The Mindset for Winning: A Four-Step Mental Training Program to Achieve Peak Performance for All Athletes.

The Mindset for Winning: A Four-Step Mental Training Program to Achieve Peak Performance for All Athletes In The Mindset of Winning, the author presents a simple, common-sense approach to a mental-training program for athletes. The book is written in nontechnical language and emphasizes the practical, rather than theoretical, aspects of achieving optimal performance by adding daily mental training to the daily physical training. The technique is based on an unconscious response called subliminal motor movement; however, the purpose of the book is to produce successful athletes, not to substantiate the theory.

Four steps are outlined: relaxation, positive affirmation statements, mental recall, and mental rehearsal. Relaxation puts the body in the proper state for mental conditioning by slowing down the rational mind. Positive affirmation statements are short sentences that implant ideas in the subconscious. Mental recall is a replay of past situations that were successful, and mental rehearsal is the process of visualizing the desired results of a future event. Each step is presented clearly, with implementation guidelines.

In the chapter "Beyond the Basics," the author applies the four-step process to other situations: handling stress in everyday life, improving concentration, and healing. For example, he states that

when an athlete is injured, one of the first steps in the healing process within the body is the need for increased circulation to the injured area. This increased blood flow removes waste products and brings nutrients so the healing process can begin. Relaxation improves blood flow throughout the body by dilating the blood vessels. With training, and using certain relaxation techniques along with imagery, you can learn to alter blood flow to certain body parts, including the injured site.

This book is concise, and the mental-training program described is easy to put to immediate use. The principles apply not only to athletes, but to anyone who is looking for optimal health and performance.