With Winning in Mind by Lanny Bassham is a book that should be considered by most athletes, or anyone else whose life or sport depends on concentration. The book uses Bassham’s Mental Management® System, which is proven to help athletes to improve their performance. While the book makes complicated topics easy to understand, it also has some drawbacks.

When I started reading With Winning in Mind, I immediately noticed the organization. The book is split into 4 sections, 18 chapters, 7 principles, and countless steps for each of the principles. While this can be helpful for some readers, I found it confusing. Since the book’s focus is how to control one’s mental state and attitude, it should be easier to follow. The book should be written in chronological order of a competition and what to do in preparation, during, and after competition. All of the steps overwhelmed me, and it made the book harder to read. 

One part of the book that I did enjoy was the way Bassham explains complicated topics. For example, it explains the 3 mental components: the conscious mind, the subconscious mind, and the self-image. This is what caught my attention. Bassham had simplified the brain into 3 areas that all need to be balanced in order to perform at best. With Winning in Mind also provides visuals of these 3 components, which helped me to understand the “Triad State” of mind. Understanding how to keep these balanced is what really helped me to improve in trap shooting. Before I read this book, I was shooting on average 20/25. After applying what I learned from the book, I improved to getting around 23/25. Bassham used this same system to become a world and Olympic champion target shooter.

Overall, I think that if you are in a competitive sport, I think that this book would benefit you. Any athlete in a sport that involves concentration should consider reading With Winning in Mind. It helps you to understand your mind better, and in turn, helps you become a better athlete. I do not recommend this book to someone who does not need help concentrating, or who is content with their performance. Although this book may have been organized in a different way, it helps you to understand yourself and how your brain functions.