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9 fascinating new sports books

Here are excerpts from nine terrific new books about sports.

5. ‘The Golden Rules: 10 Steps to World-Class Excellence in Your Life and Work,’ by Bob Bowman with Charles Butler

  • By Ross Atkin

As his star pupil, swimmer Michael Phelps, attempts to make his fifth Olympic team, Bob Bowman shares his “Golden Rules” for coaching Phelps and many others. More broadly, though, he considers these principles applicable to anyone’s pursuit of success and fulfillment. Of course, as an 18-time Olympic gold medalist, Phelps is the living, breathing, swim-stroking endorsement for Bowman’s 10 rules. They include the following: ‘Set a “dream big” vision,’ and ‘Stay motivated over the long haul by making every day seem not like every day.’

While his advice may be predictable, Bowman’s use of anecdotes drawn from the swimming world provide a freshness and appealing window on a less-publicized sport. Bowman has served as assistant coach at three previous Olympics and currently is the head coach at Arizona State University.  

Here’s an excerpt from The Golden Rules:

“In all my years of coaching Michael [Phelps] and other world-class swimmers, I have never made ‘to win an Olympic gold medal’ their primary mission. I tell them, ‘Gold medals are out of your control. Another swimmer may simply be better than you on race day.’ But if they set their sights on breaking a record – at nailing the best time possible – then they can visualize something that’s tangible, achievable, and within their control.

“For a young athlete to see that distinction, he must have the proper outlook. An attitude that’s geared toward achieving personal satisfaction and serving the needs of a team – and not toward simply gaining public recognition.”

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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