Archive: Mental Toughness
What To Do When You’re Losing
September 16, 2020At some point in your athletic career, you are going to find yourself in a losing situation in a game or match. That moment is a test of your mental toughness. How will you handle it? What can you do to turn the situation around? For some players, losing results in a loss of motivation […]
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Why We Need Sports
July 17, 2020Most people today can agree that sports are a great and significant part of human culture. They’re fun, they’re exciting, they’re good for you, both for the players and the spectators alike. But, while these ideas seem self-evident, have you ever asked yourself if we need sports? Or, more specifically, why we need them? This isn’t […]
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The Necessity of Surrender for Growth
June 18, 2020The pursuit of mastery requires many things, but one of the most important is surrender, specifically, the necessity and willingness to surrender. It may sound strange, but surrender is actually necessary for victory. Now, this may be an unintuitive thought, but keep in mind what kind of surrendering we’re actually talking about. We don’t mean […]
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Choose To Be Tougher: Your Path To Mental Toughness
June 12, 2020Being a competitor requires a certain level of toughness and courage. You have to be willing to risk failure without letting it affect your self-esteem or self-identity. That’s hard. Sometimes you may feel like a bad player, especially after a poor performance. But if you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know […]
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What does a return to sports look like?
April 28, 2020Depending on your location, your ability to train and compete has been restricted for up to eight weeks or more. And, you’re probably tired of the situation. I think we are all starting to feel quarantine fatigue. It’s no longer novel. Is there an end in sight? Hopefully. Because as athletes and coaches, we want […]
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PERMA – E is for Engagement
April 21, 2020During this lockdown for Covid-19, you are probably spending a lot more time at home than usual. Are you bored yet? Of course, there are a lot of things you could potentially be doing with your free time – if you have any. Reading books, watching informative videos, taking online courses, etc. are all possible […]
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Simplify – The Best Adjustment You Could Ever Make
March 26, 2020One of the realities of sport, especially a sport like tennis, is that sometimes we don’t play well. Sometimes things don’t go our way. It could even be that the opponent is playing out of his or her mind – that’s annoying. In these moments, our natural tendency is to be judgmental and overanalyze the […]
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How Marcus Aurelius Cultivated His Mental Toughness
October 17, 2019Marcus Aurelius was Emperor of Rome in the 2nd Century, ruling from 161 to 180 A.D. He is counted among the “Five Good Emperors,” and his reign marked the end of the Pax Romana, a two hundred year period marked by peace and stability in the Roman Empire. Unfortunately for Marcus, his reign wasn’t a […]
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How Your Emotions Are Sabotaging Your Performance
October 4, 2019Can you remember the last time you let your emotions get the best of you? The last time you lost your composure while under pressure? Our emotional reactions towards tough challenges can lead us to act in ways we shouldn’t and prevent us from performing at our best. But, facing down adversity is an inherent […]
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Building Toward the End
June 12, 2019In competition, you are always building toward some end, some culmination. It might be the end of a tournament, the end of a match, or the end of a performance. The present moment is almost never the end itself, but this is where things can get confusing. What you are doing in the present moment […]
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The Most Important Point
March 28, 2019Note: Even though this post is written from the perspective of tennis, it applies to any sport in which the action can be broken down to the next play, the next pitch, the next possession, the next 1-on1 battle, the next move, the next moment, the next whatever. It’s always about what comes next. When […]
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Inspiration: Watch an inspiring movie – 50 for 50 Idea #45
December 15, 2018When I was 11 years old, I started listening to music to get myself pumped-up for tennis tournaments. At the time, my preferred pump-up selections were from the soundtracks to Rocky and Rocky II. I owned each of them on vinyl and my routine was to play them on the turntable in my room before […]
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Serena Williams: Who is to blame for US Open controversy?
September 10, 2018The 2018 US Open Women’s final between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka was unfortunately marred by controversy. Many opinions have been expressed about what happened on the court and the fairness of it all. