Setting goals is critical to your success as athletes in both sports and life. It’s important that you stay committed to evaluating and changing your goals when needed. You should create and monitor goals for practice and competitions or games. Younger athletes’ goals may simply be to have fun, make friends or learn to run faster. As you get older, your goals can be more specific and more focused on improving your performance. It’s important to remember that goals should not become expectations that weigh you down. In other words, it’s one thing to have a goal and work […]
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08
Mar
2011
Goal Setting for Athletes
07
Mar
2011
Goal Setting and Self-Motivation
What is self-motivation? Athletes who are self-motivated take part in sports for the pure enjoyment of it. They do not need rewards to participate. To succeed in your sport, it’s important that you love to play or perform. It’s not a good idea to take part in sports because you want to make others happy–your parents, coaches or peers, for example. When you have a real passion for the game, you’ll have more staying power and feel more committed to sports over time. Dan Coyle, author of the book, “The Talent Code: Greatness isn’t born. It’s Grown,” says passion […]
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02
Mar
2011
Online Mental Coaching Program
This month we are offering a months mental coaching via email. This includes: An A.M.A.P assessment (Athlete’s Mental Aptitude Profile) Forty minute session via Phone and A.M.A.P summary (Discovery Phase)* Three week Mental Coaching Program based on A.M.A.P assessment via email** *15 minutes with parent, 25 minutes with athlete (5,25,10) **Unlimited email response for parents and/or coaches during program (30 days) Visit Mental Edge Athletics for more details
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28
Feb
2011
Examining the “Yips” in Golf
The ’yips’ are one of golf’s most perplexing challenges, and have driven many good golfers to give up the game. Symptoms of the ‘yips’ include jerks, tremors and freezing, which act as a performance barrier for golfers in competition. Players describe the ‘yips’ as involuntary muscle spasms and feelings of pressure and anxiety. In many golfers, the pathophysiology of the ‘yips’ is believed to be an acquired deterioration in the function of motor pathways (e.g. those involving the basal ganglia) which are exacerbated when a threshold of high stress and physiologic arousal is exceeded. Research suggests that the ‘yips’ […]
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27
Feb
2011
Does Physical Talet Guarantee Success?
Every athlete who is serious about their sport wants to be a champion. A hallmark of all great athletes is superior mental toughness and a championship mindset. However, for some athletes, mental training is an untouched avenue to improving sports performance. That’s why we teach sports parents and coaches how to encourage their athletes to have a strong mental game. Many athletes don’t realize that resources are available to improve their mental game. When under performing or in a slump, most athletes are quick to change other aspects of their performance, such as coaching, equipment, or strategy before realizing […]
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24
Feb
2011
Frustration and Aggression in Sports
Players and spectators “talk trash” all the time in sports at every level. It is just another aspect of the game in many sports. Mentally tough athletes remain focused, composed and relaxed in the face of trash talk. They have the ability to fully immerse into their performance – unfazed by what others have to say. Problems with trash talk occur when athletes let it affect their composure and emotional control. During the heat of the battle trash talk can lead to frustration and aggression, which is what we want to avoid. So how can you help player’s avoid […]
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23
Feb
2011
Understanding Your Kids Behavior in Sports
Parents should not make assumptions about their kids’ behavior in sports. You might feel your child is not trying hard enough, is a poor sport, or maybe even takes the game too serious. When your kids appear to be struggling with their performance it is important that you communicate with them to identify the root of their behavior. For example, as a young athlete I held high expectations for my performance. These high expectations became strict demands that I needed to meet each game, such as going 4-for-4 at the plate. When I made a mistake or failed to […]
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17
Feb
2011
Helping Athletes Succeed
If athletes want to get the most out of their sports performance, it’s critical for them to understand the value of improving their mental game. Athletes’ lack of understanding is the number one barrier that prevents them from embracing mental training. Coaches and parents should educate their athletes on the numerous benefits of sports psychology and mental coaching. Athletes who embrace mental training have an advantage over competitors because they know how to overcome the barriers that limit their performance. They excel in practice, and fully immerse into their as a competitor in competition. Mentally tough athletes find ways […]
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12
Feb
2011
Three Keys to a Championship Mindset
The first key to a championship mindset is commitment to your goals and having clarity of purpose. Every team in Major League Baseball starts the season with the mission to win the World Series, but only a few teams really are able to feel and picture winning the World Series. Your task is to be able to imagine getting to your championship with the intensity of someone who already has it won – in the bag. I can remember with clarity those times in the batter’s box where I could see and feel myself making solid contact with the […]
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