Flow in Sports

Rating:
Summary: Flow 101 - the practical guide
Review: Flow in Sports by Susan A. Jackson is a well written, clear, practical manual that offers well grounded advice to any level athlete. This is the best book I have seen on the topic since the original classic by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi because it delivers the concepts without fanfare. Flow is just another practical took for the modern day athlete, the same as good nutrition and dedicated practice schedules. This tone and the plentiful, flow-accurate blurbs from atheltes in several different sports, make for a fun and exciting read. Every athelete will identify with the concepts and find inspiration to expand on the methods in their own specific sports training.

Rating:
Summary: Good book, not well written
Review: I recently went on a binge of "mental training" books. This one came highly recommended, and I have to be honest, I am not very impressed. The main problem is the style of writing is, well, boring. I found myself constantly reading, then re-reading pages. ZZZzzzzzzz.... I am going to re-read the book - it does have some good info in it - maybe a second read through will be easier.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting topic, excellently & thoroughly covered
Review: Jackson and Csikszentmihalyi tackle the topic of how athletes -- from would-be champs to afterwork gym rats -- achieve that wonderful altered state of flow where the muscles work smoothly and you feel great about your workout. This book offers an unusually clear exposition of exactly HOW you can get enter flow in sports (similar to what I found to be the way writers enter flow in my own bestseller WRITING IN FLOW). It describes what's necessary, such as challenge, feedback, and focus on the present, and suggests ways to incorporate these elements into your sport. Lots of quotes from athletes involved in various sports help bring the text alive. There are notes, too, so you know they've done their research. Quite inspiring.

Rating:
Summary: Practical & Thought Provoking
Review: The full title of the book is "Flow in Sports: The Key to Optimal Experiences and Performances". The book truly lives up to its title. It provides practical advice for developing the training regimen and mental mindset that lead to the state of "flow" that is key to doing well (and having fun) in sports. I also found the advice in this book to be applicable to other aspects of my life, such as work and studies. The book was co-authored by Dr. Csikszentmihalyi, a world renowned expert in this field, so you know that the advice in this book is based on solid academic research. The only problem I had with the book is the dry writing style, which reminds me of a college term paper.