Book on mental aspects of sports released

"There is an urgent need for such a book not just for athletes, coaches and trainers but for all parents and students," said Ashwini Nachappa, who released the book.

From left: Author M. N. Viswanath, veteran coach and Dronacharyaawardee Lingappa, Ashwini Nachappa, and Ali Khwaja, a counsellor, at afunction to launch the book, 'Success Mantra in Sports'.

'Success Mantra in Sports' , a book by sports psychologist M. N. Viswanath, was released here recently. The book, which addresses the mental aspects of sports with personal accounts from a number of athletes, was formally released by former track and field star Ashwini Nachappa. “There is an urgent need for such a book not just for athletes, coaches and trainers but for all parents and students. We need to know how to handle fear, how to control our emotions, and how to realise our inner potential,” she said.

Arjun Devaiah, a former National 200 and 400m champion, discussed his struggles as a young athlete. “Having started competitive athletics only in my early twenties, I had to face a lot of negative comments,” he said. “I had the hunger to succeed and I did achieve my goal to represent the country, but looking back I feel I would have gone about my career with a lot more conviction had I had the support of a sports psychologist.”

The author, Viswanath, revealed that the desire to write a book on the subject had been born out of a difficulty in finding professional psychological support for his table tennis-playing son. Veteran athletics coach Lingappa was felicitated on the occasion.