The Mental Game of Trading, book review

“The Mental Game of Trading” is a book written by Jared Tendler that addresses the psychological challenges traders face and offers strategies to overcome them. Similar to how athletes might face mental barriers that hinder their performance, traders can experience psychological pitfalls that impede their decision-making and overall trading success.

In the book, Tendler delves into common mental issues traders encounter, such as fear, greed, impatience, and overconfidence. He offers insights into the underlying causes of these issues and provides actionable techniques to help traders gain mental clarity, improve discipline, and ultimately trade more effectively.

“The Mental Game of Trading” aims to equip traders with the tools to strengthen their mental resilience, allowing them to navigate the volatile and often stressful world of trading with greater confidence and composure. Tendler’s approach is rooted in his background in sports psychology, where he initially worked with professional athletes to enhance their performance by addressing mental game challenges. He later transitioned to working with traders, recognizing the parallels between the psychological hurdles faced by both groups.

Jared Tendler is an accomplished mental game coach known for his work in both the sports and trading domains. With a background in sports psychology, he initially made his mark working with professional athletes, helping them overcome mental barriers to enhance their performance on the field. Recognizing the psychological parallels between athletes and traders, Tendler transitioned into the financial world, where he addressed the unique mental challenges faced by traders. He has written books that delve into the psychological aspects of performance, drawing on his experiences and insights from both arenas. Tendler’s work stands out for its focus on the mental game, an area often overlooked in traditional training but crucial for high-stakes professions like trading and competitive sports.

“The Mental Game of Trading” was generally well-received, especially within the trading community. Readers appreciated Tendler’s insights into the psychological challenges traders face, finding his strategies actionable and relevant. Drawing from his background in sports psychology, Tendler effectively highlighted the parallels between athletes and traders, which resonated with many. The book’s focus on mental resilience and discipline was seen as a valuable contribution to trading literature, where technical and strategy-focused resources are abundant, but psychological aspects are sometimes overlooked. However, as with any book, individual reception varied based on personal preferences and experiences. Some readers might have desired more depth or different perspectives, but overall, the book garnered positive feedback for its focus on the mental aspects of trading.

Criticisms of “The Mental Game of Day Trading”

While “The Mental Game of Trading” by Jared Tendler was largely appreciated for its insights into the psychological aspects of trading, there were also some critiques. Some readers felt that the book was repetitive in parts, reiterating concepts that could have been condensed. Others believed that while the book addressed the mental challenges faced by traders, it might not have offered enough diverse strategies to tackle these issues, leaning heavily on Tendler’s sports psychology background. A few readers mentioned that they would have preferred more real-world examples or case studies to better illustrate the concepts discussed. Additionally, while the book’s focus on psychology was its strength, some traders, especially those seeking technical or market analysis insights, found it lacking in addressing the broader complexities of trading.