the dramatic competition between the top contenders at the 2016 Reebok CrossFit Games® as a background, Ben explores the step-by-step process of achieving excellence and the unique set of positive character traits necessary for leveling up to world-class. The mindset and methodology that have produced some of the greatest athletes in the world's most grueling sport can work equally well for golfers, lawyers, artists, entrepreneurs - anyone who's willing to commit totally to becoming better than the best.

On the playing field, natural talent isn’t enough—there’s a mental component that determines whether athletes win the race or wipe out before the finish line. But what separates standout sports stars from the rest? In a paradigm-shifting new theory, acclaimed sportswriter Matt Fitzgerald identifies two key traits behind athletic success: strict self-regulation over thoughts and emotions and an unquenchable psychological need to pursue victory—even when it means enduring extreme mental and physical suffering.

From noted ESPN commentator and journalist Kate Fagan, the heartbreaking and vital story of college athlete Madison Holleran, whose death by suicide rocked the University of Pennsylvania campus and whose life reveals with haunting detail and uncommon understanding the struggle of young people suffering from mental illness today.

Imagine yourself in the heat of competition, adrenaline pumping through your veins, and the roar of the crowd urging you on. Will you rise to the occasion, unyielding and determined, or succumb to doubt and pressure? Now envision a different scenario. You're in that same intense moment, but this time you embrace the challenge with confidence. You seize the opportunity, push past limits, and achieve greatness.

When Gracie Gold stepped onto center stage (or ice, rather) as America’s sweetheart at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, she instantly became the face of America’s most beloved winter sport. Beautiful, blonde, Midwestern, and media-trained, she was suddenly being written up everywhere from The New Yorker to Teen Vogue to People and baking cookies with Taylor Swift.

In the high-pressure world of sports, female athletes often face a unique set of challenges. The expectations to be tough, competitive & to win, can conflict with the expectations to be feminine, flexible, and to conform to idealized body standards can be overwhelming. These pressures can impact performance, self-esteem, and well-being.

The power to become better, greater, more refined versions of ourselves is something that each one of us possesses. It is a power with which we are born, like infinite gold inside the equally infinite mine shafts that are our minds. Now, to get at that gold - there is the rub. Since time immemorial people have struggled to manage the darkness within themselves. How do we reckon our possibilities with our capabilities? How do we overcome the difficulties within? How do we shake off the invisible sandbags that seem to drag us down and run faster, jump higher, push harder?

Introducing Mental Toughness for Young Athletes, a book filled with proven strategies for athletes in the cheerleading world. While your competitors also work on the physical aspects of their game, and the gains are marginal, you will have the upper hand on all of them by becoming more mentally tough.

Discover the secrets to sports motivation that have helped countless athletes dominate their sport. Learn from the best in the business, and find the mental toughness you need to take your game to the next level.

As a therapist, physician, and mental coach, Dr. Michael Lardon has dedicated his career to helping athletes understand and better achieve peak performance. In Finding Your Zone, he shares with listeners what he's discovered about reaching the state in which "thoughts and actions are occurring in complete synchronicity" and how this state is accessible to all, not just the few. In 10 key lessons - illustrated by personal anecdotes from his clients - Lardon teaches listeners how to access the zone not only in sports but in all aspects of their lives.

Confident, Calm and Clutch is the ultimate mental strength and confidence book for boys and girls that will revolutionize your young athlete's mindset and transform their performance on and off the field. Are you ready for a winning edge? Ask yourself: What if you could equip your mental youth athlete with the tools to conquer nerves and perform under pressure like a pro?

Welcome to the exhilarating journey of self-discovery and athletic excellence that is "Next Level Athlete: Unleash Your Athletic Greatness." In this book, we embark on an inspiring odyssey through the core principles that define not just exceptional athletes, but exceptional individuals. Whether you're a seasoned athlete striving for greatness or someone just starting out on the path to athletic achievement, this book is your compass to navigate the twists and turns of your athletic journey.

Champions, as the familiar adage preaches, are not born—they're made. Reaching the top of any sport, or any aspect of life, takes years upon years of dedication and proper preparation. But if there's a huge pool of individuals who have undertaken the same commitment and steps towards becoming the best, what truly separates the winners from everyone else? Joanna Zeiger believes proper mental preparation is the answer. The Champion Mindset is a much-needed and long overdue look into how to program a competitor's mind to achieve optimal success.

Looking for the perfect gift to inspire that young athlete in your life? Do you want them to learn the power of perseverance, mental toughness, triumph, and greatness through fun and engaging stories based on real-life sports legends?

Mindfulness, cognitive flexibility, and overall mental game are often overlooked when it comes to youth coaching for any sport. However, these areas are vital to truly unlocking any young person’s potential in the sporting arena. They say you need to “get your head in the game” - and no truer words have ever been spoken.

Looking to dominate the green? "DRIVE: Mental Toughness for Young Athletes—Mastering the Sports Psychology of Golf" is the game-changing guide you need. This transformative book equips young athletes with essential tools and strategies to conquer the mental challenges of golf and achieve unparalleled success. Inside, you'll embark on a journey to enhance your golf performance. Learn to cultivate a winning mindset, master unwavering focus and concentration, harness visualization techniques, set inspiring goals, develop effective pre-game rituals, and conquer performance anxiety.

Being able to prevail over obstacles and opponents gives you a boost in confidence that carries over to your school and personal life, improving your performance in those areas as well. Unfortunately, you can’t win all the time. Sometimes, you have a bad day, or you simply get outplayed, and you end up doubting yourself and your athletic abilities. These feelings of worry, uncertainty, fear, doubt, or anxiety will make it difficult for you to perform consistently well. But with time, some effort, and the right knowledge, you can take control of your confidence.

Moneyball showed how statistics were revolutionizing baseball. The Sports Gene revealed the role genetics play in sports. Now, Head in the Game examines the next evolution: how mental engineering - the manipulation of the cognitive processes of the brain - can make gifted athletes even better.