9 05, 2016

5 Mental Muscles for Ski Racing Success

By | May 9th, 2016|Categories: Ski Racing|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

You have certain muscles in your body that are absolutely essential for ski racing including your quads, glutes, and hamstrings. The simple reality is that if you don’t actively strengthen these muscles, you will not be capable of skiing your best. You should think about your mind as made up of ‘mental muscles’, the same [...]

21 11, 2014

3 Essential Mindsets for Athletic Success

By | November 21st, 2014|Categories: Sports|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

In this article, I’m going to talk about “mindset,” which I consider to be an essential contributor to athletic success and a mental area that has only come to light in my work with elite athletes during the past three years. This topic is also where professional and Olympic athletes offer wonderful examples in which [...]

12 05, 2014

Encore of Mental Training Starts in the Gym

By | May 12th, 2014|Categories: Ski Racing|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Here's an encore representation of one of my favorite ski racing posts. You can begin to develop your mental skills in the gym.

18 04, 2014

Incredible Story about World’s Greatest Free Solo Rock Climber

By | April 18th, 2014|Categories: Sports|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

I just heard an interview with Alex Honnold, the world's greatest free solo (i.e., no ropes) rock climber. What he does is beyond unreal. There is ZERO margin of error. One of the very few examples of an activity that truly requires perfection (or you die!). Here are several videos of his climbing. You can [...]

20 11, 2013

Three Steps to Athletic Success

By | November 20th, 2013|Categories: Sports|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

I have been thinking a great deal about what it takes for athletes to achieve what I consider to be an essential goal in all of your efforts, namely, when your game, match, round, race, or other type of competition concludes, you are make two statements: “I was as prepared as I could be to [...]

1 11, 2013

Focus is the Gateway to Business Success

By | November 1st, 2013|Categories: Business|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Focus doesn’t get the respect it deserves in the business world. We hear a lot about motivation, stress, emotions, leadership, and team culture, but not much attention is paid to the role that focus plays in your ability to be productive. Well, I’m here to change all that. Let’s first start with what focus is. Simply put, focus involves the ability to pay attention to things that will help and avoid distractions that will hurt your work efforts. For example, to finish a report, you need to focus on the relevant information and analyses that will comprise the report. You must also avoid typical distractions such as emails, being hungry or tired, or the people around you.

19 08, 2013

In Sports, Think Now, So You Don’t Have to Think Later

By | August 19th, 2013|Categories: Sports|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

I just returned from Europe where I spent a week working with a group of highly ranked U.S. athletes during their off-season prep period. After a few days, the feedback I was getting from them was that I was really getting into their heads and causing them to think a lot, in fact, to a few of them, think a bit too much. This wasn’t a surprise to me as I hear this frequently. Between my mental skills work with athletes during practices, one-on-one sessions, team talks (in which we discussed a relevant sport topic each evening), and daily imagery sessions, the athletes were getting their minds stuffed with the mental side of their sport. I was definitely making them think more than they were accustomed. But that is, in fact, my job: to get the athletes I work with uncomfortable, push them outside of what they are used to, and think about things that will take them to the next level. Yes, admittedly, it can feel a bit overwhelming at first, but after a few days, they got used to it and figured out how to incorporate my approach into their usual training regimen.

12 08, 2013

Mental Training Begins in the Gym

By | August 12th, 2013|Categories: Sports|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |2 Comments

Most sport psychologists work with athletes on the mental side of their sport in an office setting (usually one hour per week), providing them with mental tools that they can use during training and competitions. This approach makes about as much sense as a coach offering their athletes technical instruction and then telling them to go out onto the field, course, court, or what-have-you and work on it in practice. In either case, the transfer from inside to outside isn’t very good. I have found the most productive work I do with athletes is during their actual practice sessions. I’m able to go to training with athletes and show them how to incorporate mental skills, such as intensity, focus, imagery, and routines, while they’re actually practicing. But, over the last few years, I have discovered an even better setting in which athletes can begin to develop their mental skills: the gym. Yes, using mental skills as a part of your physical conditioning program is a great way to begin to ingrain those skills that will be of such benefit in the quality of your training and when you compete.

15 06, 2013

Fire Up or Chill Out: The Importance of Intensity in Cycling

By | June 15th, 2013|Categories: Cycling|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Intensity may be the most important contributor to cycling performance once the race begins. It’s so important because all of the motivation, confidence, focus, and emotions in the world won’t help you if your body is not physiologically capable of doing what it needs to do for you to ride your best. Whether you are [...]

24 04, 2013

Cycling: Turn Your Negativity into Positivity on Your Bike

By | April 24th, 2013|Categories: Cycling|Tags: , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

No two ways about it, negative thinking hurts your cycling confidence. If you’re on ascending a long and steep climb and negative thoughts, such as “I’m gonna bonk” or “I can’t hang with this group,”  pop into your head, the chances are you’re not going to keep up your pace. What’s worse is that if [...]