Regret is the Worst Emotion in Your Ski Racing
Over the last few decades, I have worked with many ski racers, from juniors to World Cuppers. One thing I have noticed is that the most powerful work I do with racers isn’t your typical mental training where I teach them about positive thinking, mental imagery, routines, and how to stay intense and focused (though […]
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Vlog: The Power of Routines
In my tenth of 12 vlog segments devoted to mental preparation for athletes and coaches, I explain why every world-class and professional athlete I have ever worked with or known uses routines to maximally prepare themselves for success in both training and competitions. I also explain why routines are such a valuable tool: Totally prepare […]
Read MorePsychology of Tryouts: Part III-What Coaches Can Do
As I noted in Part I and Part II of this four-part series on the Psychology of Tryouts, my focus is on what athletes can do to make their tryout experiences as successful and enjoyable as possible. At the same time, the athletes themselves aren’t the only ones who impact their tryout efforts. This article, […]
Read MoreLessons Learned from Pyeongchang
The 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea was a spectacle of athletic greatness. We watched remarkable feats of physical prowess from athletes as wide ranging as alpine and Nordic ski racers, figure skaters, snowboarders, sliders, and, yes, even curlers. We shared in the emotional highs of victory and the emotional lows of unexpected […]
Read MoreVlog: Mental Imagery is Your Most Powerful Mental Tool
As I noted in my most recent blog post, Olympians use imagery as a tool to help them prepare themselves mentally to perform their best. In my ninth of 12 vlog segments devoted to athletes and coaches, I describe what mental imagery is (here’s a hint: It’s not just picturing yourself performing in your mind’s […]
Read MoreThe Secret to Mikaela Shiffrin’s Success
Sports Illustrated just published a great read about Mikaela Shiffrin that describes not only a significant shift in mindset she made that helped her overcome her pre-race anxiety, but also what has made her so successful over the short, but brilliant, arc of your career. For any ski racer (or athlete) who aspires to be […]
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Mentally Preparing for Olympic Sports Success
I’m fortunate to be working with a handful of athletes from several countries preparing to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea this month. It is an honor and a privilege to work with such remarkable athletes and to do my part in helping them to achieve their sports dreams and […]
Read MoreMentally Preparing for Olympic Ski Racing Success
I’m fortunate to be working with a handful of ski racers from several countries preparing to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea this month. It is an honor and a privilege to work with such remarkable athletes and to do my part in helping them to achieve their ski racing […]
Read MoreMichael Phelps Knows the Power of Visualization-Short Video
I tell the athletes that I work with that visualization (imagery) is the most powerful mental tool there is for so many reasons. But when they hear that message from the world’s greatest athletes, it carries even more weight. I came across a great short video with Michael Phelps and his longtime coach, Bob Bowman, […]
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In Sports, You Need to Fight from Start to Finish
I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to young athletes in their training and competitive efforts. For example, it drives me crazy to see athletes not prepare themselves fully for a practice session (but you can’t do that in a competition!). Or, young athletes standing around and chatting it up before drills […]
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