Fun is a Mental Tool for Athletic Success
I’m a big believer in creating a mental toolbox that is filled with tools you can use in practice and on game day to fix the inevitable “flat tires” you will experience as a competitive athlete. Usually when I talk about mental tools, I mean tools such as imagery, routines, breathing, and self-talk. But there’s […]
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Build a “Trust Fund” for Sports Success
Trust is one of the most important “muscles” you need to develop for sports success. All of your efforts related to conditioning, sport training, nutrition, and, of course, mental training is devoted to established a deep level of trust that you can perform your best and achieve your goals in your sport. Your goal is […]
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A Great New App for Harnessing the Power of Mental Imagery
You already know that I believe mental imagery is one of the most powerful tools athletes in any sport can use to maximize their competitive performances. I call imagery the Swiss Army knife of mental training because it can strengthen so many aspects of your athletic performance. Then why doesn’t EVERY athlete use mental imagery? […]
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More Evidence That Early Specialization Doesn’t Lead to Later Success (Not Just in Sports)
I just read a fascinating article by David Epstein, the author of The Sports Gene, that further supports my position that early specialization in sports (or any achievement area, for that matter) is not the path to later success. He recounts research and anecdotes in which children who didn’t specialize early went on to have […]
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“Will it Help Me Achieve My Sports Goals?:” Forks in the Road in an Athlete’s Life
It’s one thing to say that you want to be the best athlete you can be. It’s an entirely different thing to actually do the things necessary to achieve that goal. In other words, talk is cheap! You have to want it and you have to want it bad! Why? Because the chances are that […]
Read MoreThe U.S. Could Learn a Lot from Norway about Youth Sports
The New York Times just published a revealing article about Norway’s approach to youth sports that provides a painful juxtaposition to the often-times toxic “youth sport industrial complex” that currently has gone off the rails in the U.S. The article offers some valuable insights into how youth sports can be returned to its original health […]
Read MoreA Powerful Message to Young Female Athletes
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 […]
Read MoreDon’t Violate the Laws of Insanity and Stupidity as You Prepare for Your Next Sports Season
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 […]
Read MoreSprint, Don’t Stagger, to the Finish of Your Sport Season
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 […]
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Prime Sport: Triumph of the Athlete Mind (Podcast)
Drawing on his own elite athletic experience and decades of consulting with professional, Olympic, and junior-elite athletes, Dr. Taylor demonstrates the importance of mental preparation for sports performance. This podcast, based on his book, Train Your Mind for Athletic Success: Mental Preparation to Achieve Your Sports Goals, focuses on five mental “muscles” that most influence […]
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