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BYND the Reading List

Books that build better athletes

The books I recommend to the athletes I work with, from the NFL Academy to national squads. Mindset, habits, resilience and what it really takes to perform.

Start with one. Read it slowly. Use what fits.

Mindset and resilience

Think like a performer

Cover of Mindset by Carol Dweck

Mindset

Carol Dweck

The book behind growth mindset: why believing you can improve changes how you train, fail and bounce back.

Cover of Bounce by Matthew Syed

Bounce

Matthew Syed

An Olympic table tennis player on why talent is built, not born, through practice and belief.

Cover of Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed

Black Box Thinking

Matthew Syed

Why the best performers and teams treat mistakes as information, not failure.

MindsetJackie Reardon

Mindset

Jackie Reardon

Simple mental skills for staying present and performing under pressure, from a top tennis coach.

Cover of The Mind Workout by Mark Freeman

The Mind Workout

Mark Freeman

Short, practical exercises to train your mind like a muscle.

Cover of Mind Gym by Gary Mack

Mind Gym

Gary Mack

Bite-sized lessons on the mental game, written for athletes.

Cover of The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey

The Inner Game of Tennis

W. Timothy Gallwey

The classic on getting out of your own way: quieting the critical voice in your head so your body can do what it already knows.

Habits and discipline

Build the everyday

Cover of Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits

James Clear

How small, consistent habits add up to big results.

Cover of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen R. Covey

A classic on taking ownership, setting priorities and working well with others.

Cover of Chasing Excellence by Ben Bergeron

Chasing Excellence

Ben Bergeron

What it takes to build champions, from a coach of elite CrossFit athletes.

Cover of Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Essentialism

Greg McKeown

Doing less, but better. How to cut the noise and put your energy into what actually matters.

Elite performance

Learn from the best

Cover of The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle

The Talent Code

Daniel Coyle

How deep practice builds skill, and why the best training feels hard.

RelentlessAlistair Brownlee

Relentless

Alistair Brownlee

A double Olympic champion talks to elite athletes about what really drives success.

Cover of Relentless by Tim Grover

Relentless

Tim Grover

A trainer to basketball greats on the drive it takes to win.

Cover of Winning by Tim Grover

Winning

Tim Grover

The follow-up to Relentless, on the mental side of winning.

Cover of Endure by Alex Hutchinson

Endure

Alex Hutchinson

The science of where your limits really are, and how your mind shapes endurance.

Wellbeing

Feel better, perform better

Cover of Happy Mind, Happy Life by Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Happy Mind, Happy Life

Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Simple daily practices for feeling better, in and out of sport.