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 Searching for Bobby Fischer 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."
In his riveting new book, The Art of Learning, Waitzkin tells his remarkable story of personal achievement and
shares the principles of learning and performance that have propelled him to the top -- twice.
With a narrative that combines heart-stopping martial arts wars and tense chess face-offs with life lessons that
speak to all of us, The Art of Learning 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.
Through his ownexample, 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.
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, The Art of Learning encapsulates an extraordinary competitor's life lessons in a page-turning narrative.