Train Your Mind for Athletic Success: Episode #26-Psych-up and Psych-down Tools
Episode #26: Psych-up and Psych-down Tools of my Train Your Mind for Athletic Success podcast is the second of two episodes in which I will explore the impact of intensity on sports performance. Your awareness of your level of intensity and your ability to adjust your intensity to its ideal level is essential for performing your […]
Read MoreWhat Prevents Mental Training From Being a Key Part of Ski Racing Development
As I noted in my previous article as part of SRM’s important conversation about how to drive U.S. ski racing toward its mission of “Best in the World,” I believe that mental training can be an essential piece of the athlete-development puzzle in our country. Unfortunately, as I also noted, training the mind holds second-class […]
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Mental Preparation is a Key Piece of the Ski Racing Development Puzzle
I would first like to express my appreciation to Dan Leever and Ski Racing Media for initiating this essential conversation about how the U.S. Ski Team can live up to its vision: “Best in the World.” I would also like to thank Dan and SRM for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this exchange […]
Read MoreTrain Your Mind for Athletic Success Podcast: Episode #25-What is Intensity?
Episode #25: What is Intensity? of my Train Your Mind for Athletic Success podcast is the first of two episodes in which I will explore the impact of intensity on sports performance. The topic for today’s episode is: What is Intensity? What I mean by intensity is the amount of physiological activity you experience in your […]
Read MoreTrain Your Mind for Athletic Success Podcast: Episode #24-7 Tools for Building Confidence
Episode #24: 7 Tools for Building Confidence of my Train Your Mind for Athletic Success podcast is the first of two episodes that examines the impact of confidence on sports performance. This episode introduces you to what confidence is in the context of sports, how it affects athletes, why athletes lose confidence, symptoms of low confidence, […]
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Build a “Trust Fund” During the Prep Period
Trust is one of the most important “muscles” you need to develop during this prep period. All of your efforts related to conditioning, on-snow training, nutrition, equipment testing and preparation, and, of course, mental training is devoted to established a deep level of trust that you can ski your fastest and achieve your goals next […]
Read More“Money in the Bank, Baby!”: Start Making Confidence Deposits This Summer
In one of my final posts this past season, I exhorted you to buy into the notion that Next Season Starts…NOW! With the end of June having just arrived, the summer is now officially upon us. The summer is an immensely important time to pursue your ski racing goals. You can get stronger, improve your […]
Read MoreWatching Video is Great Off-season Mental Training
Watching videos of yourself and World Cup racers is a powerful tool for strengthening important mental muscles such as confidence, intensity, and focus. It can also be used, when combined with mental imagery, to improve technique and tactics. Another benefit is that watching yourself ski fast and top World Cuppers ski faster just gets you […]
Read MoreMental Imagery is Your Most Powerful Prep-Period Mental Training Tool
It sure was a bummer missing all those miles of skiing when COVID-19 struck. Let’s be realistic. You’ve lost a bunch of miles by not being on snow the last six weeks of the ski season. And we don’t yet know if there will be any on-snow training anywhere this summer. But there is a […]
Read More5 Keys to Making Mental Training Like Conditioning and On-snow Training
Whenever I speak to racers and coaches, I ask them how important the mind is to ski racing success. With few exceptions, the response is that the mind is as or more important than the physical and technical side of our sport. I am obviously biased given what I do for a living, so I […]
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