How Champions Think: In Sports and in Life

It is well known that Dr. Bob Rotella has had several successful careers: as the director of sports psychology at the University of Virginia, as an author of eight best selling books and as a teacher of America’s most accomplished athletes, especially golfers. While much of his acclaim is in the sports field with the publication of How Champions Think, Dr. Rotella will gain wider recognition and become better known as a psychologist and teacher of all whose dream is to become “exceptional in their chosen field.”As a weekend golfer I have enjoyed Bob’s previous books and his most recent book, How Champions Think does not disappoint. Bob’s prose flows from golfing greats he has coached to his other clients in college basketball to major league baseball. The personal golfing lesson that hit home for me is that “it is better to love one-putting than to hate three putting.” This lesson has a deeper meeting for me as I consciously record the number of putts I take in in each round and circling three putts, as if I wish to remember my failures rather than my few one-putt greens.Bob’s focus on the positive is throughout How Champions Think but his philosophy is best explained in Chapter Eight… Learned Effectiveness: The Virtuous. While other cognitive psychologist like Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania were evolving from “learned helplessness” to “learned optimism,” Bob was teaching the practical applications of “learned effectiveness” to people who want to be exceptional. Bob acknowledges William James as his role model in the field of psychology I believe both Bob and James would also subscribe to Heraclitus view…“The content of your character is your choice; day to day what you choose, what you think and what you do is what you become.”Bob profiles the character traits of exceptional people, using sports anecdotes to demonstrate traits like: confidence, optimism, patience, and devotion to commitment, perseverance and respect for your own talent. I intend to share How Champions Think with my friends in the post-traumatic growth movement so that they might pass on Bob’s learned effectiveness philosophy to our wounded warriors and others learning how to grow after suffering traumatic injuries.Bob is definitely old school, whether in describing his upbringing in Rutland Vermont or, lesson learned from the nuns in school or the wisdom he has picked up from coaches and mentors in decades of learning from other exceptional successful people.I hope young people will carefully read How Champions Think and follow Bob’s advice to go out and create their own reality. Thanks Bob for sharing your career of counseling all those who want to go for greatness.

I bought this book in 2018 on a recommendation from a fellow dragracer. He loved the aspect of a sports psychologist not being pigeon holed into one sport, but for the athlete themselves. I can say the stories are vivid, and the advice is spot on. Hearing about his work with golfers, as well as Lebron James himself, was what made it humbling. Even the best in the world, need a mental boost from time to time.First weekend racing, after reading the book, I just happened to find the mindset to put me in the winner's circle! I'll try and find screen shots from 3 years ago talking about it to add to this.I'd recommend this book to high schoolers, college students, and anyone who feels they need a, "Mental Edge"

You know how like in the 2010's Malcolm Gladwell was basically paraphrasing Daniel Kahneman. Well Bob Rotella is basically paraphrasing Malcolm Gladwell. Anecdotal pseudoscience, drives me nuts, even when it is a feel-good outcome. Basic takeaways: are practice, a good attitude, skilled prioritization is what make people excel. Some other items, that I came to terms with as an adult are they you can't have it all at once (as in be a master-of-whatever and young kids). Also, think of practice in terms of opportunities rather than rote repetition.At this point in my life, I made a goal to be the number one reviewer on Amazon, specifically in books. I planned to do so by reading 3-5 books every month for the rest of my life. I read all kinds of books, including this one. Right now my ranking hovers around 6,000 but I have kids and I work so...Anyhow the writing starts out strong with great stories and outcomes, but the anecdotes peter towards the end of the book. Also, it assumes you know all the terminology of all the sports. I think as it applies to sports, the book is good, as it applies to business it is a starting point. It is true persistence is how you build a pipeline in sales, but that assumes you know how to talk to people first and deal with them. Might I recommend, if you are a young salesperson, reading some Dale Carnegie. The only change I plan to make in my life after this is....maybe take a lesson on golf terminology...

