In Pursuit of Excellence - 4th Edition

The book was true to the advertised condition and the shipping was very quick. Thank You!!!

I read the 1st version of this book in 1990 and I not only continue to use the skills in athletics but in day to day life events as well. The mental training and stress reduction techniques not only improved my performance but changed my life! I used the skills to transform my tension and improve my concentration and focus. Having a solid foundation of these mental skills can help athletes at all levels as evidenced by some of the comments by the Olympic competitors in the China Olympics. This book and other editions of it adorn my bookshelf and are commonly referred to. I have many books on the subject and this is by far the best.

There are a lot of good books on mental training for athletes but I think Terry Orlick's stands out by carrying information that is insightful, well-rounded, very practical, beneficial to reducing anxiety, increasing focus on the task and, ultimately, performance. As an Olympic medal winner who now manages a online sport psych shop (sportsmindskills.com) I've come across a lot of books on the subject and this is the winner!

In college I took a sports psychology class taught by a practicing Sports Psychologist who coached Many NFL & PGA Tour players. This was one of out main books we used and it is still in my library today. As a collegiate athlete (baseball), I was able to easily apply the concepts to my own game. I don't know if it helped my physical ability, but mentally I was much more confident and focused.

Terry Orlick manages to weave anecdotal examples of how the mind can be the difference between performance and "peak performance". This book is packed with practical exercises, check lists and "how-to's" to learn and apply the mechanics/techniques of sports psychology. Nifty quotes at the beginning of each chapter. WARNING: It won't turn miracles. It will not give you talent you never had or replace hard work. If you've ever found yourself belaboring a performance error, regularly using negative self-talk or "choking" in those key situations... then this book is for you.It does require a belief... the belief that mental training will work. "Belief is the mother of reality."