I first came across this book a little while ago, but was inspired to read it when it was suggested in a sales training session.
For anyone that has read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, it touches on many of the same topics, but covers them in more detail.
The author, Matthew Syed, was previously one of the top table tennis players in England and on his street alone many of the top English table tennis players were nurtured. Following this and other intriguing experiences, Matthew’s objective in this book is to dispel the myth of talent.
Following this theme, the book also discusses topics such as:
- The myth of child prodigies e.g Mozart
- The impact of life changing moments
- The importance of feedback and mindset
- The placebo effect
- Plus much more
Although Bounce is primarily focused on sports, the examples can be transferred across to other disciplines such as the arts, business and much more. What I find quite refreshing is that the book highlights the importance of putting in the work in an age where things are expected almost instantaneously. It is about much more than just working hard though, it is about working smartly. As Bruce Lee once said “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” This is the key difference, practicing scientifically and building the mindset to perform and persevere.
Some of my favourite excerpts are:
“What we see again and again is the remarkable potential of “ordinary” adults and their amazing capacity for change with practice,’ says Ericsson. This is tantamount to a revolution in our understanding of expert performance. The tragedy is that most of us are still living with flawed assumptions: in particular, we are labouring under the illusion that expertise is reserved for special people with special talents, inaccessible to the rest of us”
“When Roger Federer returns a service, he is not demonstrating sharper reactions than you and I; what he is showing is that he can extract more information from the service action of his opponent and other visual clues, enabling him to move into position earlier and more efficiently than the rest of us, which, in turn, allows him to make the return – in his case, a forehand cross-court winner”
“The practice sessions of aspiring champions have a specific and never-changing purpose: progress. Every second of every minute of every hour, the goal is to extend one’s mind and body, to push oneself beyond the outer limits of one’s capacities, to engage so deeply in the task that one leaves the training session, literally, a changed person.”
The Relentless Dreamer
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Great review, just noticed your tweet, and thought i’d stop by and take a look. I am glad I did. I think I am going to read this book as well. Thanks for posting the review. I have also started a new book review blog if you want to take a look and let me know what you think (mybookspace.blog), would appreciate the feedback!
Thanks Vivek! Glad you stopped by. A lot more book reviews to come, feel free to stop by again ?