This book is for everyone that has ever set a goal to achieve something great. From small to large. It’s amazing how much common sense is built into this book but at the same time it will help one think beyond the obvious to things we often overlook as everyday people. Recommend this to everyone

This book is LITERALLY one of the best books I've ever read in my life and is one of those books I think everyone should read over every single year on the clock. It is such a great reminder of everything it takes to be EXCEPTIONAL and GREAT! I gave this to my brother to read, who is a basketball player, and I think every athlete and every performer and every business owner should read it!

“Why would you possibly believe in that guy’s ability more than you believe in your own. He’s the one who should be nervous”. This book is packed full of brain tattoos that can be used to flip tentative nervousness into competitive enthusiasm….fear into confident, process based execution. Love this book.

Either you are an athlete, a business person, manager or just want to apply new winning concepts, this book is a must read for everybody wanting to learn how to carve their road to success.

Good book, with usable insights on almost every page toward the beginning. But Rotella loses steam toward the end and could've used an editor who would've cut portions from the last quarter of the book. When Rotella is in his wheelhouse, talking about his lived experience, he's great. When delivering canned truths about the value of religiosity, he's lost the plot.

Achei algumas partes previsíveis, mas ótimo livro para quem tá precisando mudar um pouco, ou em algum momento complicado da vida.

Lange hatte ich hin und her überlegt, ob ich wirklich ein Buch zu diesem Thema lesen sollte. Dr. Bob Rotella hat mich davon überzeugt, dass es die absolut richtige Entscheidung war!Vorab: Das Buch ist in englischer Sprache, mit grundsoliden Englischkenntnissen ist es allerdings absolut verständlich. Dr. Bob Rotella nimmt viel Bezug auf das Thema Golf, ich hatte allerdings als Nicht-Golferin nie das Gefühl, irgendwo "außen vor" zu sein. Viel mehr hat er es mit diesem Buch geschafft, mir einen (in der Tat absolut unaufdringlich gestalteten) Einblick in den Golfsport und das Umfeld zu geben.Ich versuche hier die Bewertung recht allgemein zu halten, um so nicht zu viel aus dem Buch vorzugreifen.How Champions Think In Sports And In Life dreht sich sehr um das eigene Mindset, unabhängig davon, ob es um das Thema Sport oder Beruf geht. Die verschiedenen Kapitel sind sehr gut durchstrukturiert, man wird in diesem Buch an die Hand genommen und durch die einzelnen Kapitel geführt. Man erhält einen sehr tiefgehenden Einblick in das Thema und seine Denkweise - und hat auch selbst genug "Freiraum", dies auf das eigene Leben und Handeln zu übertragen und einfach darüber nachzudenken. So bin ich auch gerne mal an einer Stelle hängen geblieben, habe inne gehalten - und oft auch einfach nur gedacht "Ja. Kenne ich zu gut."In genau diesen Momenten schafft er es mit einer Leichtigkeit, den Leser wieder an die Hand zu nehmen und Tipps und Beispiele zu geben, wie man es besser machen kann.Dieses Buch ist meiner Meinung nach eine Leseempfehlung für jeden, der danach strebt, die beste Version seiner selbst zu sein - und auch bereit ist, einiges zu überdenken und Tipps mit in das eigene Handeln zu übernehmen. Das Buch verpflichtet nicht - es unterstützt den Leser auf eine sehr angenehme Art und Weise. Für die knapp 300 Seiten kann man sich Zeit lassen, man kann es allerdings auch wirklich kurzum "durchziehen" - auch wenn das sicherlich nicht die eigentliche Intention des Autors ist/war.Fünf Sterne gibt es von meiner Seite, weil das Buch einfach rundum stimmig und schön zu lesen ist. Eine Kaufempfehlung!

My fav book on mindset. Lots of great stories the author explains through his own experiences

Love this book!