Winning: The Psychology of Competition

By Stuart H. Walker

Book Overview

Addressing the competitor--whether in sailing, tennis, golf, baseball, or other sport--Stuart H. Walker demonstrates that what competition means to the competitor is the main determinant of success and failure, and that what it means to you can be turned to your advantage. Dr. Walker writes, "Competence leads to courage, creativity, and fun. Lack of understanding and lack of control lead to fear, depressions, and incompetence--and no fun. Competition is too good to waste." For the paperback edition, Dr. Walker has written a new chapter, "Cheating," in which he discusses why cheating seems to be on the increase, what it signifies, and what should be done about it.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393302679
• ISBN13: 9780393302677
• Release Date: March 1986
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 0.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.9" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Analysis of a Competitors Mindset

Contents: 1.) Competitive Behavior 2.) Motivation: The Child 3.) Preparation: The Parent 4.) Mental Toughness: The Adult 5.) Defensive Functioning 6.) Competence 265 pages Favorite passages: If competence is attained, Winning will follow. There is no reason to disparage the desirability of winning. What is necessary, however, is to recognize that although winning is the object of the game, it is not the object of playing the game. page 39 The more the competitor enjoys and attributes significance to the play itself, the more likely he is to win. The essence of winning behavior is relaxed enjoyment, playing the game. page 40 A number of balances must be struck: between aggressiveness and passivity, between greed and complacency, between impulsivity and intellectualization. most races, and all series demand these balances, demand equanimity, but there are times and places for marked variation from the happy medium. page 119

Excellent insight

This book gave me an excellent insight into one of the important aspects of yacht racing: your own psyche. Why do the same people tend to win over and over again, while others tends to loose time after time? Learn to be honest to yourself, face your faults and learn how to correct them.