It was the most disturbing message I heard during my high school athletic career. “A good loser is still a loser.” Second place was never good enough. Winning was all that mattered. Youth and scholastic athletic programs were designed to…
Have you ever given much thought about how one might teach a new skill to an athlete? Perhaps you thought it would be an easy, straightforward task. But once you start teaching, it became harder than you expected. Learning…
In her highly acclaimed book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth asked, “Who are the people at the very top of [their] field? And What do you think makes them special?” Thus, the question for the…
Great athletes have incredible beliefs in their ability to perform. “With hard work,” Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps noted, “with belief, with confidence, and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits.” Self-confidence equals success. Outstanding athletes are…
Words and thoughts we say to ourselves, commonly referred to as Self-Talk, can be used to direct attention to a particular thing to improve focus or in conjunction with other techniques. Our thoughts determine our feelings - our feelings determine…
Many great players have pursued honing a perfect technique in order to improve their consistency and improve results. Players like Tiger Woods and Serena Williams are perfectionists. They have learned how to get away with the “perfectionist mindset.” Sport Psychologist…
What allows an athlete to play the best possible game ? His ability to visualize the outcome in his mind. Your brain is the physical expression of your mind. “Your mind is the most powerful weapon you have,” wrote Darrin Donnelly.…
We often hear that in sports or other performance-related activities, the mental game is as important as the physical game. Fair enough. But what exactly is the mental game and how can we improve it? Find out from our latest update.
Dreams are powerful motivators. William James, nineteenth century philosopher and psychologist, said that “people by and large become what they think about themselves.”