15 05, 2013

Threat vs. Challenge in Sports

By | May 15th, 2013|Categories: Sports|Tags: , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

I have found that a simple distinction appears to lie at the heart of whether athletes are able to rise to the occasion and perform their best when it really counts or crumble under the weight of expectations and tough conditions on the day of a competition: Do they view the competition as a threat or a challenge. What happens when you are threatened by something (think mountain lion). First, what direction do you want to go? Of course, you want to run away from the threat as fast as you can. Physiologically, your muscles tighten up, you hold your breath, your balance goes back, and your center of gravity rises. Psychologically, your motivation is to flee from the threat. Your confidence plummets because you don’t feel capable of confronting the situation (that’s one reason it’s a threat to you). You are focused only on protecting yourself from the threat. And, naturally, you feel fear, helplessness, and despair (because the mountain lion will eat you!). In sum, everything both physically and mentally goes against you, making it virtually impossible for you to overcome the threat and success in your sport. Where does threat come from?

12 04, 2013

Ski Racing: Next Season Starts…Now

By | April 12th, 2013|Categories: Ski Racing|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Note: This article is an encore presentation of an article that never gets old. The race season is finally over. After a long and demanding winter, you're probably tired of skiing (regardless of whether the season was a triumph or a disappointment). It's time to hang up your skis, pack away your gear, kick back, [...]

14 03, 2013

Don’t Have Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda in Your Sport

By | March 14th, 2013|Categories: Sports|Tags: , , , , |3 Comments

Over the last few decades, I have worked with many athletes, from juniors to weekend warriors to pros and Olympians. One thing I have noticed is that the most powerful work I do with them isn’t your typical mental training where I teach them about positive thinking, mental imagery, routines, and how to stay intense and focused (though I certainly do that). Instead, the most valuable work I do seems to involve the attitude that athletes have toward their sport. No matter how good your mental skills are, if you don’t have the right attitude, you aren’t going to perform your best. This article is going to focus on several key ways you should think about your sports participation to not only perform your best, but, perhaps more importantly, to enjoy the competition and gain the most benefits from your athletic experiences. I see athletes express many different emotions after competitions. After a good performance, I see joy, excitement, pride, and inspiration. But, after less successful competitions, I see frustration, anger, and sadness. Yet, the one emotion that I consider to be perhaps the worst of all emotions for athletes to experience is regret.

4 03, 2013

Ski Racing: Four Secrets to Final Start-area Preparation

By | March 4th, 2013|Categories: Ski Racing|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

With March now upon us, the end of the season is in sight and some of the most important races of the season lie just ahead. As you prepare these big races, whether the State Championships, Junior Olympics, NCAA Championships, U.S. National, Topolino, Whistler Cup, or the World Cup Finals, you’re looking for any edge [...]

15 01, 2013

Ski Racing: Mikaela Shiffrin is a Star On-Snow and a Real Person Off

By | January 15th, 2013|Categories: Ski Racing|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Great article about the 17-year-old alpine ski racing star Mikaela Shiffrin in the NY Times today. Worth a read to learn about the wonderful attitude and humility she has about ski racing.

14 01, 2013

Cycling: Five Keys to Cycling Confidence

By | January 14th, 2013|Categories: Cycling|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Confidence is a deep, lasting, and resilient belief in your ability to ride your best and achieve your cycling goals. Confidence keeps you positive, motivated, intense, focused, and emotionally in control when you need it most, whether on a long and grueling climb or when you’re trying to reel in a breakaway with only a [...]

13 01, 2013

Ski Racing: Staying Healthy, Rested, and Motivated All Season Long

By | January 13th, 2013|Categories: Ski Racing|Tags: , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

One of the most important ideas I emphasize in my work with racers is consistency. In fact, it’s consistency that makes the great racers, like Tina Maze and Ted Ligety, so great. Day in and day out, week in and week out, month in and month out, and year in and year out, they are [...]

2 01, 2013

Ski Racing: 11 Laws of Prime Training

By | January 2nd, 2013|Categories: Ski Racing|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

Many racers I’ve come across don’t seem to believe that training is that important because it doesn’t really “count,” meaning there are no results or points gained from it. But, the reality is that training is hugely important because whatever you do in training is what you will do in a race. Another way to [...]

18 12, 2012

Ski Racing is a Leap of Faith

By | December 18th, 2012|Categories: Ski Racing|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments

As I discussed in my last post, regret is one of the worst emotion you can experience after a race day, season, career or life. I also described how much of the work I’m doing these days with ski racers is as focused on developing the right attitude toward racing as it is on learning [...]

7 12, 2012

Ski Racing: Don’t Have Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda in Your Ski Racing

By | December 7th, 2012|Categories: Ski Racing|Tags: , , , , , , |1 Comment

Over the last few decades, I have worked with many ski racers, from juniors to World Cuppers. One thing I have noticed is that the most powerful work I do with racers isn’t your typical mental training where I teach them about positive thinking, mental imagery, routines, and how to stay intense and focused (though [...]