For 2014, here are the Top 10 Books That I Think That EVERY MMA Coach And MMA Athlete Should Read In 2014
When I sat down 2 years ago and had a conversation with Greg Jackson, we were talking about training and coaching philosophies and we were going back and forth about the books which we had read. Our reading lists at that time were almost the same. I could NOT believe that we had read the same exact books. I had not run into any other coach at that time who was as knowledgeable as he was on statistics, tendencies, game theory, heuristics, bias, calculated outcomes, the strategy paradox, and many other issues that people just don’t know are occurring or happening while you are coaching them.
1. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
2. Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World Class Performers From Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin
3. The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How. by Daniel Coyle
4. Blink: The Power Of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
5. Thinking Fast And Slow by Daniel Kahnenman
6. The Ultra Marathon Man: Confessions of An All Night Runner by Dean Karnazes
7. Bounce by Matthew Syed
8. Enhance Or Destroy Your Athletic Career: Relationship Lessons From An Elite Athlete by Rhadi Ferguson
9. The Road To Excellence: The Acquisition of Expert Performance In The Arts and Sciences, Sports, and Games by K. Anders Ericsson
10. Training Camp: What The Best Do Better Than Everyone Else by Jon Gordon
Things That You Should Most Definitely Study and Become Aware Of In 2014
1. The Halo Effect
2. Deductive and Inductive Reasoning
3. Deliberate Practice and EXACTLY how to do it
4. The Cognitive, The Affective and the Psychomotor Domains and How To Train Properly While giving attention to all 3 Domains
5. The Difference among coaching, mentoring, teaching and training as well as coaches, teachers, mentors and trainers. And UNDERSTAND that having one does NOT replace the other but that all are necessary
6. Understand The Strategy Paradox
7. Visualization practices
8. The differences in an integrative approach and a collaborative approach when it comes to training and preparation
9. Progressive Relaxation and why it should be a SCHEDULED practice
10. Study feinting (hint: study the sword, fencing, boxing and the art of illusions)
11. Judo :-)
Take care and have a fantastic 2014.
And remember, you cannot guarantee a “win” nor can your guarantee a “loss” but you can always guarantee that you can “LEARN.” Take the time to acquire as much knowledge as you can because a day will come when someone will need for you to pass it along.