Lesson #3 from Prime Ski Racing e-book: Success Begins and Ends in Your Mind
Whenever I talk to racers, I ask them what aspect of our sport seems to have the greatest impact on how they ski. Almost unanimously they say the mental part. I then ask how much time they devote to their mental preparation and their answer is almost always little or no time. Despite its obvious […]
Read MoreFinish the Season Strong
It’s hard to believe, but there is only about a month of the race season left. After many days of training and racing this winter, 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, […]
Read MoreLesson #2 from Prime Ski Racing e-book: Five Steps to Skiing Fast
A fundamental question I have been exploring in the many years that I have been working with ski racers is: What does it take to ski your fastest consistently? Of course, you have to be physically fit, technically and tactically sound, and have well-prepared equipment. And most racers and coaches would agree that an important piece of […]
Read MoreLousy First Run, Great Second Run: WHY?!?!
Last week, I introduced a common scenario among ski racers in which, after a great first run, they ski much slower the second run. I explained what caused this sudden drop in performance and how this problem could be solved so you can have as strong a second run as your first run, the outcome […]
Read Moredrjimtaylor.com 4.0 is live!
I’m excited to announce the launch of the latest version of drjimtaylor.com (now 4.0). The redesigned web site has been upgraded in several ways: More visually appealing. More up-to-date design. Fewer pages. Better organized. Simpler and more clear navigation. Easier access to the information you want. Find the products and services I have to offer […]
Read MoreFirst Run, Second Run; Good Run, Bad Run
There are two scenarios on race day that I hear frequently from the racers I work with and the coaches I talk to that are a source of immense frustration, poor skiing, and disappointing results. I’m going to discuss the first scenario in this article and the second scenario in a follow-up article next week. […]
Read MorePositive Self-Talk Works!
What you say to yourself does matter, according to a series of research studies described in a recent article. Not only does self-talk work, but it also helps when you talk to yourself out loud and in the 3rd person (e.g., “Come on, Jim!). I encourage the athletes I work with to use self-talk to build […]
Read More5 Keys to Skiing Your Fastest on Race Day
What do you need to do to be totally prepared to ski your fastest on race day? If you ask the top-ten men and women on the World Cup, you will probably get 20 different answers. But, having asked this question of many world-class ski racers, I have found five themes that underlie their responses. […]
Read MoreEvery Day Can Be a Good Day of Sports Training
One of the most frequent comments I hear from the athletes I work with is: “I had a lousy day of training.” This statement was almost always accompanied by a variety of emotions that are neither pleasant nor helpful including frustration, anger, worry, doubt, and disappointment, and, occasionally, despair. Moreover, I saw that this assertion […]
Read MoreThe Gift of Raising Ski Racers: A Must-Read
Just read a wonderful commentary about having ski racing children by former Burkie, Jesse James. If you have kids in ski racing, you’ll nod knowingly and perhaps even shed a tear (as I did). If you’re not a ski racing parent, but rather a parent of an athlete in another sport, you’ll still relate to […]
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