The World's Best Book Summaries
Have you ever been “in the zone”? Is there a way to enter the performance state on demand? In his book, The Art of Learning, American chess player and tai chi champion Joshua Waitzkin explains how to get in the zone and activate peak performance states. The key, he says, is to use “triggers.” Think of this trigger as an on/off switch that instantly activates your competitive spirit. Here’s how to use triggers to enter the zone of high performance.
How do you read your opponent in a fight or a competition? What signals can help decipher their intended actions? At the highest level, competition takes place on the psychological battlefield. To win, you have to learn how to read your opponent and exploit the chinks in their mental armor. This is especially true when you’re evenly matched in technique. Here’s how to read your opponent, according to American chess player Josh Waitzkin.
How can mindfulness help you become a better athlete? Can practicing mindfulness improve sports performance? To excel in sports, you need to maintain an emotional state that allows for confident, uninhibited performance. If you have any mental or emotional conflicts, you can’t access peak performance states. Mindfulness can help you achieve that by training you to remain unperturbed in the face of distractions and emotional turbulence. Learn about the benefits of mindfulness in sports.
Can practice override innate ability? What role does practice play in sports performance? While practice alone cannot determine outcomes in sports (there’s also a strong genetic component), its importance cannot be underestimated. Practice builds sport-specific wisdom, allows you to react quickly, and makes you “unconsciously competent.” Keep reading to learn about the importance of practice in sports success.
Is there such a thing as natural athleticism? What is more important when it comes to sports performance—practice or innate ability? Different sports place different demands on the human body. Sprinters need to be fast. Soccer players need to be coordinated. Most people’s mental model of a female gymnast would be of someone small in stature, while our mental model of a basketball player is likely tall. We can train our bodies to be the best they can be at a sport, but no amount of training can override natural athleticism. Keep reading to learn about natural athleticism and where
What role does genetics play in sports performance? Are there specific “sports genes” that confer an advantage in sports? Our anatomy and physiology are functions of our genes. While we may know that traits are encoded for in our DNA, finding the exact genes that produce these characteristics remains elusive. However, science has made great strides in finding specific genes that impact sports performance. Keep reading to learn about sports genetics and how genes determine people’s sports performance via response to training.
What role does culture play in sports success? Is athletic ability a matter of nature or nurture? An athlete’s dedication to their sport is, at least in part, a product of socioeconomic factors and culture. Even the genetic advantages of a Nilotic body type, the ideal altitude circumstances, and the narrow lower legs of Kenyan runners still do not completely explain their running dominance. Let’s look at the interplay between culture and sports success.
Is there such a thing as a “sports gene”? What are some examples of genes that contribute to athletic ability? There’s no single gene that can account for an athlete’s success. According to David Epstein, the author of The Sports Gene, at our current level of understanding, investigating the effects of a single gene can tell us more about why someone is not an elite athlete than about why they are. While there’s no single sports gene, science has unraveled several genes that contribute to athletic ability. Let’s look at a few examples.
What is the best body type for gymnastics? Why is being small an advantage? In a sport where athletes are often airborne and rotating, the laws of physics make being small in stature an advantage. Gymnasts also tend to have narrow hips, which is why gymnasts tend to be much younger than other Olympic athletes. Keep reading to learn about the science behind the gymnastics body type.
Why are sports divided by gender? How is sex defined in sports? Sports divide men’s and women’s events into two distinct categories for good reason, yet on the level of the individual athlete, the distinction between the sexes is not so easy to define. In sports, the biological distinction between male and female is not black and white. Let’s explore the issue of gender in sports to help shed light on the matter.