Books for young athletes, their parents, and their coaches
Two series by Mike V. Clark. One speaks to the athlete; the other speaks to the adult on the drive home. Everything here is practical: tools a kid can use mid-game, in language they will actually repeat to themselves.
For Young Athletes
Books that speak directly to the athlete: how to build confidence that survives a bad game, reset after a mistake, and keep going when it gets hard, plus true stories of players who did it.
Ages 8 to 12
Winning the Inner Game
Mental Tools for Young Athletes to Develop Grit, Focus & Emotional Control
Start here. This is the book the blog is built around, and the one every other title cross-references.
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Ages 8 to 12 · Tennis
The Jump
A Novel About Mental Toughness and One Girl Who Learned to Play Free
The gentlest way in for a reluctant reader: the mental tools from Winning the Inner Game, told as a story instead of a lesson.
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Ages 8 to 12 · Softball
She Found a Way
15 True Softball Stories for Girls: Real Players, Real Comebacks, and the Mental Game
The most-reviewed title in the story series, and the natural entry point for softball families.
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Ages 8 to 12 · Softball (pitching)
In the Circle
Mental Toughness for Young Softball Pitchers: 13 True Stories of Pitchers Who Found Their Mental Game
A deep cut with almost no competition: pitcher-specific mental-game books for this age barely exist.
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Ages 8 to 12 · Tennis
Inspiring Tennis Stories for Girls
15 True Tennis Stories for Girls: Real Players, Real Comebacks, and the Mental Game
Tennis is an individual sport, which makes the mental game unusually visible, and searchable.
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Ages 8 to 12 · Volleyball
Inspiring Volleyball Stories for Girls
15 True Stories of Players Who Found a Way
Volleyball has a huge youth participation base and comparatively little mental-game content for this age.
View details →For Parents & Coaches
Guides for the people around the athlete: what to say, what to stop saying, and how your own behaviour shapes whether a child keeps loving the sport.
Not sure where to start?
If the athlete is the one struggling, start with Winning the Inner Game. If you are the one who does not know what to say in the car, start with The Drive Home. Younger or reluctant readers tend to do best with the true-story books.
Or read the free articles first →