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HEAD GAME Paperback – November 20, 2017
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An intriguing blend of science and sports that explores how some of the worlds greatest athletes are utilizing the last frontier of performance-enhancing technology—the mental mapping and engineering of their own brains—for peak performance, and what it means for the future of athleticism, sports, and the rest of us.
Moneyball showed how statistics were revolutionizing baseball. The Sports Gene revealed the role genetics play in sports. Now, Head in the Game examines the next evolution: how mental engineering—the manipulation of the cognitive processes of the brain—can make gifted athletes even better.
For years, technology—from EEG (electroencephalogram) to fMRI (Functional magnetic resonance imaging) to video games, tablets, and personal data collection devices—have been used with soldiers to understand their physical and mental functioning. Touching on brain functionality vital to sports—both the "hard" (coordination, stimuli processing, functional memory, decision-making, load-processing) and the "soft" (emotion regulation, visualization, psychology, mindfulness)—this tech is now being adopted by scores of championship franchises and top athletes—including scrappy underdogs forced to innovate and elite players looking for an advantage.
Star NFL quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Tom Brady, the NBA’s Kyle Korver, and Olympic volleyball champion Kerri Walsh are using mental engineering to up their game. It’s not luck that has transformed the San Antonio Spurs into a formidable force—it’s science, Sneed demonstrates. As mental engineering becomes widespread—taking athletes who are already freaks of nature and making them better—the impact on the multi-billion dollar sports industry will be dramatic on players, managers, trainers, owners, and even fans. Interviewing athletes and coaches, visiting training camps and sports science firms, Brandon Sneed offers a firsthand, on-the-ground look at this exciting breakthrough that has the potential to transform to transform the game—and all our lives.
- Print length384 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateNovember 20, 2017
- Dimensions5.31 x 0.96 x 8 inches
- ISBN-10006245594X
- ISBN-13978-0062455949
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Brandon Sneed offers a deep dive into the cranial lobes of elite athletes. You’ll marvel at what he uncovers.” — Jeff Pearlman, former senior writer at Sports Illustrated and New York Times bestselling author of Gunslinger, Showtime, Sweetness, and Boys Will Be Boys
“Sneed has shared insights that are not only often revelatory, but potentially life-changing, for any -- or all -- of us. No matter whether you come at Sneed’s work as a sports freak or a student of neuroscience, this is a goddamned jewel.” — Peter Richmond, New York Times bestselling author of Badasses
“Brandon Sneed has pulled off something extraordinary...Head in The Game is a graceful story about a revolution in sports and, ultimately, what it means to be a human being. A stunning work of narrative non-fiction.” — Lars Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including The Mannings and The Storm and The Tide Lars Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including The Mannings and The Storm and The Tide Lars Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including The Mannings and The Storm and The Tide Lars Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including The Mannings and The Storm and The Tide Lars Anderson, New Y
Brandon Sneed has written a thrilling manifesto that reveals the many ways we can enhance the efficiency of our brains to improve our games and our lives. — Don Van Natta Jr., ESPN investigative reporter, Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author of First Off the Tee, Her Way, and Wonder Girl
“Sneed’s captivating voice bring into focus in marvelous detail to illuminate what lies ahead. Head In The Game is a remarkable examination.” — Brin-Jonathan Butler, author of The Domino Diaries (Boston Globe Best of 2015, PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing shortlist
This book is great. Anyone looking to learn more about the world around them and how the athletes they adore do what they do should read it immediately. — Will Leitch, author of Are We Winning? and God Save the Fan
In an engaging, articulate, entertaining way, he shows us how the very best athletes get an edge in a world in which finding an edge is nearly impossible. This book will captivate both casual and rabid sports fans. — Kate Fagan, espnW columnist and author of the forthcoming What Made Maddy Run?
From the Back Cover
Despite already being at the top of the gene pool, athletes can actually become better. But the next frontier for sports training doesn’t rest with the body—it’s in the mind. Steph Curry, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Russell Wilson, and dozens of other elite athletes are hooking their brains to computers and using cutting-edge technology to measure every aspect of their performance. The results are “life-changing.”
In Head in the Game, Brandon Sneed takes us on a mesmerizing tour of this new frontier in performance enhancement and the dynamic people at its forefront: from the director of high performance at Red Bull to the former Nike executive who began his own cognitive engineering company; the drug addict who built sensory deprivation chambers that are now in high demand by top athletes to paradigm-shattering neuroscientists and many more.
Sneed reveals how mental engineering is dramatically altering the gazillion-dollar and ever-expanding sports business, fans’ perceptions, and how teams and owners analyze athletes. Head in the Game brings a new level of understanding to what is possible for our world’s elite athletes—and all of us.
About the Author
Brandon Sneed is an author and journalist. He recently joined B/R Mag at Bleacher Report as a features writer. Previously, his stories have appeared in Outside, ESPN The Magazine, and more, and have twice been not-able selections in Best American Sports Writing. When Brandon’s not on the road, his home base is Greenville, North Carolina, where he lives with his wife, toddler son, the baby in his wife’s belly, and their two dogs, a Jack Russell Terrier and a half—Jack Russell half—pit bull. For news about Brandon’s work and events, or just to say hey, visitbrandonsneed.com.
Product details
- Publisher : HarperEnt; Reprint edition (November 20, 2017)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 384 pages
- ISBN-10 : 006245594X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0062455949
- Item Weight : 9.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.31 x 0.96 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,077,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,605 in Football (Books)
- #13,042 in Meditation (Books)
- #19,325 in Happiness Self-Help
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Brandon Sneed is the author of Head in the Game: The Mental Engineering of the World’s Greatest Athletes. He has written for Bleacher Report, ESPN, Outside, GQ, and other publications. His work has been recognized multiple times in Best American Sports Writing, and he was a finalist for the Livingston Award. He lives in Greenville, North Carolina.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book provides a good overview of human performance and well-researched information. They appreciate the descriptions of professional sports methods and actual experiences told in the storytelling. The book is described as an engaging read with powerful information.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book provides a good overview of human performance. They appreciate the well-researched and entertaining content, with descriptions of professional sports methods and actual experiences told in stories. The book is described as an interesting read that uses stories to illustrate the latest athletic training methods.
