Book Rec

Vertical Mind

Book Review by Andrea Zerbe, CSCS

06/15/2021

This week's blog post is a short n’ sweet book recommendation! I would like to recommend the book Vertical Mind by Don McGrath Ph.D and Jeff Elison Ph.D to any and all rock climbers. This light hearted yet informative read addresses common psychological hurdles all athletes, but in particular rock climbers, face in sports performance. Vertical Mind is jam packed with information while still being a digestible read for anyone regardless of prior knowledge. Whether you're a seasoned climber with a big ego or a beginner with a crippling fear of falling, this book is for you.

Through my education as a CSCS I got a very brief introduction to sports psychology and the influence your psychology has on athletic performance. Spoiler alert, your psychology is incredibly influential! When it comes to optimal performance, training your mind is just as important as training your body. Many professional athletes have a team of people helping them to achieve their goals including a sports psychologist. For the mass of us who can not afford the village of helpers professional athletes have to move us along our sports performance journey, little knowledge nuggets of gold like Vertical Mind are priceless. So, if you want to improve performance, have more fun, and have a spare $24.95 I highly recommend picking up this read.