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.

8 08, 2013

Latest News: Watch My Psychology of Cycling Lecture

By | August 8th, 2013|Categories: Latest News|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

A few months ago, I gave a lecture on the Psychology of Cycling as part of The Medicine of Cycling -- Mini Medical School for the Public series sponsored by the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. You can view the 45-minute presentation here.

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 [...]

15 04, 2013

Ski Racing Imagery: Your Most Powerful Mental Tool

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

Note: This article is another encore presentation of an article that never gets old. If you do anything to work on the mental side of your ski racing during this off season, it better be mental imagery. Why, you ask. Because there is no more powerful mental tool than mental imagery and it can have [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

26 11, 2012

Ego in Business: There is an “M” and an “E” in Team

By | November 26th, 2012|Categories: Business|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

The San Francisco Giants’ surprising World Series victory in October led to mass celebration and ticker-tape parades in the City by the Bay. It also produced the usual theorizing about how a team could go from being down 0-3 in the National League Championship Series to sweeping the favored Detroit Tigers to win the Fall Classic. And the success of the Giants caused many to ask if their “secret formula” could be learned by teams in the corporate world. There were the usual clichés about the power of teamwork, players peaking at the right time, plain dumb luck and, of course, divine intervention. But none of these explanations really gets at how the Giants were able to overcome the longest of odds to become the World Series champs. One particularly common conversation has brought up the mythology that winning teams win by having players who have no egos. In fact, the noted business guru Jim Collins argues that the best leaders are “egoless,” that they are humble, unselfish and have little ambition. We’re here to tell you that is simply not true.

26 11, 2012

Ski Racing: Threat vs. Challenge

By | November 26th, 2012|Categories: Ski Racing|Tags: , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

I have found that a simple distinction appears to lie at the heart of whether racers are able to ski their best or crumble under the weight of expectations and tough conditions on race day: Do they view the race as a threat or a challenge. What happens when you are threatened by something (think [...]