The fourth episode of my Train Your Mind for Athletic Success podcast focuses on how a threat attitude ensures failure and a challenge attitude sets you up for success. A threat attitude involves a cascade of psychological, emotional, and physiological changes that causes you to want to flee the sports situation and makes failure an [...]
I have three favorite sayings when it comes to being the best ski racer you can be. First, “If you want to ski like everyone else, be like everyone else.” In other words, if you want to be a decent ski racer among many, do what they do. Second, an old Texas adage says, “If [...]
Episode #4: Self-esteem of my Raising Young Athletes podcast explores how self-esteem impacts young athletes' athletic and personal development. Self-esteem involves how children come to perceive and value themselves, in other words, do they see themselves worthwhile people deserving of love and respect. Self-esteem influences happiness, well-being, goals, and success, among many other outcomes. This [...]
The third episode of my Train Your Mind for Athletic Success podcast focuses on the costs of having an outcome attitude and the benefits of a process attitude. An outcome attitude involves a preoccupation with results, competitive success and failure, rankings, and comparing yourself to others. Contrary to what most athletes, coaches, and parents think, an [...]
I forgot to post my last Saturday Evening Post column titled "What it Takes to Get the "F&%# it" Attitude." A bit irreverent, to be sure, but it has real meaning in our lives.
I just read an interesting article about what it takes to be great. A different take on the notion of greatness and success and a worthwhile read. I agree with most of it: Being consistent, Doing the work that's boring, Instant success isn't the same as greatness, Success is never linear, Before you can be [...]
The race season is somewhere between one-half and two-thirds over for racers, depending on their age and level of development. Racers are deep into qualifying season as the end-of-year championships are approaching rapidly. Now is the time that you have to ski your fastest. The tough question, though, is how to achieve that goal at [...]
Hard to believe that we’re about half way through the race season. For some, you’re having a great season and want it to continue. For others, you’re having an okay season and want to improve on it. And for still others, it has been a disappointing season so far and want to turn it around. [...]
When most people in the sports world think of sport psychology, they think of mental training, that is, helping athletes prepare mentally to perform their best when it matters most. Mental muscles that help athletes strengthen include motivation, confidence, intensity, and focus. And mental tools I help athletes to put in their mental toolboxes include [...]
When most people in our ski racing community think of sport psychology, they think of mental training, that is, helping racers prepare mentally to ski their fastest when it matters most. Mental muscles that help racers strengthen include motivation, confidence, intensity, and focus. And mental tools I help racers to put in their mental toolboxes [...]
