Body Mind Mastery: Creating Success in Sport and Life

Rating:
Summary: Millman's work transforms "training"
Review: "Millman's work combines the best of the human potential movement with the practical tools needed to reach that goal. It features sections on the "Peaceful Warrior Warm-Up", the aging athlete, and instructions for creating a daily exercise routine. This work is as much about mastering life as it is about the game itself." - NAPRA REVIEW

Rating:
Summary: Millman's work transforms "training"
Review: "Millman's work combines the best of the human potential movement with the practical tools needed to reach that goal. It features sections on the "Peaceful Warrior Warm-Up", the aging athlete, and instructions for creating a daily exercise routine. This work is as much about mastering life as it is about the game itself." - NAPRA REVIEW

Rating:
Summary: Solid Effort But Nothing New
Review: The book has 166 pages of content and can be divided into three main parts. The first part is fairly abstract, Millman calls it "Understanding the Larger Game". The first chapter is about natural laws that Millman sees as being helpful to understand; the next has to do with bringing awareness to our activities as a way to see what we are doing wrong, what we are doing right, and then learning from our mistakes; last chapter of part 1 is about preparation, about slow and steady progress. Personally, having read alot of self help and mind body I didn't really find this first part very helpful. The second part and the first chapter of the third part are, to me, the meat and bones of the book, where the concrete content is. He has chapters on Mental, Emotional, and Physical talent and how to cultivate all three. He talks about the self concept, fear of failure, about breathing, and then about strength, suppleness, stamina, and sensitivity. Then there is a chapter with specific advice for working on skills, like hitting a golf ball or diving or gymnastics. The third part of the book criticizes the focus on results and urges more focus on focus, concentration and personal growth and the last chapter is about new sports, less competitive, that Millman sees developing in the future. Again, this part is more abstract and it is very normative, criticizing competition, though he does recognize that it can bring out the best in people, and then naming some new sports he sees as good developments. He also suggests requiring athletes in asymettrical sports such as golf, tennis, bowling and baseball to "use both arms equally" (pg 143). I found that a little annoying and I also didn't really see it as having a place in this book. Overall, there are a bunch of good points in here, it is clear that Millman understands how to pursue excellence and growth, but I felt the book was a bit unfocused and there was nothing really new for someone who has done some reading in this area. Greg ...

Rating:
Summary: Good Starting Book
Review: This is a very solid book to read in your quest of mastery. Not quite the total package. I think the book on Mastery by George Leonard covers the whole realm of mastery a little better. This book does make a couple of great points, like when your practicing a skill to over compensate by doing the complete oppsoite. If your shooting a basketball & keep missing to the right then practice missing a couple to left so you can find balance & make the shot down the middle. This also teaches you mentally to that you can control balance by being unbalanced, which will make help you see being balanced more clearly. A little weird but works. But this is only one of many good points I think Millman gives. Its a great start for mastery & is highly recommend