Sports Illustrated just published a great read about Mikaela Shiffrin that describes not only a significant shift in mindset she made that helped her overcome her pre-race anxiety, but also what has made her so successful over the short, but brilliant, arc of your career. For any ski racer (or athlete) who aspires to be [...]
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’m fortunate to be working with a handful of ski racers 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 ski racing [...]
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, [...]
I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to young ski racers in their training and race efforts. For example, it drives me crazy to see them slip a training course, yet barely inspect it because they figure they can learn the course in the first few runs (but you can’t do that [...]
In this week’s vlog segment, I share with you seven important messages related to your children’s sports participation that you want to send them. These messages are so valuable because they will set the tone for how your young athletes approach their sports involvement. If your messages are about results, expectations, and pressure, three bad things [...]
I was recently interviewed by John Bennett, "The Travel Ball Dad," on a variety of issues and concerns related to raising young athletes. The interview explores how parents can best support their children in their sports participation, the challenges created by the "youth sport industrial complex," and questions and answers about when young athletes should [...]
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 [...]
In my seventh of 12 vlog segments devoted to athletes and coaches, I examine the impact that frustration has on athletes in their training and competitive efforts. Frustration is typically defined an emotional reaction that arises when the path toward a goal is blocked and can’t be readily cleared. Common sources of frustration for athletes [...]
