Sporting Excellence: Optimising Sports Performance Using NLP

A practical book for everyday sporting use

Section One - Background - is a good summary of both sports psychology and NLP. I particularly enjoyed the emphasis that this is not about positive thinking.

In Section Two, boxes labelled 'Activity' start to appear - and continue throughout the book. These are clear and useable. Some are recognisable NLP techniques like Circle of Excellence or SWISH and others seem to be created by the author.

Section Three ('Building And Improving') contains Chapter Ten 'Create a Successful Approach' - about Meta Programmes, Chapter Eleven 'Develop Strategies For Success' - some tips on modelling and Chapter Fifteen 'Pay Attention To What Works' - about submodalities.

Section Four is about 'Coaching Yourself'.
In Chapter Twenty Five 'Use Relaxation Techniques', there is a reference to Autogenic Training as an alternative to hypnosis - but why? I feel that a bit more information is needed.

There is a useful glossary and bibliography.

The excellent case study (Andy) on pages 42 and 43, shows the effectiveness of mental rehearsal even without physical practice. I would have liked more of these kinds of stories. The theory is expounded well, and the practical instructions are clear, but the stories of application are missing.

First published in 1999, the references to particular sports people seem dated now.
At the same time, I would have liked to hear more about Kevin Keegan, for example, who is often quoted. What was his involvement with this book? Again, it feels like the 'story part' is missing.