Mind Gym

By: Steph T 

After volleyball practice, we all sit down as a team and read a book which is called “Mind Gym”. It is written by Gary Mack and David Casstevens. Coach Jensen said she read this book in high school and it really helped her with the importance of the mind game. Coach Jensen said she would think about some of the things that were said in the book, and with that, she helped her team go really far during the volleyball season.

The book “Mind Gym” is a sports psychology book about the mental strength needed to perform your best. Mack uses motivational quotes and thoughts, and shares stories of his career in helping teams and athletes reach their full potential by using their most powerful weapon, the brain. Gary Mack explains how your "mental muscle", is as, if not more important, than the physical muscle and needed to play like a star. The mental aspects of the game are what is keeping good players from amazing sports careers. Throughout the book, Mack and Casstevens give you tips that will take your game to another level.

There is a chapter called “Mind Games”. In that chapter, they explain how actions follow your thoughts and images. Tommy Bolt once said, “The mind messes up more shots than the body.” This quote, along with many others in this book, help you realize just how important it is to train your mind like your body.

“When a weekend golfer arrives at a water hole, what is the second thing he does after fishing an old ball- a water ball- out of his bag?” Mack asks. “Stepping to the tee he tells himself, ‘Don't hit it in the water.' If you say 'Don't hit it in the water' and you're looking at the water, you have just programmed your mind to send the ball to a watery grave.“ A little while later Mack states, “Rather than saying 'Don't hit it in the water,' try another instruction, like ‘Land the ball ten yards to the right of the pin.' You get what your mind sets. The mind works most effectively when you're telling it what to do rather than what not to do.