Darrin Donnelly’s Amazon bestseller Think Like a Warrior uses a fable to get its point across. This book uses a fictional account of a man being visited by five famous coaches, including UCLA basketball’s John Wooden, Alabama football’s Paul “Bear” Bryant, Vince Lombardi, Buck O’Neil, Herb Brooks to teach key lessons of modern sports psychology, when he is down and out.

The author boils down these coaching philosophies to five lessons including how to build your self-confidence, mental toughness, use the power of self-talk, and more. The book’s unique perspective is great for athletes who have little experience with sports psychology but want to understand key concepts in a fun way, it can also be used to help you become a powerful leader to your family and business. Think of it as becoming the ultimate coach to whatever your life needs.

If you want to understand sports psychology, it’s not a bad idea to take the approach of a student starting an introductory college course. The books Sports Psychology – A Complete Introduction is designed as an easy-to-read, plain English introduction to the field. Complete with explanations of field experiments and summations of key findings, author Dr. John Perry from the University of Hull breaks down sports psychology in a book that students can use to teach themselves. This book may be the best way to learn a lot about sports psychology, but it definitely takes an approachable, yet academic route.

Athletes who want to learn more about sports psychology and how to apply it to themselves may want to listen to Tim Grover. Grover is a trainer best known for working with athletes such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant to help them harness their mental toughness and exploit the weaknesses of their competitors.

In Relentless, Grover writes about what it takes to be a top athlete and to win at the highest levels. The book uses a variety of anecdotes to explain sports psychology ideas of how to dedicate oneself to a goal and what it takes to succeed. His tone is direct and brutally honest leaving readers with a clear idea of what it takes to succeed at the highest level.

One of the biggest audiences for sports psychology books isn’t the athletes themselves, but rather parents who want to ensure their children excel at sports in the optimal way. There are many books on sports psychology that parents of athletes at any age can enjoy, but John O’Sullivan’s Changing the Game: The Parent’s Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids is among the best, with an average of five stars on Amazon.

O’Sullivan, a former youth sports coach, and athlete uses his own personal experience to write about how parents can help create a positive and fun environment for children to play sports. He wants to put the “play” back into “play ball,” he says, rather than think of sports in the adult-centric way that many youth leagues are run today. About 70 percent of kids drop out of sports by the age of 13 because it just gets too competitive and cutthroat.

The reviews for Parent’s Guide almost universally recommend the book to parents, with many calling for it to be required reading for coaches.

The well-titled Sport Psychology for Youth Coaches helps youth coaches understand how their actions impact kids and what they can do to make the most of their leadership positions. The book provides behavioral guidelines to help motivate and inspire kids while also minimizing anxiety and stress on and off the field for athletes.

The book also covers important coaching areas such as legal responsibilities of a coach and sport psychological skills that can deliver the best outcomes. Reviewers recommend the book for its straightforward approach and educational tone. It promotes a coaching style of holistic youth development rather than pure competition.

Inexpensive and well-rated, The Art of Mental Training – A Guide to Performance Excellence helps readers understand how to achieve their “peak performance.” Written by performance coach DC Gonzalez, The Art of Mental Training teaches readers how to harness sports psychology and mental training information for more confidence, mental toughness and success.

This book is popular with athletes but can apply to entertainers, musicians, or businessmen among others. Focused on teaching mental toughness techniques, the book promises to help people deal with high-pressure situations. His tips will also help you improve your focus and concentration, which can help in all aspects of your life.

Geared toward athletes but applicable to parents and coaches, The Champion’s Mind is the perfect mix of sports psychology information and real-world application. Written by sports psychologist Jim Afrremow, The Champion’s Mind focuses on the psychological attributes that allow some athletes to thrive and others to not make the most of their physical talent. The book purports to give readers the same advice as Afremow has given Heisman Trophy winners, professional athletes, and Olympians.

The Champion’s Mind tells readers how to prepare for games, what makes a great teammate and how to mentally lock into the game, among other things. Besides advice this book also has cutting-edge workout from top trainers, to take your game up to the next level.