86 Best Sports Psychology Books of All Time

Barack ObamaA few months ago, Mr. Obama read “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” by Daniel Kahneman, about how people make decisions — quick, instinctive thinking versus slower, contemplative deliberation. For Mr. Obama, a deliberator in an instinctive business, this may be as instructive as any political science text. (Source)

Bill Gates[On Bill Gates's reading list in 2012.] (Source)

Marc AndreessenCaptivating dive into human decision making, marred by inclusion of several/many? psychology studies that fail to replicate. Will stand as a cautionary tale? (Source)

Bill GatesExplains how neglecting sleep undercuts your creativity, problem solving, decision-making, learning, memory, heart health, brain health, mental health, emotional well-being, immune system, and even your life span. (Source)

Brad FeldSeveral friends, who know I both love to sleep and am intrigued with how sleep works, recommended that I read Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. It was excellent. While my self-assessment of my sleep habits are very positive, I learned a few things. More importantly, I now have a much better understanding of the “Why” surrounding sleep, especially around sleep’s importance to... (Source)

Alexis Ohanian Sr.Agree! Best book I've read this year. Wasted so many hours just proving to myself I'd be the last one up working at @reddit and for what??? Stupid. Diminishing marginal returns after enough hours without sleep. https://t.co/cT7fDNBF3A (Source)

Rkun @ Tokyo@krkdnz @perepereden I've read that one since it's a classic, great book 👍 (Source)

Bill ColeGallwey was the first author to detail practical, in-the-trenches sports psychology techniques. He wasn’t really a theory guy or a data guy or a research guy, but practical techniques—his books are loaded with those. (Source)

Dave ElitchIt had a huge effect. (Source)

Bill ColeHe talks about greatness, and how to learn it from other people: to look around your sport world, the coaches and athletes at every level, Olympic, pro, national, local, and notice what you like or admire in those people. He says, if you can notice some of these elements, that must mean you have some of those elements in yourself, that you could develop. That’s a big message he sends. (Source)

Katrín DavíðsdóttirIt got me focusing on giving my absolute best in any given situation without the pressure of constantly stacking myself up to others. (Source)

Michael GervaisOne of the books I often give away is Mind Gym by Gary Mack. It’s a very mechanical, easy, lots-of-white-space-on-the-page book. And it’s one of my favourites, a very applied synopsis of mental skills from a sport and performance psychology standpoint. (Source)

Cal NewportI recently read an advance copy of James Clear’s new book, Atomic Habits. His thesis is that small but carefully selected habits can, over time, create massively positive results — not just in terms of what you accomplish, but also in terms of the type of person you become. James’s exposition rings true with what’ve I learned hanging around interesting people and high achievers. I recommend you... (Source)

Mark MansonA lot of people email me asking about habits - how to form good ones, how to break bad ones, how to stop doing the dumb shit we always do. I've got a friend named James Clear. He's an accomplished author and business owner and is kind of a "habit guru." He's probably forgotten more habits research than I've ever brought myself to look at. He just launched his first book. It's called Atomic Habits... (Source)

Ryan HolidayThis book is out on Tuesday and it's also very good. An atomic habit is a tiny habit or change that can have an enormous impact on your life. Getting up a little earlier, deleting social media from your phone, automating your savings, developing a system, these are atomic habits. Me personally, I don't feel like I am particularly talented or even that disciplined, but I have a number of atomic... (Source)

Ryan SwitzerNever forget my FR year at Carolina, @CoachFedora handed me the book “Relentless” by Tim Grover. Inside look on the mindset that drove Dwade, MJ, KOBE. Gave me an idea of what it was going to take to live my dream. Relentless became my favorite word. My passion. My everything. (Source)

Tobi Lütke[Tobi Lütke recommended this book in an interview in "The Globe and Mail."] (Source)

David Heinemeier HanssonTakes some of those same ideas about motivations and rewards and extrapolates them in a little bit. (Source)

Mike BenkovichI'd recommend a sprinkling of business books followed by a heap of productivity and behavioural psychology books. The business books will help you with principals and the psychological books help with everything else in your life. Building your own business can really f!@# you up psychologically. (Source)

Paul Kedrosky@fromedome @nkl Start with @DavidEpstein’s terrific book The Sports Gene. Great independently, but many academic references as well. (Source)

Gabriel CoarnaDavid Epstein's "The Sports Gene" made me decide to never tell a child that "if you really really want something, and you work really really hard, then you can achieve your dream" -- not when it comes to sports, at least. (Source)

Malcolm GladwellFor reasons I cannot explain, David Epstein manages to make me thoroughly enjoy the experience of being told that everything I thought about something was wrong. I loved Range. (Source)

Susan CainIt’s a joy to spend hours in the company of a writer as gifted as David Epstein. And the joy is all the greater when that writer shares so much crucial and revelatory information about performance, success, and education. (Source)

Kobe BryantThis book looks at how an emphasis on specialization can actually hamper our ability to really excel at something. It aligns with what I try to do when I am coaching, in my stories, and what we’re doing with Mamba Sports Academy — create all-around athletes who can think critically and make assessments in real time to enhance their play rather than rely only on a narrow set of skills. (Source)

