About the book
Two-time Olympian and sports broadcaster Matthew Syed uses neuroscience and psychology to ask what really makes a champion, and what that means beyond sport. He weighs talent against practice and looks at cases such as why Tiger Woods does not choke, why the best figure skaters are those who have fallen most often, and how a single street in Reading has turned out more leading table tennis players than the whole rest of the country. The cast includes three Hungarian sisters who all became chess grandmasters and an East German athlete who became a man. Syed also takes on contested topics, among them drugs in sport and the claim that black athletes are faster runners.
James Altucher put it on his list of The Ten Most Important Books To Expand Your Brain, noting that Syed was once a UK ping pong champion and that he loves books where people document their own passion. InspirEngage founder Melody Hossaini said its sports examples show how experts become experts through time and practice.
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This book has 2 recommendations
James Altucher (Founder/StockPickr)
And while you are at it, throw in “Bounce” by Mathew Syed, who was the UK Ping Pong champion when he was younger.
I love any book where someone took their passion, documented it, and shared it with us. That’s when you can see the subtleties, the hard work, the luck, the talent, the skill, all come together to form a champion.
Heck, throw in, “An Astronaut’s Guide to Earth” by Commander Chris Hadfield.
Melody Hossaini (Founder & CEO/InspirEngage International)
I came across this book by chance, read a few pages and was intrigued by the examples to prove how experts in their field (in this case, drawn mostly from the world of Sports) come to be experts. The book will leave you empowered that one can truly become anything, and that you can defy genetical and circumstantial hinderances through the input of time and practice in your chosen field. I found the real-life examples and stories the most fascinating. Well-written and to the point.
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James Altucher, Melody Hossaini