"...It’s also a really fun read, documenting actual experiences told in the story telling tradition...." Read more
"One of the best books I've ever read! Awesome insight and real life stories...." Read more
"I liked the book. It described different methods pro sports players us to gain possible edge...." Read more
"Excellent! And fascinating. Well researched, and entertaining, using stories to illustrate the latest is athletic training methods. I love this book!" Read more
Customers find the book easy to read with powerful information. They describe it as a fun and fascinating read, documenting actual experiences.
"...It’s also a really fun read, documenting actual experiences told in the story telling tradition...." Read more
"One of the best books I've ever read! Awesome insight and real life stories...." Read more
"I liked the book. It described different methods pro sports players us to gain possible edge...." Read more
"Excellent! And fascinating. Well researched, and entertaining, using stories to illustrate the latest is athletic training methods. I love this book!" Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2017Reading “Head in the Game” is like taking a physical and metaphysical trip to explore the dimensions, techniques, experiences, hardware, software and more that athletes will seek and try in pursuit of excellence in their game. But it’s more in that the athlete’s journey is a metaphor for the quest many seeking excellence have tried throughout human time to reach the peak in performance or spirituality or thought. It’s also a really fun read, documenting actual experiences told in the story telling tradition. Finally, this book helps you realize that while it’s ultimately worthwhile to reach for the peak, in doing so, we expand the limits of human experience so that “the peak” is not a static fixed place, but moving and always pulling us forward toward new goals.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2017One of the best books I've ever read! Awesome insight and real life stories. I'm a college baseball coach and will be making my players read this...so much information!!! Great stuff here!
- Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2017I liked the book. It described different methods pro sports players us to gain possible edge. Last few chapters are short and covers thing you can possibly do at home. I was hoping for something to help me compete more. Ones mentioned here is no applicable. There were a couple good useful quotes to get you things done.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2017Excellent! And fascinating. Well researched, and entertaining, using stories to illustrate the latest is athletic training methods. I love this book!
- Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2017Very well written and well worth reading. While the book primarily focuses on the mental impact on physical performance in athletes, I wonder how many of the techniques covered in the book could be applied to other professions. If This Stuff (as the author refers to the techniques) can improve performance on the field, ring, court, etc., could it not improve performance in other vocations as well? Perhaps this is just the tip of the iceberg. It will be interesting to see where this technology advances in the next 5-10 years. Perhaps the author will write a sequel.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2018Great for youngsters learning to be their best.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2019Just a warning for anybody trying to discover techniques to help young, teenage athletes who struggle with mental issues. THIS IS NOT THE BOOK FOR YOU! The author begins the book talking about his struggles with the 'yips' as a young baseball catcher...which is encouraging, making you hope that perhaps he has discovered some valuable insights on how such mental issues may be overcome for young athletes. NOT SO. The book is simply a recitation of his time exploring THE STUFF (expensive technologies or downright illegal activities) employed by professional athletes. To sum up the solutions that the author leaves you with: Contract with a Sports Psychologist to hook you up to EEG devices. Employ a multi-million dollar virtual reality system employed by NFL quarterbacks. Buy your own 5 or 6 figure sensory deprivation tank like Steph Curry. Or if all that fails, get some hallucinogenic drugs or magic mushrooms to change your perspective on reality. Nothing against the author, I guess it wasn't his intent to produce a self-help book, but to explore and comment on what professional athletes have at their disposal. Again, DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS BOOK if you are looking for solutions for high school athletes or recreational athletes.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2018Very interesting read with great info. Well written too.
Top reviews from other countries
- Vince RagoReviewed in Canada on January 31, 2019
3.0 out of 5 stars Lacks professionalism and satisfying evidence
Overall, I enjoyed the subject matter which is why I purchased this book in the first place. However it was not as enjoyable a read as I hoped for:
Writing style is too informal. Brandon is a baseball player, not a writer and that is quite obvious throughout the book. Surprisingly it makes the book more difficult to read.
Most of the time he just regurgitates the marketing verbiage from various products he comments on in the book. I can go on the website of said product and read it for myself. Are you going to provide any deeper insight to this product? Because if not, then I don't need to read the book to learn these things.
Its a shame because the topic as a whole is very intriguing and clearly an industry at the precipice of a boom as athletes and other elite individuals look to upgrade themselves to the next level of performance.
-
DietscheReviewed in Germany on July 18, 2017
3.0 out of 5 stars Head Game
Head Game beschreibt eine umfangreiche Auswahl an Möglichkeiten die sportliche Leistung zu steigern.
Es werden viele Namen, Firmen und Kalenderdaten verbreitet und auch mehrmals wiederholt, was an einen
Werbespot erinnert.
Eine straffere Gestaltung plus einer besseren Strukturierung würden dem Buch mehr Leistung und Punkte verleihen.
Was ausgeklammert wurde ist das aktuelle Doping.
Als Zielgruppe sehe ich Leser, die Informationen über die Möglichkeiten für den Spitzensportler suchen,
weniger geeignet für Interessierte von praktischen Tipps für den Normalathleten.
- Scott SpurgeonReviewed in Canada on July 29, 2021
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and different take, not just the usual mental points that are well written already.
Not overly technical but deep enough for my liking and interest. Definitely an area to explore in more depth if you are a high level athlete or coach.