The inevitable pertinence of psychological issues in physical education and sports science as a whole has long surged researchers, incumbents and other stakeholders in the field to scrutinise various aspects of sports psychology. In this regard, one of the most important issues faced by athletes, either professional or amateur, is when a huge body of thoughts whirls in their mind without being able to competently manage them, which adversely influences not only their mental health but also their performance in the chosen sport. Therefore, one of the major goals sports psychologists seek for is to develop and adopt measures to cope with these situations to guarantee the overall well-being and high performance of athletes. A practical, yet readily graspable approach is presented in the comprehensive and thorough work of Ross G. White, Andrew Bethell, Lewis Charnock, Stephen Leckey, and Victoria Penpraze titled Acceptance and Commitment Approaches for Athletes' Wellbeing and Performance: The Flexible Mind.

Published in 2021 in its first edition by Palgrave Macmillan, the book presents step-by-step guidance for athletes to cope with harsh conditions during their careers resiliently. While one may not afford to neglect the importance of developing theoretical frameworks, operationalising theories and knowledge to benefit athletes' efficiency and mental well-being is considered a silver bullet to success. In this regard, this book provides a comprehensive description of the flexible mind approach as a golden strategy for commitment and acceptance therapy for athletes, and this might be the reason why Joe Oliver endorses the book as “intensely practical” (White, Bethell, Charnock, Leckey, & Penpraze, 2021, p. 6).

The book is comprised of 11 chapters. The first one presents a comprehensive overview of the flexible mind approach. It sheds light on the importance of simultaneous attention to both the performance and mental health of athletes, called “WExceLLence”, which is defined as “a disposition that affords athletes opportunities to develop and sustain an optimal balance between performance excellence and mental health and wellbeing” (White et al., 2021, p. 4). An interesting innovation adopted in this book is that the motorsport analogy is used to illustrate the concept of WExceLLence focusing on performance excellence and mental health and well-being:

1. •Tyre 1 encompasses sports-specific factors, e.g. coaching relationships, training routines, tactics, technical skills, sleep, and nutrition that influence an athlete's performance.
2. •Tyre 2 represents mental health and wellbeing, highlighting the need for attention to the athlete's psychological state managed by mental health professionals.
3. •Pit crew representing the diverse group of professionals supporting the athlete in both performance and mental health aspects which their collaborative work, which ensures that both tyres are adequately support athlete's development and well-being.

In this analogy, the integrated support from both sets of professionals (pit crew) is essential for the athlete (the race car) to achieve WExceLLence, emphasizing the interdependence of physical and mental aspects in sports performance.

In continuation of the book's focus on the simultaneous improvement of the mental health and sports performance of athletes, the second chapter introduces a highly relevant and useful tool, mindfulness and acceptance-based interventions (MABIs). MABIs are considered useful and relevant in sports for enhancing both sports performance and well-being by fostering non-judgmental present-moment awareness, acceptance, and compassion. In addition, MABIs focus on changing the individual's relationship with their thoughts and emotions rather than trying to change the content of these internal experiences.

The smart arrangement of chapters is a noteworthy feature of the book. For instance, after highlighting the role of the flexible mind approach in order to attain the cherished goal of WExceLLence, the second chapter immediately presents a highly efficient strategy for this. The definition and usefulness of MABIs are mirrored from different perspectives using the Flexible Mind Team, including a wide array of standpoints ranging from highly pessimistic to highly proactive and optimistic. The chapter also presents an in-depth overview of the related literature to provide academic insight into the topic. Furthermore, positive outcomes of MABIs, such as dealing with anxiety and preventing burnout, are explained. What makes this chapter highly valuable is the way the results of previous research are presented.

