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Rating: 
Summary: great book for mind and body...
Review: A previous reviewer commented that the book was not necessarily Taoist but common sense; I would suggest that much of Taoism is common sense. I am a triathlete and a student of eastern philosophy and I found that this book was great at making me think about applying Taoist and Zen philosophies to improving my athletic performance. I also think that this book is not just applicable to sports but to living in general. The book also supplies various exercises at the end of each chapter to help apply the principles, which I found useful. Some sections are more applicable than others, but that would just depend on the reader more than anything. I also found the discussion of Taoist philosophy at the begining a little bit slow, but that's just me, and it's over quick enough before getting into the good stuff. For the price, this book offers a great deal to athltes of any ability.
Rating:
Summary: great book for mind and body...
Review: A previous reviewer commented that the book was not necessarily Taoist but common sense; I would suggest that much of Taoism is common sense. I am a triathlete and a student of eastern philosophy and I found that this book was great at making me think about applying Taoist and Zen philosophies to improving my athletic performance. I also think that this book is not just applicable to sports but to living in general. The book also supplies various exercises at the end of each chapter to help apply the principles, which I found useful. Some sections are more applicable than others, but that would just depend on the reader more than anything. I also found the discussion of Taoist philosophy at the begining a little bit slow, but that's just me, and it's over quick enough before getting into the good stuff. For the price, this book offers a great deal to athltes of any ability.
Rating:
Summary: Intense focus on attitude and energy.
Review: Great book. I highly recomend it
Rating: 
Summary: A useful book, with good insights, but a bit oversimplistic
Review: I found that a lot of what this book was saying wasn't necessarily Taoism, but just common sense. For instance, the idea that one must be relaxed in order to perform at peak level isn't an exclusively Taoist concept. Much of the early part of the book is filled with this common sense type of instruction, and I was feeling very frustrated and disappointed. However, I found many passages and examples in the book that were quite insightful and thought-provoking. Lynch and Huang do an excellent job of showing how one's athletic life can be metaphorical of one's everyday life, and how one's everyday life need not be mundane. On the whole, I did not like the format of the book -- too instructional and directional, which I found to be a bit insulting after a while. Ultimately, this book wasn't the type of revelatory breakthrough that the title suggests it is, but it does contain enough depth to be a worthwhile read. Being that we live in a day and age when the spirit of play i! s vanishing from sports and athletic activity in general, this is a book that shows us we can retain the spirit of play in competitive sports without compromising our competitive urge. Also, the book does emphasize the fact that physical activity is necessary to our overall well-being, which is another point that is becoming lost in our modern fast-paced style of living.
Rating:
Summary: What Excercise and Sports are All About
Review: This books is truly outstanding. What it does is to tie sports and excercise into what matters in life: transcending limits, continually growing, becoming everything that you can be, and enjoying the process. The authors argue that you can use your workouts as a means to personal growth and transcendence and that that newfound spiritual power will transfer over into other areas of your life as well. I heartily agree! The book is about the mind in sports and is applicable to everything in life. It talks about dealing with fear, being compassionate in your "self talk", and the power of beliefs and self concept. The most pervasive concept, however, is the instruction to focus on the process rather than the outcome. The authors continually harp on being in the moment, giving one's best, dealing with inner demons, and just letting the results take care of themselves. What makes you a winner is not the outcome but the effort, perseverance and fortitude that you bring. This is a book that brings together fitness and excercise with philosophy and personal growth. A great achievement!
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Rating:
Summary: What Excercise and Sports are All About
Review: This books is truly outstanding. What it does is to tie sports and excercise into what matters in life: transcending limits, continually growing, becoming everything that you can be, and enjoying the process. The authors argue that you can use your workouts as a means to personal growth and transcendence and that that newfound spiritual power will transfer over into other areas of your life as well. I heartily agree! The book is about the mind in sports and is applicable to everything in life. It talks about dealing with fear, being compassionate in your "self talk", and the power of beliefs and self concept. The most pervasive concept, however, is the instruction to focus on the process rather than the outcome. The authors continually harp on being in the moment, giving one's best, dealing with inner demons, and just letting the results take care of themselves. What makes you a winner is not the outcome but the effort, perseverance and fortitude that you bring. This is a book that brings together fitness and excercise with philosophy and personal growth. A great achievement!
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