Philosophical Practice, March 2010, 5.1: 600-2600Book ReviewB.P. Bam, <strong>W<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Habits</strong>: <strong>Techniques</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Excellence</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Sports</strong>, Pearson Education, Delhi, India,2008. ISBN 978-81-317-1028-9REVIEWED BY LOU MARINOFFTHE CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORKIn recent decades, sports science, sports medic<strong>in</strong>e, and sports psychology have taken manyquantum leaps <strong>for</strong>ward. Stakes cont<strong>in</strong>ue to rise <strong>for</strong> champions and contenders alike, both <strong>in</strong> termsof their <strong>in</strong>vestment of time and ef<strong>for</strong>t required <strong>for</strong> competitiveness at the highest levels, and <strong>in</strong>terms of the escalat<strong>in</strong>g payoffs and perks awarded to celebrity athletes world-wide. Small wonder,then, that the <strong>in</strong>dustry of “coach<strong>in</strong>g” has crossed athletic borders, and migrated <strong>in</strong>to the lives ofCEOs and competitors of many other stripes. Everyone, it seems, is look<strong>in</strong>g <strong>for</strong> an “edge.”Enter the unassum<strong>in</strong>g Bhishmaraj Purushottam (“B.P.”) Bam, whose remarkable and very readablebook has given many an Indian athlete exactly the k<strong>in</strong>d of “edge” required to w<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> the talentladenand ferociously competitive <strong>in</strong>ternational sport<strong>in</strong>g arena. The salient feature of Mr. Bam’sbook is that it utilizes noth<strong>in</strong>g other than Indian philosophy as a basis <strong>for</strong> elicit<strong>in</strong>g optimal athleticper<strong>for</strong>mance. It is central to Vedic lore that one’s realization of the Godhead (atman = Brahman) isdependent on salutary habits of respiration, posture, ideation, mentation, verbalization, conduct,and so <strong>for</strong>th. In <strong>W<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Habits</strong>, Mr. Bam has <strong>for</strong>ged a brilliant l<strong>in</strong>kage between time-honoredpractices conducive to spiritual development and daily exercises conducive to championship play<strong>in</strong> competitive sports.While devotees of Indian philosophy will recognize the sources of Mr. Bam’s yogic expertise,and the rich traditions <strong>in</strong> which they are steeped, athletes among other competitors can greatlybenefit from the clear and comprehensive ways <strong>in</strong> which Mr. Bam connects these precepts andpractices to the atta<strong>in</strong>ment of optimal per<strong>for</strong>mance, and to the <strong>in</strong>culcation of virtues that lead tovictory.The book is organized <strong>in</strong> three sections: basic concepts and general applications; specific techniquesand exercises; applications to particular sports. Each and every chapter is flush with examplesof how athletes have utilized Mr. Bam’s teach<strong>in</strong>gs to w<strong>in</strong> championships, and <strong>in</strong> a vastvariety of sports <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g tennis, badm<strong>in</strong>ton, table-tennis, squash, judo, wrestl<strong>in</strong>g, box<strong>in</strong>g, shoot<strong>in</strong>g,archery, billiards, snooker, golf, soccer, hockey, basketball, cricket and volleyball. The ma<strong>in</strong>lessons of each chapter, called “action po<strong>in</strong>ts,” are also summarized at each chapter’s end. Thisgreatly facilitates selection and implementation of exactly those po<strong>in</strong>ts that a given athlete needs toaddress most urgently, <strong>in</strong> order to compete at his or her best.Mr. Bam has successfully coached Indian men and women alike, and at world-championshiplevels, enabl<strong>in</strong>g them to surmount self-imposed obstacles, overcome circumstantial adversities,jettison counter-productive vices, re<strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>ce productive rout<strong>in</strong>es, and acquire exactly what the bookdelivers: w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g habits.ISSN 17428181 onl<strong>in</strong>e © 2010 APPA