Chapter 3 of “Acceptance and Commitment Approaches for Athletes' Wellbeing and Performance” is cleverly designed to serve as a bridge between the theoretical background presented in the first three chapters and the practical guidance offered in chapters 4 through 10. This chapter provides an overview of the important principles and philosophical underpinnings that have guided the development of the Flexible Mind approach. It helps the practitioner understand how the approach has emerged and its ethos. This sets the stage for the practical application of the Flexible Mind approach, which is detailed in the subsequent seven chapters, each focusing on a separate session of delivering the approach to athletes. It first describes the A to Z of the flexible mind approach and presents all the necessary theoretical background one may need to understand this approach. The chapter also presents the contribution of psychological flexibility to achieving WExceLLence, even if somewhat schematically and tailors the flexible mind approach to different sport. This structure not only helps reinforce the understanding of the Flexible Mind approach but also illustrates its application in real-world settings making the transition from theory to practice smooth and coherent.

A full and comprehensive guidance on how to implement the flexible mind approach is presented in chapters 4 to 10, each representing one of the seven sessions that a practitioner should follow to implement this method in order to improve athletes' mental health and sports performance. To briefly introduce these chapters and give an overview of them, the first session (Chapter 4) consists of four main steps: (i) introducing the approach to the athlete being treated, (ii) assessing the athlete to understand their current condition, (iii) helping the athlete understand their difficulties through the lens of the Flexible Mind approach and (iv) identifying the athlete's purposes. It illustrates the practicality of the approach by presenting the case of a cricket player. Furthermore, it provides a schematic representation of psychological flexibility using the traffic lights model where red, amber and green denote connecting with what is happening currently, obtaining a more extensive awareness, and taking the lead toward the valued life, respectively.

The second session (Chapter 5) gives a detailed introduction to mindfulness for the athlete and explains how its may help them move ahead to attain WExceLLence. The most important part of this chapter is another representation of WExceLLence, which offers a clear and easy-to-follow explanation of the particulars of the method for practitioners to help athletes adopt the principles of mindfulness in their daily sports lives. As in every chapter, the characters of the Flexible Mind Team are still in action, and bring various viewpoints on the importance of mindfulness in a collective and amusing way. For example, one captivating representation of the difference between “mindful” and “mind full” is provided in a smartly sketched figure that explains that mindfulness means being able to efficiently handle different thoughts in mind to reach a peace of mind, as opposed to a “mind full” person who lacks this ability and is stuck in an irritating maze of thoughts. The second session (Chapter 5) provides an in-depth exploration of mindfulness for athletes, illustrating how it can facilitate their progress towards WExceLLence. A significant focus of this chapter is demonstrating how mindfulness forms a core component of WExceLLence, offering a clear and accessible guide for practitioners to assist athletes in integrating mindfulness practices into their daily sports routines. The characters from the Flexible Mind Team enhance the narrative, presenting diverse and engaging perspectives on mindfulness's role in enhancing athletic performance and mental well-being. For instance, a notable illustration contrasts “mindful” with “mind full,” depicting mindfulness as the skill of managing various thoughts to achieve mental clarity, in contrast to being 'mind full,' where one is overwhelmed by a confusing barrage of thoughts.

The third session (Chapter 6) highlights the importance of defining values for athletes to understand their mental status better. One interesting part of this chapter is the optimistic and constructive view of suffering in sports careers, which provides a value-based ground for athletes to turn suffering into leverage toward WExceLLence. Moreover, an interesting approach for this end is presented, namely T.E.A.M B.U.S, which guides athletes to “Treat Emotions as Messengers” by using three emotion management techniques: Breathe, Unhook and See. Together, these elements empower athletes to navigate their emotional landscape more effectively using their emotions as guides rather than barriers. This mindset supports them in pursuing WExceLLence and enables them to leverage their internal experiences towards achieving both well-being and peak performance.

The fourth session (Chapter 7) explains that athletes who are hooked by their thoughts will simultaneously face serious problems in reaching mental well-being and efficient sports performance. Therefore, the chapter provides useful techniques on how to get unhooked from irritating thoughts to unravel their minds for achieving higher acceptance toward excellence. For example, through mindfulness practices, athletes can learn to observe their thoughts without judgment and without becoming entangled in them. This process of unhooking allows them to maintain focus on their performance and pursue excellence despite the inevitable internal challenges they face.

