The Best

"Insightful, thoughtful, and altogether wonderful." DANIEL COYLE, New York Times bestselling author of THE TALENT CODE

"This book is a must read." EDDIE JONES, Head Coach, England Rugby

"An engrossing guidebook for youth athletes, parents, coaches and perhaps even fantasy-league fans looking for a little insight." The Washington Post

The Best reveals how the most incredible sportspeople in the world get to the top and stay there. It is a unique look at the path to sporting greatness; a story of origins, serendipity, practice, genetics and the psychology of excellence, as well as of sports science and cutting-edge technology.

Packed with gripping personal stories and exclusive interviews with top athletes including Siya Kolisi, Marcus Rashford, Pete Sampras, Steph Curry, Jamie Carragher, Ian Poulter, Helen Glover, Ada Hegerberg, Elena Delle Donne, Joey Votto, and Mike Hussey, it explains how the best athletes develop the extraordinary skills that allow them to perform remarkable feats under extreme pressure.

Get inside the minds of champions and understand first-hand what makes them perform during high-octane competition, what they think about in the heat of the moment, and what drives them to do what they do.

By combining examples from numerous original interviews with top athletes and leading sports science research, The Best deconstructs superhuman performance and answers the question on every sports fan's mind: "How did they do that?"

"Fascinating and insightful... The Best isn't a one size fits all, it's a highly thought out, well-researched and accessible book that gives recommendations based on context and sport." JOANNE O'RIORDAN, The Irish Times

"...this book will redefine your approach to athlete development..." DAVID WHITESIDE, Director of Performance Science, New York Yankees

"...a fascinating and informative read for anyone interested in high-performance sport..." KEVIN THELWELL, Director of Sport, New York Red Bulls

About the Authors

A. Mark Williams is an academic and one of the world's leading authorities on expertise and its acquisition in sport. He has published 18 books and written over 500 scientific articles on how people become skilled and achieve success in sport and across other professional domains. He has worked across the globe as a consultant with numerous Olympic and professional sports and has vast experience as a scientist, author and educator, and as an applied sports scientist.

Tim Wigmore is the author of Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution, the winner of the Wisden Book of the Year award for 2020.