<strong>Lou</strong> Mar<strong>in</strong>off601I had the privilege of meet<strong>in</strong>g Mr. Bam <strong>in</strong> 2008, <strong>in</strong> Mumbai, and of convers<strong>in</strong>g with him atlength. Thanks to him I also met some of the athletes he successfully coached, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Ms. SumaShirura, a rifle champion who managed a perfect score (400/400), and Mr. Kamelsh Mehta, a tabletennis champion, who managed to defeat one of his long-stand<strong>in</strong>g Ch<strong>in</strong>ese nemeses. Even <strong>in</strong> asocial sett<strong>in</strong>g, these athletes radiated positive energy, exuded confidence, and glowed with vitality.They among many champions have expressed deep gratitude to Mr. Bam <strong>for</strong> elicit<strong>in</strong>g their <strong>in</strong>nergreatness.The book’s disclaimer is also clear: It cannot be utilized to trans<strong>for</strong>m an unskilled player <strong>in</strong>to askilled one, nor can it create aptitude where none exists. It can, however, be utilized to ref<strong>in</strong>e one’stalents (at any level) and to optimize one’s per<strong>for</strong>mance (at any sport).Dur<strong>in</strong>g the past two years, I have personally put Mr. Bam’s teach<strong>in</strong>gs to a stern empirical test, <strong>in</strong>a sport which he has never seen; namely table-hockey, a m<strong>in</strong>iaturized version of ice hockey. As apartial Platonist, I am entirely com<strong>for</strong>table with the notion that ice hockey, table hockey, field hockey,air hockey, ball hockey, r<strong>in</strong>g hockey and lacrosse are all (better or worse) copies of the “Pure Form”of hockey. Table hockey is a particularly good copy, replicat<strong>in</strong>g many def<strong>in</strong>itive features of icehockey—pass<strong>in</strong>g,shoot<strong>in</strong>g, check<strong>in</strong>g, goaltend<strong>in</strong>g—albeit on a far smaller physical scale. Make nomistake: the velocity, dexterity and <strong>in</strong>tensity of high-level table hockey are truly <strong>for</strong>midable. Thirtyyears ago, I won my third consecutive Canadian Open table hockey championship, and my third ofsix consecutive league championships <strong>in</strong> Montreal. I retired from competitive table-hockey <strong>in</strong> 1984,only to be lured back <strong>in</strong> 2006 as a k<strong>in</strong>d of player-ambassador <strong>for</strong> the sport. Now 58 years of age, Iam compet<strong>in</strong>g aga<strong>in</strong>st top-flight players <strong>in</strong> their athletic primes of life—20s, 30s, 40s. Needless tosay, I need all the “edge” I can get.Enter Mr. Bam’s book. Among many lessons I have taken to heart are aphorisms such as “Thebest player doesn’t w<strong>in</strong>; the player who plays best w<strong>in</strong>s.” I have striven to implement Mr. Bam’ssage advice on many matters, rang<strong>in</strong>g from susta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g focus dur<strong>in</strong>g play to empty<strong>in</strong>g the m<strong>in</strong>ddur<strong>in</strong>g recovery phases; from leverag<strong>in</strong>g transition po<strong>in</strong>ts to feel<strong>in</strong>g at home <strong>in</strong> <strong>for</strong>eign venues;from susta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g self-belief to utiliz<strong>in</strong>g opponents’ excellence to elevate one’s game; from tun<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to spontaneity while tun<strong>in</strong>g out distractions and competitors’ gamesmanship. Thanks <strong>in</strong> no smallmeasure to <strong>W<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Habits</strong>, I am current New York City league champion (’07, ’08, ‘09), 2-timeLas Vegas Open Champion (’08, ’09), and (on a good day!) am still competitive among the topplayers <strong>in</strong> Quebec.In 2009, at the Third Festival of Th<strong>in</strong>kers <strong>in</strong> Abu Dhabi, I was privileged to hear a panel ofOlympic gold medalists and professional athletes disclos<strong>in</strong>g their personal triumphs over adversityof many k<strong>in</strong>ds, en route to atta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g victory <strong>in</strong> their respective sports—football, baseball, basketball,swimm<strong>in</strong>g, mounta<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g. Each and every one of these champions had re-<strong>in</strong>vented key preceptsand practices elaborated <strong>in</strong> Mr. Bam’s book—and could have spared themselves considerablegrief <strong>in</strong> the process, had they only been aware of his teach<strong>in</strong>gs at critical junctures <strong>in</strong> their careers.Given the <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g emphasis on competitive sports <strong>in</strong> the US, on ever-more demand<strong>in</strong>g regimesof practice and per<strong>for</strong>mance, and beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g at ever-younger ages, I am conv<strong>in</strong>ced that Mr.Bam’s book would be a boon to athletes <strong>in</strong> America and the West. On the whole, the West’s methodsof mental tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>for</strong> athletes lag far beh<strong>in</strong>d its expertise <strong>in</strong> physical doma<strong>in</strong>s. Moreover, giventhe additional challenges and unlimited opportunities foisted on ris<strong>in</strong>g young sports stars—celeb-