Mikaela’s 3 Gifts for the Holidays: Gift #1: Disappointment
Mikaela Shiffrin is truly a gift that keeps on giving. And during this holiday season, Mikaela (without realizing it) gave ski racers the world over three gifts from her World Cup races in Aspen. Today, I’ll talk about Gift #1: Disappointment. As most of you know, Mikaela was three gates from her first outright World […]
Read MoreLetting Go of Fear of Failure-Part IV
To close out my 2015 Prime Sport Alert! e-newsletters, I’m giving you a bonus of an in-depth four-part series on fear of failure among athletes. I recommend that you read them starting with Part 1 and progressing through to this final Part 4.
As I noted at the end of Part III, a recent email from a reader asked the obvious question, “I now understand why my child keeps getting in his own way in his racing. He has a fear of failure! So, what can I do about it?” This question led to extending my Fear of Failure series and discussing ways in which athletes can let go of their fear of failure.
Let me preface my thoughts by saying that there are entire books devoted to fear of failure and how to overcome it. Also, in severe cases, months of psychotherapy are required. My point is that, as with most things in life, there are no magic pills or quick fixes. At the same time, if you (as an athlete) or one of your children (as a parent) has a fear of failure, there are some things you and they can do to relieve the burden of fear of failure and begin to pursue success rather than avoid failure.
Read MoreFear of Failure – Part II (Total Failure)
In my last post, Fear of Failure: Part I, I discussed the sad epidemic of fear of failure that I found to be rampant in America and that I see frequently in the young athletes with whom I work. I have discovered a new wrinkle to the fear-of-failure phenomenon that brings greater clarity to the problems […]
Read MoreThe Challenges of Sports Parenting
I was recently interviewed by a Canadian parenting magazine (thus the title’s reference to Sidney Crosby) on the challenges of being a sports parents. There are some interesting perspectives that the parents of young athletes will appreciate and learn from.
Read MoreWhat it Takes to be a Champion
Jamie Astle, the father of the late racer Bryce Astle, recently described the qualities that he believed would have made Bryce a ski racing champion. His list is formidable and very consistent with my own ideas on the topic. Here’s the list: He embraced a positive attitude and was always able see the good […]
Read MoreInterview on Tackling College Sports-Psychology of Sport
I was recently interviewed by Tackling College Sports on a wide range of topics related to sport psychology. You can listen to it here (scroll to bottom) .
Read More5 Things I Hate to See Racers Do in Training
I’ve been in the ski racing world since I was six years old. The first 20 years, I was a racer learning the ups and downs of ski racing the hard way, mostly through trial and error, and sometimes painful failure. That, I can say with 20/20 hindsight and absolute certainty, is no way to […]
Read MoreLaying The Foundation For Prime Tennis
There are many things that go into developing skilled tennis players. Physical conditioning, technique, tactics, and psychology require years of constant attention for young players to become the best they can be. Yet, underlying all of the information, exercises, techniques, and strategies are some basic and essential concepts that players and coaches must understand for […]
Read MoreSelf-Confidence
Almost every dancer has at some time in his or her career experienced the feeling of complete self-confidence. Honed, strong, and relaxed, you know you are dancing well. It is a feeling of invincibility that usually results in a great performance. Self-confidence may be the single most important ingredient for successful performing. It enables you […]
Read MoreMake Parents Your Allies
When I ask tennis coaches what is the biggest challenge and stressor in their work with young players, the almost unanimous response is PARENTS! Coaches indicate that more often than not parents interfere with rather than facilitate their coaching. This is an unfortunate situation as parents have a powerful impact on players. Considering this, it […]
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