Not Just Sports Books
Sports. Some people can’t live with them. Some can’t live without them. Some don’t even know they’re going on. Regardless of how you feel about athletic competition, the sports field is fertile ground for finding things out.
These are my current top five sports books that are about so much more than sports.
*Please note: I don’t receive commissions or compensation from any of the books or authors mentioned. Just sharing what I love and what I’m learning.
With a goal in mind, two games begin within the player. One is about what the player wants, the other about what the player gets. The challenge is how those two internal hungers communicate. This timeless classic about the endless tussle over over-control will help anybody figure how to do almost anything better without trying so hard.
A favorite passage: “Clearly, to play unconsciously does not mean to play without consciousness. That would be quite difficult! In fact, someone playing ‘out of his mind’ is more aware of the ball, the court and, when necessary, his opponent. But he is not aware of giving himself a lot of instructions, thinking about how to hit the ball, how to correct past mistakes or how to repeat what he just did. He is conscious, but not thinking, not over-trying. A player in this state knows where he wants the ball to go, but he doesn’t have to ‘try hard’ to send it there. It just seems to happen—and often with more accuracy than he could have hoped for. The player seems to be immersed in a flow of action which requires his energy, yet results in greater power and accuracy. The ‘hot streak’ usually continues until he starts thinking about it and tries to maintain it; as soon as he attempts to exercise control, he loses it.”
Take Away: Sparring with the ego is a striver’s greatest pastime. Understanding how the internal voices speak—what they sound like, when and where and why they talk—is the key to getting them to get along. And therein lies the magic bookcase that grants a performer access to his aimed-at performance. Understanding the inner game is how the striver gets and stays out of her own way.
The Chicago Bulls Dynasty, led by Phil Jackson, was built on more than basketball fundamentals, meticulous scouting reports, and ingenious offensive and defensive strategies. The coach’s approach centered on the athlete’s mind--what the player paid attention to, what he failed to notice, where he spent his energy. Jackson’s recipe hinges on helping the players of the game connect to something bigger than themselves.
A favorite passage: “But, for me, basketball is an expression of life, a single, sometimes glittering thread, that reflects the whole. Like life, basketball is messy and unpredictable. It has its way with you, no matter how hard you try to control it. The trick is to experience each moment with a clear mind and open heart. When you do that, the game—and life—will take care of itself.”
Take Away: So much of competitive sports—and life—pulse with things we cannot govern. True engagement with the moment is both where the finest performances live and where the fullest enjoyment lies. Whether we win or lose.
Pete Carril was the skipper on the sideline at Princeton for twenty-nine seasons. His assignment was to teach smart kids how to play basketball—a job he did as well as perhaps any hoops coach ever has. From “Three-Car-Garage Guys” to “Lightbulbs” to “Fakes are Like Lies,” the titles in the table of contents, alone, will grab you. This collection of truths discovered and defined by a game played inside 94 feet of lines is applicable well beyond them.
A favorite passage: “Everybody has the potential for courage, but some people—because they have had to demonstrate it all their lives—are good at it, whereas others are not until the need suddenly arises and they have to learn how to react. A player doesn’t like to hear that he’s afraid. When I have to tell a player that, I preface it by saying that everyone’s afraid of something. You have to decide whether you want to make a commitment to change, to stop being afraid. Education is changing behavior.”
Take away: What makes a player effective… situated… efficient… impactful isn’t much different than what makes a person, off a court, all those things. We can learn a lot about ourselves by how we play.
Golf. Ugh. It’s soooooo hard. In this game, the ball isn’t even moving when you try to hit it. You never have to throw it or catch it or dodge people who are trying to take it from you. It’s just you and the game. And the game wins way more often than you do. As such, it becomes a worthy whetstone for helping those who play it make the choice to stop thinking and imagine well.
A favorite passage: “It started to hit me that attitude, self-perception and motivation heavily influenced success in life. I realized that happiness had more to do with what you did with what you had than with what you had.”
Take Away: Managing blunders is more beneficial than obsessing over flawlessness. One happens all the time; the other almost never does. Getting good at what happens a lot is where confidence comes from.
A beautifully written story about how humans are built and what we’re built to be able to do began with a simple question posed to a doctor: “How come my foot hurts?”
A favorite passage: “Running unites our two most primal impulses: fear and pleasure. We run when we’re scared, we run when we’re ecstatic, we run away from our problems and run around for a good time . . .In the Tarahumara tongue, humans come in only two forms: there are Raramuri—who run from trouble and Chabochis-who cause it.”
Take away: We use such a small percentage of our capabilities. All humans possess a superpower. People who have the curiosity and courage to look for theirs often find that the journey of discovery is as super as the power they find.
And… I’m currently reading, Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard…. If I were finished, this list would likely expand to six.