Mental Skills for Young Athletes (printed book)

We must not forget the primary aim of the publication is to teach the youngsters to exhibit their best thinking (cognitions), feelings (emotions) and actions (behaviours) to cope with the stresses and pressures (anxieties and attention) associated with training and competition.

Dr. John Hogg has done a great favor for a multitude of young athletes who have the opportunity to read and use his book, Mental Skills for Young Athletes; A Mental Skills Workbook. A particular challenge in my coaching experience has been to connect the “mental game” to the physical experience of training and racing for young swimmers. So I liked the premise of the book from the beginning. But, the element which is unique and valuable is the thoroughness of the mental exercises at the end of chapters, seemingly in an attempt to hook every kind of mental challenge for individual athletes.

The book is also ordered well as it addresses self-awareness from the beginning – moves progressively through a full range of challenges to the mental game – and (again) connects the exercises to real training and competitive situations.

I highly recommend the book for use by coaches in their training, for athletes’ knowledge and for parents’ education.

Dudley Duncan
Swimming Hall of Fame Coach