Throughout her career as one of the world's top athletes, Annie Vernon struggled with an existential question about the purpose of sport in our comfortable, first-world society- why do we do it? What is it about our psyche that makes pushing the mind and body to their limits in order to win a foot race, a swimming race or a rowing race such a basic human desire? Having retired from competition, Annie decided to look for answers to these questions in the world of mind games. What is the psychology behind sport at an elite level?
With Team GB recording its best ever performances at the Rio Olympic Games, having come second in the medal table in consecutive games, the public is aware of elite sport and the techniques used by our sporting heroes more than ever. Whether it be performing under pressure, coping with nerves, teamwork, or building self-belief in the face of adversity, the methods that elite sports-people use are also relevant to everyday life. But sports psychology is still regarded as something of a mystery. How exactly do elite sports performers harness the power of their mind in pursuit of physical perfection?
Mind Games discusses concepts used in sports psychology in a way that is understandable to the watching public, sports fans and sports-haters alike, with Annie walking them through each area of the field, bringing in expert exponents to add their input. The narrative is broadly based in three main sources; the author's own experiences, interviews with a wide range of people from other sports, and a review of academic research in the field.
She speaks to athletes from a broad spectrum of sports in the UK and the US, including rugby's Brian Moore, Jonny Wilkinson and Clive Woodward, tennis's Judy Murray, rowers Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent and Katherine Grainger, polar explorer Ben Saunders, triathlete Chrissie Wellington, swimmer Rebecca Adlington, skeleton-bob star Lizzy Yarnold, runner Jo Pavey and sailor Ben Ainslie, along with coaches and sports psychologists from both Olympic sports and their professional equivalents in football cycling. US sports personalities interviewed include basketball's Shane Battier and John Starks, NFL stars Ryan Fitzpatrick, fencer Tim Morehouse, and baseball's Craig Breslow and Tino Martinez.
After looking closely at areas such as motivation, competitiveness, gender, and teamwork, Olympic medallist Annie Vernon steps away from the rowing boat to uncover the underlying psychological principles behind the sports that everyone enjoys.
