Mind Gym by Gary Mack | Teen Ink

Mind Gym by Gary Mack

December 9, 2008
By Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
1044 articles 0 photos 1 comment

“Believing in yourself is the paramount to success for any athlete.” Mind Gym, written by Gary Mack with David Casstevens and published by McGraw-Hill, is an athlete's guide to inner excellence. Throughout the book, there are many things to “check off” before becoming a winner. Gary Mack takes an athlete beyond the game and explains how their mind influences their performance as much as their physical skill does.

The first thing Mack wants one to practice are the seven c's. The seven c's are competitive, confident, control, committed, composure, courage, and consistency. According to Mack, if one practices the seven c's, they will master mental toughness. The seven c's are just one example of things he mentions in the book. He has several principles that an athlete should learn to go by.

Mind Gym is written by Gary Mack but throughout the book many famous athletes give personal insight on what they have had go wrong and how they overcame it. Some of the athletes include Tiger Woods, Mark McGuire, Greg Maddux, Charles Barkley, and many many more.

Overall, the book has a very good message that many athletes could benefit from but it's not my type. I thought the book was very dry and very slow moving. I just couldn't get into it. In other words, it was boring. I did learn some good things from it but it was just too informative.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to build their mental muscle. I think it's better for young adults and adults because of the fact that it is so informative and dry. I would rate it two and a half athletes out of five athletes.


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on Aug. 5 2013 at 5:10 pm
That's a good point that there is "too much information".  However, I've witnessed this book empower student's by implementing it throughout their high school career.   Also, the lessons serve as small seeds throughout a middle school career, and even the quotes are relevent when a teaching opportunity presents itself to elementary age.

That said, I agree that the most powerful impact is on an Elite College or Professional Stage.  However, by that time, most habitual mental failures are so ingranined they're next to impossible to break.  I guess that's what provokes me to instill these lessons throughout the youthful sports expereinces I get to engage in.