I have three favorite sayings when it comes to being the best athlete you can be. First, “If you want to perform like everyone else, be like everyone else.” In other words, if you want to be a decent athlete among many, do what they do. Second, an old Texas adage says, “If you all [...]
With the summer around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to re-introduce my vlog series for for ski racers, athletes of all sports, and sport parents. The free vlogs are brief explorations (about 4 minutes long) of a specific topic related to the psychology of ski racing, sports in general, and being [...]
It happens every competitive season. I get calls from and their parents who are struggling mentally in their sport and they have big events coming up. They want me to somehow fix them quickly. Though I think I’m pretty good at what I do, I’m no miracle worker. To put the request in perspective, do [...]
Every sport has a competitive season that ends. For winter sports, it’s recently concluded and for spring sports, it is rapidly approaching. After a long and demanding season, you’re probably tired of your sport (regardless of whether the season was a triumph or a disappointment). It’s time to pack away your gear, kick back, relax, [...]
I just came across a very funny article titled "17 Tweets for Parents Who Both Love and Hate Kids' Sports Season." If you're the parent of a young athlete, you'll both totally relate to and get a good chuckle out of the tweets. As the parent of two young ski racers, I would like to [...]
In the 12th and final segment of my vlog series devoted to the psychology of sport for athletes and coaches, I explain the seven reasons that prevent athletes from making a commitment of time and energy to mental training. As I’m sure you would agree, the mind plays an essential role in athletic success. Yet, [...]
I've worked with many professional and Olympic athletes over the years and I've been a keen observer of many more. I certainly love watching the world's best athletes train and compete. But what I find equally fascinating is watching them to prepare to train and compete. One thing that I can say with absolute certainty [...]
As the author of a book on the impact of technology on young people's lives, I see tremendous value in the use of technology to enhance athletes' lives. At the same time, I also have grave concerns about its overuse, particularly with social media. In January, 2017, I wrote a blog post exploring how excessive [...]
I've only met Alice Mckennis a few times, but I've always admired her love of ski racing and the tenacity she has applied to our sport to find the success she has demonstrated recently (5th in the Olympic DH; 3rd in the World Cup DH at Are, Sweden). But my respect and appreciation for Alice [...]
In my 11th of 12 vlog segments devoted to the psychology of sport for athletes and coaches, I explain why fun is a powerful mental tool that is under utilized by athletes and coaches alike. In fact, when I ask the athletes with whom I work what is the most important contributor to their success, [...]
