9 11, 2015

Perfectionism is REALLY Bad

By | November 9th, 2015|Categories: Psychology|Tags: , , , , , , |0 Comments

New York magazine just published a really unsettling article on perfectionism, expanding on my own notions on the topic.  Let me state this clearly: Perfectionism is REALLY BAD! It may appear to lead to great success, but, to the contrary, it often results in a lack of true success and, more importantly, it will make [...]

24 08, 2015

When Should Your Young Athlete Specialize?

By | August 24th, 2015|Categories: Ski Racing, Sports|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

This question torments every parent who wants to support their children’s efforts as they pursue their own personal greatness in a sport. It is also one of the most frequently asked questions I get from parents of young athletes. This question isn’t just one of professional interest to me. Rather, it’s personal for two reasons. [...]

8 05, 2015

The Ultimate Price of Our Hyper-Achievement Culture

By | May 8th, 2015|Categories: Parenting|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

A truly tragic story of Madison Holleran, a U. of Penn student and track athlete, who committed suicide in early 2014. On the surface, she was a happy, and successful young woman. But inside there was turmoil. It reminds me of Sarah Devens, another star student-athlete, this time at Dartmouth (I wonder if the fact that [...]

27 04, 2015

Make Mental Training a Priority in the Off-season

By | April 27th, 2015|Categories: Ski Racing|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

This article is a challenge for you to take an essential, yet often neglected, piece of the ski racing success puzzle and make it a priority during the off-season. Let me elaborate in three ways. First, I speak to racers, coaches, and parents around world about the psychology of ski racing. Whenever I get the [...]

24 02, 2015

Taylor Radio Interview about the psychology of sport

By | February 24th, 2015|Categories: Sports|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

I was recently interviewed by Glenn Whitney of SportsCoachRadio.com about the many different aspects of the psychology of sport. A good listen (scroll to bottom) if you want to learn more about how the mind impacts athletic performance.

27 01, 2015

The Burden of Expectation: Another Lesson from Mikaela

By | January 27th, 2015|Categories: Ski Racing|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Mikaela has certainly put herself between a rock and a hard place. Let’s start with the rock, which is the expectations she has created from her remarkable successes she has had during her short, though illustrious, career. Mikaela has, over the years, built a veritable Mt. Everest of expectations for herself by so dominating slalom [...]

20 01, 2015

Compete Like You Practice or Practice Like You Compete?

By | January 20th, 2015|Categories: Sports|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

One of the first questions that I ask athletes and coaches I work with is: Should you compete like you practice or practice like you compete? By far, the most frequent response is: You should compete like you practice. This answer seems perfectly reasonable if you think about it. When you practice, you’re relaxed, feel [...]

21 11, 2014

3 Essential Mindsets for Athletic Success

By | November 21st, 2014|Categories: Sports|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

In this article, I’m going to talk about “mindset,” which I consider to be an essential contributor to athletic success and a mental area that has only come to light in my work with elite athletes during the past three years. This topic is also where professional and Olympic athletes offer wonderful examples in which [...]

17 10, 2014

Be the Best Ski Racing Parent You Can Be: A Review

By | October 17th, 2014|Categories: Ski Racing|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Hey parents, are you ready for another roller coaster ride called a winter of ski racing ? Racers aren’t the only members of the ski racing community who experience the intense ups and downs of our sport; their parents do too. The fact is that it’s hard being a ski racing parent. You invest your heart, [...]

10 06, 2014

Unified Model of Performance Psychology

By | June 10th, 2014|Categories: Psychology|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

A fundamental question I have been exploring in the 30 years that I have been working in the field of performance psychology is: What does it take to succeed?  My life’s work has been devoted to answering this question so that anyone who is willing to pursue their dreams can find success. Yet, in recent years, I have [...]