The fifth session (Chapter 8) offers a pragmatic method for athletes to handle distressing thoughts in their daily lives through the concept of “being present,” a key facet of psychological flexibility. The chapter introduces Dave from the Flexible Mind Team as a typical individual seeking to eliminate bothersome thoughts straightforwardly. It then outlines effective strategies for managing these thoughts by “being present.” This approach is highlighted as not only pertaining to the athletes' internal realm but also engaging with their external environment, including tactile and visual elements. Therefore, the session guides athletes in cultivating a connection with the immediate physical environment through touch or vision, which enhances their ability to stay focused and grounded, even amidst the internal turmoil of distressing thoughts or emotions.

The sixth session (Chapter 9) highlights the notion of flexibility and explains how practitioners can induce this important notion in athletes in order to make the best use of it in their careers. In doing so, it presents situations where being flexible and not flexible are defined. Specifically, it explains how to transition from one aspect of P.O.D. (Being Present, Being Open, and Doing What Matters) to another. It is a highly beneficial framework for athletes as it facilitates a deeper understanding and application of psychological flexibility. This understanding helps them navigate the demands of their sport, allowing them to adapt to various situations, manage stress effectively, and align their actions with their core values and goals.

The last session (Chapter 10) develops a framework titled “A Game Plan,” to optimize the different aspects of P.O.D. in order to reach the final goal, WExceLLence. This strategic framework is designed to help athletes systematically apply these principles in their training and competition routines, ensuring that they can maintain psychological flexibility under pressure. The game plan outlines specific steps and techniques for integrating mindfulness, acceptance, and value-driven actions, thereby enabling athletes to consistently perform at their best while also supporting their mental health and well-being.

Finally, the last chapter provides guidelines on how to best deliver the principles of the flexible mind approach to athletes along with useful recommendations for practitioners to encounter various conditions while administrating this approach. The administration of the Flexible Mind approach could be useful for athletes in several ways. Firstly, it helps athletes gather relevant information and identify objectives for their work. Secondly, it explores key concepts relevant to athletes' performance and wellbeing highlighting the importance of context and proposing new ways of working. Additionally, it aims to help athletes become self-sufficient in applying the Flexible Mind approach, allowing them to develop their ability to adapt and be flexible in their thinking. Furthermore, the approach emphasizes psychological flexibility, which has been shown to have positive associations with performance, quality of life, and mental health in athletes (Johles et al., 2020). Finally, the approach can contribute to improving general flexibility, which is important for overall health, well-being, and physical conditioning in athletes (Jensen, Ramasamy, & Hall, 2012).

Concerning sports education, the book is a treasure of practical information for the implementation of the flexible mind approach for athletes to reach mental health and high sports performance without sacrificing one for the other. The book takes a holistic approach by providing a theoretical and knowledge-based framework along with detailed, yet clearly presented explanations of seven sessions practitioners should consider for the successful implementation of the approach. Although the book is highly recommended for all involved in the field of sports psychology, it lacks a comprehensive discussion on the potential limitations and criticisms of the Flexible Mind approach, which could limit its applicability and effectiveness in certain contexts. Moreover, there is a need for more empirical evidence to support the claims and effectiveness of the strategies and interventions proposed in the book.

The authors of the book are a group of experts specializing in sports psychology. Ross G. White is the leading figure in psychological research focusing on resilience and mental health strategies, and has received the Best International Research Award. Andrew Bethell, Lewis Charnock, and Stephen Leckey have contributed expertise in athletic coaching and sports performance, integrating psychological methods to support athletes in achieving peak performance. Victoria Penpraze is a specialist in physical activity and health, adding a dimension that bridges physical and psychological well-being. Together, they provide a holistic approach to athlete care, emphasizing mental flexibility, well-being, and optimized performance.