Psychology of Champions: How to Win at Sports and Life with the Focus Edge of Super-Athletes Review

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(More customer reviews)This book really is a mixed bag of good ingredients. It has lots of new interviews with true American sports greats talking about their inner thoughts conducted by two degreed psychologists. Lots of first-hand insight and wisdom here. But unfortunately these are not mixed or cooked with much else; resulting not in a fine meal, but rather we are left still with a collection of individual bits and pieces.
It's very surprising that a book on the psychology of champions doesn't mention the work of Abraham Maslow or K. Anders Ericsson, and indeed doesn't cite any other of the considerable scientific body of work in the acquisition of expertise or sports psychology. They state, "Although most sport psychology books from experimental psychology, we have utilized a very different approach called experiential (not experimental) research. This type of research focuses on the actual experiences of human beings as the source of its data and conclusions." OK. But other than a `Focus Edge' catchphrase repeated on and on, the results are pretty thin considering the richness of the ingredients.
The quotations are amazing, really good stuff, but many of them are repeated in different chapters. And sometimes they are different! On page 80 Matt Williams is quoted "Only think about the task at hand. Keep it simple. We tend to overthink. When I am concentrated, things just happen. The speed of the ball appears to slow down." On page 97 it's "Keeping it simple. Thinking only about the task at hand. Things are just happening. Speed of ball appears to slow down." Huh? On page 116 Deion Sanders is quoted, "I want to do what has never been done before. To be creative, to be undone, to show the unseen." But on back on page 20 the quote marks were around "I want to be the best and take things to a new level--to do the undone, to show the unseen, to be creative. I want to do what has never been done before." The repeats and changes are jarring.
So I enjoyed reading the first-hand thoughts, but felt the rest of the `Focus Edge' fill was kinda weak. More science, more background, more history, more insight from the coaches that help create champions -- some or all of these would have been more welcome than the filler 15 pages of `biographical sketches' of the superstars that were already given introductions in the main text. This is not a stand alone book in its subject area, but more a fascinating supplement to other works. It needs more mixing and cooking in other words. I hope you find this review helpful.


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The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation Review

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(More customer reviews)Like the author of this lovely book, I was a horse-crazy little girl and one of the books I remember reading is SNOWMAN by Rutherford Montgomery. Therefore I'm thrilled that Snowman's story is being rescued from the dustbin of children's lit and being told again with greater detail and accuracy. I especially like the way Elizabeth Letts paints a complete picture of Snowman's time. This is history not just a horse story; a portrait of the America that embraced the former plow horse and his immigrant owner, Harry De Leyer, also known as "The Flying Dutchman".
This is the stuff of horsemen's dreams: to literally pull a thin and dirty horse off the slaughter truck and train him to become a champion. That is the true story of Snowman.
Could any book have a more charming hero? Snowman sparkles in these pages, a quiet gentle giant who gave pony rides to little children and taught timid beginners not to be afraid. He's so loyal that he repeatedly jumps both paddock and pasture fences to return to the man who rescued him from the slaughter truck. Harry De Leyer is a young horseman with a growing family who desperately desires to run his own horse business. He's looking for that magic horse who can take him to the top.
He'd been training a top thoroughbred prospect, Sinjon. In 1957, Harry persuaded the owner of the horse to take him to the National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden. Sinjon, a nervous and hot-blooded animal, exceeded expectations by jumping out of the qualifying rounds to place fourth. That very success was Harry's undoing: he loses the mount he has carefully and lovingly trained to a rider on the U.S. Equestrian Team.
He goes home to take another look at the horse he rescued off the slaughterhouse truck, the horse that came home dragging a tire which had been supposed to anchor him down and a piece of the fence that had been supposed to contain him. Harry knew that Snowman could jump; he just didn't understand why the horse was so clumsy in the ring.
Snowman routinely tripped over poles on the ground and knocked over low cross rails. Harry had been trying to train him to jump for over a year. The breakthrough came when one day Harry rode out into the ring. The jumps had already been set high for another horse. Finishing his warmup, Harry pointed his former plow horse at the high jumps...and the rest is history!
If I have a criticism, it is that the author has left out and glossed over some of the story about the humans. For example, she doesn't explain why Harry De Leyer and his first wife get divorced. However, I'm not sure she's wrong to leave that out. When it comes to Snowman, she has ferreted out many charming facts and features of his personality. When you are telling a story about a horse with a heart of gold is it necessary to explain every imperfection in the people around him?
Horse people will love this book. Snowman in his lovable essence will remind them of that favorite, special horse of their own. Folks who love animals in general will love this story. If you are in search of inspiration, look no further! This is a book for the entire family.

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