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Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success (Unabridged)
 
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Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

by Matthew Syed (Author), James Clamp (Narrator)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (110 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Audio Download
  • Listening Length: 7 hours and 50 minutes
  • Program Type: Audiobook
  • Version: Unabridged
  • Publisher: Harper Audio
  • Audible Release Date: 20 April 2010
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B003IDF718
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (110 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Winner of the Best New Writer category of the British Sports Book Awards 2011.

Why have all the sprinters who have run the 100 meters in under 10 seconds been black?

What's one thing Mozart, Venus Williams, and Michelangelo have in common?

Is it good to praise a child's intelligence?

Why are baseball players so superstitious?

Few things in life are more satisfying than beating a rival. We love to win and hate to lose, whether it's on the playing field or at the ballot box, in the office or in the classroom. In this bold new look at human behavior, award-winning journalist and Olympian Matthew Syed explores the truth about our competitive nature: why we win, why we don't, and how we really play the game of life.

Bounce reveals how competition - the most vivid, primal, and dramatic of human pursuits - provides vital insight into many of the most controversial issues of our time, from biology and economics, to psychology and culture, to genetics and race, to sports and politics.

Backed by cutting-edge scientific research and case studies, Syed shatters long-held myths about meritocracy, talent, performance, and the mind. He explains why some people thrive under pressure and others choke, and weighs the value of innate ability against that of practice, hard work, and will. From sex to math, from the motivation of children to the culture of big business, Bounce shows how competition provides a master key with which to unlock the mysteries of the world.

©2010 Matthew Syed; (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
108 of 115 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Bounce is a very interesting and thought provoking book. It basically argues that for any significantly complex human activity (especially sports like tennis, football and golf, and games like chess) natural talent is of pretty low importance because the wiring of the brain required to succeed can only be achieved through a massive amount of "purposeful" practice. The end result of this practice is often mistaken for natural talent, but in fact the trait most high achievers have in common is a willingness to work harder than their peers and a belief that this hard work will drive greater improvement and success, not a belief in their fixed superiority. There are a number of compelling and inspiring examples in the book, the most amazing of which is a family of Hungarian chess players whose story has changed the way I look at what is possible for any person to achieve. Woven into this argument are snipets of the author's own story as an internationally ranked table tennis player and Olympian. Although some of the material draws on the same sources (and also directly quotes) other popularizers like Malcolm Gladwell, I must say that having read the latter's books "Outliers" and "What the Dog Saw", I felt many of the key themes in "Bounce" are expressed in a very different way, and are in many ways much more compellingly argued. There are also whole sections on additional factors behind sporting success such as confidence, faith, nerve and even race, so that the overall sweep of the book's arguments is truly unique, rigourously argued and highly thought provoking. Although anchored mostly in the world of sports, it is hard to define this as just a sports book, as the ideas apply to many other walks of life as well. Highly recommended.
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47 of 51 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Bounce is a remarkable book. Its central argument is that there is no such thing as natural talent and that top achievement is the consequence of huge amounts of a very particular kind of practice.

This may sound radical, but the evidence is compelling. The author shows how child prodigies are not quite what they seem and have actually clocked up quantities of practice that few of us achieve in our whole lives. He also shows how the extraordinary skills of elite athletes and other top performers in the arts and business can be explained by mental representations that all of us can acquire with practice.

When Roger Federer returns a fast serve he is not demonstrating faster reactions, but quicker anticipation. He is able to maker sharper and more accurate inferences about where the ball is going to go via the movement patterns of his opponent, so that he is in position almost before the ball has been hit. First class cricketers have figured out whether to play off the front or back foot 100 miliseconds before the ball has been bowled. The author demonstrates that these skills are not innate, but learned - and learnable by all of us.

Later chapters explore the importance of mindset and how parents and teachers can inculcate the "growth" mindset by praising effort rather than talent - this is of huge importance not merely to sport, but to education and life. There are also fascinating discussions of self belief, superstition, choking and drug taking. The final chapter provides a discussion of the reason for racial patterns of success and failure in sport and the wider economy.

It is absorbing, vividly readable and thought provoking throughout.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Niall
Format:Paperback
At the heart of Syed's brilliant book is the concept that 'purposeful practice' tops talent (whatever that might be) any day of the week. The author draws on examples from various sports such as golf, basketball, table tennis and (if you call it a sport) chess. Combining those learnings with other very interesting academic, medical and psychogical studies, he puts a really persuasive case that purposeful practice (as opposed to low-level repetition) and good old fashioned hard graft are the key to success.

Two thoughts: 1) Syed stood as a Labour Party candidate in the general election of 2001 in an unwinnable seat. If he'd won in a safe seat, just think what he could have become as a Sports Minister who actually understands sport, has played it to an international level and is a radical thinker. 2) How on earth did Brian Moore's interesting-in-parts but slightly dull biography beat this for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2010? I demand a recount!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Bounce
Book arrived promptly and was veyy good value. It really does make a coach re-evaluate their thinking and ithis is not just limited to sport!!!
Published 9 hours ago by Clive Henderson
Cracking read
I found this book to be very well written and very entertaining, as well as making complete sense. Check out Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell if you enjoyed this.
Published 7 days ago by Rupert Dickinson
Bounce
This book was recommended by a friend and as it's not really my kind if thing, I was glad I found it here! Fantastic condition and service. Would definitely do business again. Read more
Published 20 days ago by Buttley
Bounce, the myth of talent and the power of practice
Brilliant book, I completely agreed with every word written in it. To identify talent you practise first not the other way round.
Published 1 month ago by Daniel
Bounce
Bounce is superb at demolishing the ideas of "innate talents" and "genetic endowments and "racial characteristics. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J.Yasimoto
Fabulous book
Great book, really thought provoking, well informed, couldn't put it down. Interesting insights for parents, coaches, sports people, teachers and business. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ian H
Practice Practice!
Confirms everything I suspected about sport and career. Everything else outside of dedicated training is a waste of time in both. Just get dedicated and do it!
Published 2 months ago by TPW
Fascinating book
I really enjoyed reading this book and whilst I was reading it, I couldn't help but keep quoting sections to friends and colleagues. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Wide reader
Poor book
This book exemplifies what is wrong with a lot of "scientific" literature today. First off the author attempts to explain the flaws of the genetic argument for sporting success... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Michael J Johnston
Outstanding read
Great case study and fact based journalism from Matthew Syed.

Interesting insight into why "blacks" are good at running (long distance and sprints)

Explored... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Vinoth
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