Over the last few decades, I have worked with many athletes, from juniors to Olympians and professionals. The most powerful work I do with athletes isn’t your typical mental training where I teach them about positive thinking, mental imagery, routines, and how to stay intense and focused (though these mental tools are important). Instead, the [...]
In my tenth of 12 vlog segments devoted to mental preparation for athletes and coaches, I explain why every world-class and professional athlete I have ever worked with or known uses routines to maximally prepare themselves for success in both training and competitions. I also explain why routines are such a valuable tool: Totally prepare [...]
As I noted in Part I and Part II of this four-part series on the Psychology of Tryouts, my focus is on what athletes can do to make their tryout experiences as successful and enjoyable as possible. At the same time, the athletes themselves aren’t the only ones who impact their tryout efforts. This article, [...]
The 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea was a spectacle of athletic greatness. We watched remarkable feats of physical prowess from athletes as wide ranging as alpine and Nordic ski racers, figure skaters, snowboarders, sliders, and, yes, even curlers. We shared in the emotional highs of victory and the emotional lows of unexpected [...]
The New York Times published an outstanding piece in which Olympians describe in video how they use imagery to prepare for their upcoming events and to rehearse their ideal performances. As many of you know, I believe that imagery is the most powerful mental tool there is and if you're not using imagery regularly in [...]
In the first article in my four-part series exploring the psychology of tryouts, I discussed why tryouts can be so stressful for young athletes, and the mental areas that suffer the most when they put their athletic hopes and dreams on the line as they attempt to join a league, make a team, or qualify [...]
I’m fortunate to be working with a handful of athletes from several countries preparing to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea this month. It is an honor and a privilege to work with such remarkable athletes and to do my part in helping them to achieve their sports dreams and [...]
I tell the athletes that I work with that visualization (imagery) is the most powerful mental tool there is for so many reasons. But when they hear that message from the world's greatest athletes, it carries even more weight. I came across a great short video with Michael Phelps and his longtime coach, Bob Bowman, [...]
Note: This is the first in a series of four articles that explore the psychology of tryouts that I recently published on YSPN360.com, a great new website and organization whose values about youth sports align with mine. Subsequent articles in the series will look at what young athletes can do to mentally prepare for tryouts; what [...]
One of the greatest strengths of the athletes I work with, whether a junior, collegian, Olympian, or pro, is their intelligence. Their ability to explore, understand, analyze, critique, and find answers and solutions is an essential tool that helps them pursue their goals. At the same time, one of the greatest weaknesses that holds them [...]
