Time Magazine’s Cover Story: Youth Sports is Big Business
If you haven’t seen it, Time magazine’s cover story, for which I was interviewed, offers a scathing indictment of what I call the “youth sports industrial complex” and how what used to be about fun is now a $15 billion business. Every parent of a young athlete should read the article, reflect on their own […]
Read MoreInspiration for Athletic Success Must Come From Within
If you’re a committed athlete, I’m sure you watch your favorite professional or Olympic athletes compete, whether LeBron, Serena, Tom, or Simone. Or you watch videos of them training on YouTube. Or you hear an interview with them in which they talk about their efforts, challenges, and successes. Or you read their autobiography. How do […]
Read MoreA Must-Read for Every Athlete (and Their Parents) Who Has Ever Struggled
The father of a client just sent me this blog post from Siri Lindley, a former world triathlon champion. It exemplifies how complete dedication to athletic greatness can be both a essential boon to success and a cross to bear. It also provides an important juxtaposition between attempting to control and prepare for everything that […]
Read MoreMore Reasons Your Young Athlete Shouldn’t Specialize Too Early
Just read a really compelling article providing more reasons why young athletes who specialize too early, contrary to popular belief held by parents, actually decrease their chances of finding success later on in a sport. Two main reasons: sports become a grind rather than a joy and the increased incidence of serious injury. Great advice […]
Read More5 Keys to Making Mental Training Like Conditioning and Sport Training
Whenever I speak to athletes and coaches, I ask them how important the mind is to athletic success. With few exceptions, the response is that the mind is as or more important than the physical and technical side of sport. I am obviously biased given what I do for a living, so I won’t take […]
Read MoreGreat Performers are Born AND Made
Skiracing.com recently published an article about a segment of RedBull TV that explores whether great performers are born or made. The 50-minute show, titled The Prodigies, focuses on Mikaela Shiffrin, the Olympic ski racing champion, and Lang Lang, considered the finest classical pianist in the world. In my view, the segment is biased toward the ‘great […]
Read MoreA Must-Read for Every Parent of a Young Female Athlete
I was just sent this article by former world-class runner, Lauren Fleshman. It is truly a must-read for every parent of a young female athlete and young female athletes themselves. The article explores the physical, psychological, emotional, and performance challenges of girls reaching puberty and becoming women. It is both revealing and poignant (brought tears to my […]
Read MoreResults aren’t the Only Criterion of a Successful Sports Season
The end of a competitive season is, for every athlete, a time of reckoning in which you look back and evaluate what kind of season you had: one to be proud of or one to reflect back on with disappointment and perhaps regret. Not surprisingly, one of the primary criteria that athletes use to judge […]
Read MoreWhat Do Pink Elephants and Blue Hippos Have to Do with Sports Success?
I’m going to make a request of you: Don’t think about a pink elephant. What did you do? Well, you thought about a pink elephant, of course. Now I’m going to make a demand: DO NOT THINK ABOUT A PINK ELEPHANT, DO NOT THINK ABOUT A PINK ELEPHANT, DO NOT THINK ABOUT A PINK ELEPHANT!! […]
Read MoreFinish Your Sports Season Mentally Strong
For athletes in many winter sports, the competitive season is almost over. After many days of practice and competing, the end is in sight. At this late point in the season, you will have fallen into one of three camps as far as how your season has gone. First, you may be having a break-out […]
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