The world of sports is more than just physical performance; it’s a blend of psychology, strategy, training, and leadership. For professionals in the sports industry, staying updated on the latest research, trends, and insights is crucial to success. Whether you are a coach, sports psychologist, fitness trainer, or sports management expert, reading key texts can deepen your understanding and elevate your practice.
This article highlights must-read books that have a profound influence on how sports experts approach their roles.
Master Mental Game
If I had to recommend one book to fellow sports pros, it would be “The Inner Game of Tennis” by W. Timothy Gallwey. Even though it’s centered around tennis, the lessons apply to any sport—or really, any challenge in life. What blew me away was how Gallwey talks about the mental game. It’s not just about hitting the ball; it’s about overcoming the self-doubt and chatter in your head that can hold you back.
This book changed my player mindset completely. I finally understood that sometimes your biggest enemy is not across the net but inside of yourself. It has also forced me to work more on mental strength and staying calm in stressful situations—something that (thankfully) transferred quite dramatically into my practice and changed the game.
Plus, the way Gallwey breaks down the concept of “relaxed concentration” helped me rethink how I approach training. It’s about finding that sweet spot where you’re focused but not tense, which has made a huge difference in performance.
Regardless of whether you follow tennis or not, this is a book to read for anyone seeking to step up their game—in all senses.
Hicham Badri, Volleyball player, blogger, Serve And Save
Understand Athlete Development
“What Drives Winning” by Brett Ledbetter.
I would recommend this book to all professionals in sports, whether they work directly with athletes or not. It gives you a tremendous perspective on the toll that sports take on an athlete’s life, as well as how to use that to push the athlete toward success in a positive way. There are so many different aspects when it comes to developing well-rounded athletes that all the different coaches and professionals get lost in trying to take up all the athletes’ time. When in reality, they never think about how athletes are being pulled in so many different directions.
Aaron Abraham, Sports Performance Coach
Optimize Nutrition
As a sports dietitian, one book that I would recommend over and over again is “Advanced Sports Nutrition” by Dr. Dan Benardot. The book dives into the timing of nutrients to maintain energy balance, which is crucial for athletes and active adults. You will gain better insight and understanding into the importance of timing, ratio, and quantities of nutrients to help your athletes optimize their intake and performance. There are sport-specific guidelines to help your athletes excel.
Amber Velasquez, Sports Dietitian/Lead Coach
About ‘What Experts Read’
In our unique series, ‘What Experts Read,’ discover the literary inspirations and must-reads of thought leaders and industry experts. Each article highlights the books that have impacted the viewpoints, tactics, and success of successful entrepreneurs and seasoned leaders in their respective areas.
Discover a wide range of sectors, including technology, finance, healthcare, and more, as professionals share their best book suggestions and talk about the significant influence these reads have had on their careers. Discover priceless information, expand your horizons, and gain insightful knowledge from experts at the forefront of their fields.
‘What Experts Read’ is an insightful look at the relationship between knowledge, experience, and the written word, and it may be of interest to anybody looking for motivation, strategic advice, or just to learn more about the reading preferences of prominent industry figures. Join us for this insightful tour of the most important leaders’ bookshelves of today.
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