It happens every winter. In December, January, and February, I get calls from national team athletes and parents of young racers who are struggling mentally in their ski racing and they have big races coming up. They want me to somehow fix them quickly. Though I think I’m pretty good at what I do, I’m [...]
With the off-season prep period for ski racers now underway, I will begin my series of articles about how to incorporate mental training in your summer training later this week. My approach to off-season mental training is the same as with physical conditioning and on-snow training: Your mental training must be comprehensive, structured, and consistent. [...]
Episode #2: Ownership of my Train Your Mind for Athletic Success podcast explores the essential role that ownership plays in your sports efforts. Ownership means taking responsibility for every area that impacts your athletic performance including conditioning, technical and tactics, equipment, nutrition, sleep, and much more. Your ability to maximize every aspect of your sports [...]
In this podcast, I explore the psychology of sports performance. Drawing on my own elite athletic experience in ski racing, karate, running, and triathlon and decades of working with junior-elite, collegiate, Olympic, and professional athletes, I describe the essential role that the mind plays in athletic success regardless of your sport, age, or level of [...]
In an era in which young women are receiving so many mixed messages about who they can be and who they should be. In a time when so many young women are spending too much time staring at screens that are shaping the way they think and feel about themselves, mostly for the negative. At [...]
Every sports season comes to an end whether you want it to or not. After a long and demanding season, if you’re like most athletes, you’re probably tired of your sport (regardless of whether the season was a triumph or a disappointment). You just want to hang up your gear, kick back, relax, and forget [...]
The race season is finally over for most racers (for others, a few more weeks to go). 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, relax, and forget [...]
I was speaking to an Olympic athlete with whom I work after his country’s national championship recently and he told me that all he could think about before the event was how much he didn’t want to be there. He was burned out and just wanted the season to be over. Yet, this athlete also [...]
I was speaking to a World Cup athlete after his country’s national championship recently and he told me that all he could think about in the start was how much he didn’t want to be there. He was burned out and just wanted the season to be over. Yet, this athlete also said that he [...]
The conclusion of a race season can be a time of excitement, relief, and suffering for parents. The excitement comes when your young ski racers have just concluded a season that exceeded their expectations. The sense of pride and satisfaction can be palatable and reinforces why you have your children in our oh-so-demanding sport. The [...]
