false 857333 3 Josh Waitzkin knows what it means to be at the top of his game. A public figure since winning his first National Chess Championship at the age of nine, Waitzkin was catapulted into a media whirlwind as a teenager when his father's book <I>Searching for Bobby Fischer</i> was made into a major motion picture. After dominating the scholastic chess world for ten years, Waitzkin expanded his horizons, taking on the martial art Tai Chi Chuan and ultimately earning the title of World Champion. How was he able to reach the pinnacle of two disciplines that on the surface seem so different? "I've come to realize that what I am best at is not Tai Chi, and it is not chess," he says. "What I am best at is the art of learning."<P><P>In his riveting new book, <I>The Art of Learning</i>, Waitzkin tells his remarkable story of personal achievement and shares the principles of learning and performance that have propelled him to the top -- twice.<P><P>With a narrative that combines heart-stopping martial arts wars and tense chess face-offs with life lessons that speak to all of us, <I>The Art of Learning</i> takes readers through Waitzkin's unique journey to excellence. He explains in clear detail how a well-thought-out, principled approach to learning is what separates success from failure. Waitzkin believes that achievement, even at the championship level, is a function of a lifestyle that fuels a creative, resilient growth process. Rather than focusing on climactic wins, Waitzkin reveals the inner workings of his everyday method, from systematically triggering intuitive breakthroughs, to honing techniques into states of remarkable potency, to mastering the art of performance psychology.<P><P>Through his own example, Waitzkin explains how to embrace defeat and make mistakes work for you. Does your opponent make you angry? Waitzkin describes how to channel emotions into creative fuel. As he explains it, obstacles are not obstacles but challenges to overcome, to spur the growth process by turning weaknesses into strengths. He illustrates the exact routines that he has used in all of his competitions, whether mental or physical, so that you too can achieve your peak performance zone in any competitive or professional circumstance.<P><P>In stories ranging from his early years taking on chess hustlers as a seven year old in New York City's Washington Square Park, to dealing with the pressures of having a film made about his life, to International Chess Championships in India, Hungary, and Brazil, to gripping battles against powerhouse fighters in Taiwan in the Push Hands World Championships, <I>The Art of Learning</i> encapsulates an extraordinary competitor's life lessons in a page-turning narrative.<P><P> 842786 8 5 2007 The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence total:138|5:41|4:48|3:29|2:18|1:2| 138 522 284 44 3 0 false false Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 12:20:08 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 12:31:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 1 false false Sat May 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 16 20:58:57 -0700 2009 Sat May 16 21:14:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Jun 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 17:01:35 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 03 15:01:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Apr 26 18:29:28 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 11:25:57 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 26 18:29:28 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Sep 01 01:42:31 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 01 01:43:33 -0700 2009
Author Josh Waitzkin has mastered two complex, esoteric disciplines: chess and tai chi, a martial art. He won national chess titles as a youth, and national and world championships in “push hands,” or partner ta...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jul 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 20:03:50 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 14:22:46 -0700 2009
Chapter 1: Innocent Movies
Josh discovers chess in the park. Lessons with Bruce: first lessons establish camaraderie.

Chapter 2: Losing to Win:
Loses first nat'l championship. Summertime is off to the sea -- the little breaks from competition ar...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Oct 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 25 10:38:42 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 29 07:28:45 -0700 2009 Searching for Bobby Fischer or read the book of the same name, you know who Josh Waitzkin is. What you may not know is that after the book/movie came out Josh slowly started turning away from chess and became interested in Tai Chi, eventually winning the 2004 World Pu...more...]]> 4 0 false true Fri Jul 25 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 26 19:47:54 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 26 20:31:01 -0700 2008
The basic idea is depth over breadth to help the mind place much of the tactical processing load in the subconscious. This frees up the conscious mind to think strategy. ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Oct 28 03:28:38 -0700 2007 Sun Oct 28 03:44:35 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Mar 12 22:10:34 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 12 22:10:34 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 30 10:36:52 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 13 20:56:07 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Mar 19 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 19 18:54:20 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 19 19:05:17 -0700 2008
What I got was an amazing auto-biography of a maste...more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Oct 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 30 04:41:15 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 11 09:22:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jun 03 15:02:52 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 03 15:05:28 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Jul 16 18:58:01 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 19:00:50 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Mar 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 23:04:37 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 00:33:59 -0700 2009 http://divia.tumblr.com/post/91493902/he...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Mar 09 06:35:29 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 09 06:36:57 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri Sep 07 09:25:39 -0700 2007 Fri Sep 07 09:25:39 -0700 2007
Josh Waitzkin is a National Chess Champion, the subject of the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, and a Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands World Champion.

I learned about his book from this Youtube clip:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lj1gxz5puaQ ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Feb 26 16:24:27 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 26 16:25:27 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Mon Jun 16 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 16 17:50:03 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 16 17:58:52 -0700 2008 more...]]>