Playing in the Zone: Exploring the Spiritual Dimensions of Sports

The other reviewers are correct that this book does not delve much into the practical aspects of how to achieve more flow experiences in your sport. I wouldn't use that criticism to say that this is not a good book. It is a great book for what it is: an academic and philosophical study of the flow experience in sports, its characteristics, its cultural meanings, etc. This is definitely not the ideal book for an athlete looking to learn more about flow. Rather, it is more geared for the person who want a deeper and overall analysis of what flow means in sport, in society, and in history. As with many books on this topic, I found the book to be fascinating in some areas but rather dry and boring in others. But definitely a good book for any research on flow.

Mr Cooper has written an insightful book which transcends both sports and Buddhism, while touching on both. It seems that at times in his own life, he has actually been "there" in a sports setting himself. Without being pedantic, he provides the reader with his insight.

Maybe the best thing you can say about a book is that you can't hold on to it. That has certainly been my experience with this one. Each time I buy a new copy for myself, I remember a friend or relative or writing student who I know must have it. And not just jocks and fans. I sent a copy to my baseball-loving step dad and got a call raving about it from my sports-hating, arts-loving mom. As in much of the best nonfiction writing, by delving deeply into a particular subject the author hits upon themes and insights that are universal. Cooper's appreciation of athletic craft also tells much about spiritual experience, the mythic mind, the nature of the self, and other matters of primary concern. This is not a how-to, inner game, or Zen-of-sports book. It is an exploration of meaning in something so near at hand that we take it for granted. You'll be surprised at what you find.

I picked up Playing in the Zone expecting a Inner Game knockoff, but sat down to read the introduction anyway. When I looked up I had finished three chapters. The author involves the reader from the start by, first eloquently explaining what he believes sport to be, then builds on that base to develop a model for sport appreciation. He uses anecdotes sparingly, but with purpose. Quotes are used for impact and add insight to the text. They did not appear to be included as an afterthought. This book is not about playing in the Zone of any specific sport, but rather seeking "mindlessness," or "flow" through any sport as the individual defines it. Cooper sees sport as a theater in which players and spectators participate in their own drama. He writes, "In the theater of sport, the totality of our nature is given dramatic form. Sport displays the range of our experience in all its multiplicity, conflict, and contradiction. Human experience cannot be reduced to a single purpose or principle, and so neither can sport. In sport, as in life, appreciating complexity is a source of endless delight."My only complaint is that the book seemed to end rather abruptly. Perhaps a summery or wrapping-up chapter would have eased the transition to completion. But for the insight it bestowes and the model it presents, Playing in the Zone is certainly worth the read.