I was recently interviewed by John Bennett, "The Travel Ball Dad," on a variety of issues and concerns related to raising young athletes. The interview explores how parents can best support their children in their sports participation, the challenges created by the "youth sport industrial complex," and questions and answers about when young athletes should [...]
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 [...]
In my seventh of 12 vlog segments devoted to athletes and coaches, I examine the impact that frustration has on athletes in their training and competitive efforts. Frustration is typically defined an emotional reaction that arises when the path toward a goal is blocked and can’t be readily cleared. Common sources of frustration for athletes [...]
The day of a game is a stressful time for athletes and parents alike. Athletes are putting their efforts on the line and must accept that those efforts don’t always pay off in sports. Parents want the best for their children and it pains us beyond pale to see our kids not find the success [...]
The race season is now upon us and race day is a stressful time for racers and parents alike. Young racers are putting their efforts on the line and must accept that those efforts don’t always pay off in our sport. Parents want the best for their children and it pains us beyond pale to [...]
When you wake up on race day, you have a lot on your mind. And if you’re like most racers, one thing on your mind is your fellow competitors. How fast they will ski today and whether you will beat or be beaten by them. But I would argue that those competitors are the least [...]
In my sixth of 12 vlog segments devoted to athletes and coaches, I focus on, well, focus in your training and competitive efforts. When I talk about focus, I mean two things. First, your ability to pay attention to things that help you perform your best including technique, tactics, your mind, conditions, or your opponents. [...]
In this week’s vlog segment, I explore the importance of the messages you send to your young athletes. I believe that “your children become the messages you get the most.” You want to make sure that the messages you send to them will encourage them to enjoy their sports participation, perform their best, achieve their athletic [...]
For many of the top ski racers in the U.S. and around the world, the race season as already begun with World Cups in Soelden and Levi and FIS races in Colorado. For everyone else, your first races are anywhere from a few days to a few weeks away. At the beginning of the fall, [...]
In my fifth of 12 vlog segments devoted to athletes and coaches, I describe the essential role that your physical intensity plays in your competitive efforts. When I talk about intensity, I mean the amount of physical activation you feel in your body before you compete. Intensity lies along a range from really low intensity [...]
