When my eye caught this title in the bookstore, I knew this would be the next book I would be reading. Poker being a mental sport, it is my conviction that the more we learn about the mental aspect of other sports, the more learn about poker. So began my read of Vic Braden's Mental Tennis: How to Psych Yourself to a Winning Game
Braden, a licensed psychologist, has been called the world's best tennis coach. Here are a few of his pointers:
1) "Once you change the software package (in your brain), your game will never be the same, nor will you." Page 14.
2) "We live or die by our software." Page 16.
3) "Choking is a universal problem, at one time or another afflicting the best pros as well as beginners." Page 19.
4) "As soon as you start thinking more about the score than your shots, you are on the way to losing." Page 34.
5) "In terms of the way your brain functions, if you have to surface the command and tell yourself, "Concentrate," then you are focusing on the command to concentrate, not on the game." Page 35.
6) "If your image is one of failure, you are going to increase your chances of failure considerably." Page 38.
7) "Indeed, some players who have a need to lose use anger as an excuse for doing so." Page 40.
8) "Frequently, the better you play, the more problems you will cause to surface in your opponent." Page 42.
Well, I could continue quoting Braden all day. There are over two hundred more pages, all loaded with the kind of insights we have always suspected, but been unable to confirm. This book is a treasure of information for any competitor.
And, before you place a book order, look at the Free Offers page.
R. Steve McCollum
____________________________________________________________________________________
Order this book from Amazon.com. You can be certain of amazingly low prices, oftentimes free shipping, and really fast service.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright 2009 R. Steve McCollum