James AltucherAnd while you are at it, throw in “Bounce” by Mathew Syed, who was the UK Ping Pong champion when he was younger. I love any book where someone took their passion, documented it, and shared it with us. That’s when you can see the subtleties, the hard work, the luck, the talent, the skill, all come together to form a champion. Heck, throw in, “An Astronaut’s Guide to Earth” by Commander Chris... (Source)

Melody HossainiI came across this book by chance, read a few pages and was intrigued by the examples to prove how experts in their field (in this case, drawn mostly from the world of Sports) come to be experts. The book will leave you empowered that one can truly become anything, and that you can defy genetical and circumstantial hinderances through the input of time and practice in your chosen field. I found... (Source)

Max MosleyBounce is fascinating. Matthew Syed was Britain’s number one table-tennis player for about 10 years and he’s now a top sports journalist on The Times. He writes extremely well. His thesis is that talent isn’t what matters, it’s all about hours and hours of training. The conventional view, and certainly my view before reading this book, is that some people are supremely gifted and therefore rise... (Source)

Joan BoixadosRecover soon from your mistakes. (Source)

Erik RostadFor career books, I'll focus on more overarching themes. You can get books on particular skills you need for a given job, but these books will help having the right mindset for a career and how work should fit into the greater story of your life. For learning new skills: The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin. (Source)

Chris OliverThe Art of Learning as well is phenomenal. You're always learning new things in programming and startups so being good at learning is a crucial skill to have. (Source)

Austin KleonWhile re-reading Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s wonderful book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, I came across this passage on working crossword puzzles. I think he could just as well be talking about making blackout poems: "There is much to be said in favor of this popular pastime, which in its best form resembles the ancient riddle contests. It is inexpensive and portable, its challenges... (Source)

Tom ChatfieldThe notion of flow is the idea that there is a state that is characterised by complete immersion in an activity, by a constant response to stimuli, and a perfect match between your ability and the challenge in front of you. (Source)

Bill ColeBob Rotella is probably currently the most famous sports psychologist out there, still active. It’s very easy reading and it has the ring of truth because he’s in the trenches every single day, and has a huge amount of credibility. (Source)

Peter Attia[One of] the books I’ve read the most. (Source)

Rupert MurdochGreat reading. The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle. Forget genes! Greatness isn't born, it's grown - the hard way. (Source)

Jason FriedHighly recommend reading The Talent Code. Wonderful book w/ great insights. (Source)

Malcolm GladwellThis book is AMAZING! (Source)

Bear GryllsIf you want to gain insight into the mind of great athletes, adventurers, and peak performers then prepare to be enthralled by Alex Hutchinson’s Endure. (Source)

Adam GrantReveals how we can all surpass our perceived physical limits. (Source)

Anders EricssonHigh-speed cameras and radar-tracking devices have revolutionized training and are now giving baseball pitchers accurate, detailed and actionable feedback during practice. This captivating book details step-by-step how merely good major league pitchers have recently been able to transform themselves into great ones and reach previously unattainable levels of mastery by purposeful and deliberate... (Source)

Nate SilverFor too long, stat geeks like me ignored the 'development' side of 'scouting and development.' The MVP Machine is the book that's going to change that. Travis Sawchik and Ben Lindbergh persuasively and entertainingly demonstrate that a baseball player's success is less about God-given talent and more about innovation, hard work, and the willingness to take a more scientific approach to the game.... (Source)

Bill SimmonsI wish this book spent more time on the Red Sox winning four times as many titles as the Yankees this century, but The MVP Machine is a great and informative deep dive on the challenges of unlocking talent and building winning teams in the age of analytics. (Source)

Dick CostoloSo much in this book resonates with me. With practical advice for performance in the workplace or on the playing field, Brad and Steve meticulously deliver a comprehensive understanding of peak performance and howto achieve it. (Source)

Arianna HuffingtonAn essential playbook for success, happiness, and getting the most out of ourselves. (Source)

Dustin MoskovitzSharpen the saw. (Source)

Stuart Mcmillan@TheKurtHester Little know fact this side of the Atlantic: the athlete here is Dr. Steve Peters - very well-known and respected sport psychologist, and author of what I believe to be the best sport psych book for coaches & athletes - ‘The Chimp Paradox’ (Source)

Andrew ElliottA book that will help you manage stress, setbacks and positivity. I recommend What to Say When You Talk to Your Self by Shad Helmstetter. Starting your own business is a path fraught with stress and setbacks, learning how to successfully navigate these issues will help you in more than just business. (Source)

Ryan HolidayThis was definitely the best business/leadership book I read this year. It proves that we have really missed what makes great teams and organizations work. It’s not star players, it’s not even how much they can spend–it’s whether they have great captains. Walker’s chapter on “carrying the water” had some great insights re: Ego is the Enemy and I think this incredibly well-written book should be... (Source)

Eric RiesA fascinating book about the one thing that the greatest sports teams in history have in common and the critical aspects of leadership they share. (Source)