Those who know me know how much I like to read. I was recently asked where my current interests lie. Based on that question, I thought it might be interesting to post about the most recent books that have been digested and the ones that are “on-deck” for the coming weeks.
Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash
I don’t always read books related to sport psychology or general psychology, but it might seem that way based on the last few weeks! In addition to psychology topics, I also enjoy an occasional historical fiction book or a biography – but not recently. Might be time to explore Amazon and broaden my horizons.
So, what has held my interest of late? I have been absorbed with the topics of “Motivational Interviewing” and “Mental Management”.
Motivational Interviewing may not be a familiar topic. Basically, it is a series of tools that help an individual navigate the change process. It was originally developed as a tool to assist with recovery from addiction, but has found general use by anyone that is facing ambivalence towards making change in their lives. I have always been intrigued by why it is so difficult to make changes and break away from the status quo. I see this in the sporting world where athletes will read about, be coached on, and understand changes that would result in improved performance, but fail to implement the changes. I wanted to learn more about this topic, so I picked up a couple of books. The first was a workbook geared more to the individual that wanted to implement change.
It contains a plethora of worksheets that any of us could use to help implement changes in our lives.
After reading this book, I was intrigued to know more about how a practitioner (psychologist, social worker, medical provider, friend, etc.) could work with a client to help them down the “change path”. This book provided an extensive view on how this could be done:
This book is a wonderful overview of the techniques of MI. Included are various examples that demonstrate how the techniques could be applied in a clinical situation as well as practice exercises. Fascinating stuff. MI is not a way of manipulating another person to change, but instead a true partnership in helping another person move from ambivalence to changes they choose.
At the same time, I have also become engrossed with Lanny Bassham’s “Mental Management System”. You may recall that I mentioned Lanny’s book “With Winning in Mind” in my post about foundational books in sport psychology. You can revisit that post HERE. Brain DeMott also touched on Lanny’s system in our lunch conversation discussed in this POST. I had read Lanny’s book several years ago, but had not availed myself of his other materials. After my discussion with Brian, I was intrigued to check out Lanny’s audio CD collections.
I wanted to start with his original 6 CD collection entitled Mental Management for Shooting Sports. This set was released in 2002.
I was able to score one on Ebay. Having read his books previously, I was comfortable with the techniques he described. He challenges the listeners to break from the status quo and actually implement the tools he recommends. This immediately took me back to the Motivational Interviewing techniques that I was reading in parallel! I had no choice but to accept the challenge. As a result of listening to this set of audio CDs, I created my own self-image statement following Lanny’s step-by-step instructions. If anyone is interested in seeing the results of this, please email me at the address in the contact tab. I may even post it in a future post.
Feeling excited about taking positive steps using Lanny’s materials, I was curious to sample his more recent work, so I place an order for his single audio CD entitled “What Every Sporting Clays Shooter Should Know First About the Mental Game”.
If you are on the fence about buying some of the more expensive offerings, I would suggest starting with this one. For a small investment, you will be able to determine if Lanny’s methods speak to you. It is really an overview, so you most likely will want to purchase his book, or 6 CD set to get implementation details of his program, but this is a good introduction.
My next move was to purchase his 6 CD set entitled “Winning Sporting Clays – It’s All in Your Mind”.
One of the benefits of driving an older truck is that it has a 6 CD changer in it! I have them all loaded up and listen to them while driving back and forth to the range. To date, I am on the 3rd one. So far, it has not disappointed with Lanny providing step-by-step instructions on how to implement his program. I really like that this series if focused specifically on sporting clays.
One might argue that listening to CDs is not the same as reading, and they are right. I happen to like both. When I am done with the current CD series, I am going to go back and read Lanny’s book “With Winning in Mind”.
In the meantime, I am also reading the book “Mindgym – achieve more by thinking differently”.
Not much to report yet as I have only read the last chapter and the introduction (something I always do to determine if a book is worth reading cover to cover) and the first chapter. So far, it is speaking to me! The authors have already touched on some of the key works related to attaining peak performance.
I was introduced to this book by accident. I had gone on Amazon to find out when I had first purchased another book by a similar title – Mind Gym – an Athlete’s Guide to Inner Excellence”.
This book has a permanent place on my desk. The chapters are all short making it a perfect “bathroom book” for when you have just a minute or two to read something inspirational. I keep it on my desk and read a chapter every day or two. Other shooters have also found it useful. Mitch Hines referred to it when he described the method he uses for performance logging in this POST.
I hope you have enjoyed my early summer reading (listening) list. Perhaps something has struck a chord for you! Please feel free to share what you are reading. I can post the feedback!
For those interested in obtaining any of the materials, here are the links:
Here is Lanny Bassham’s Site: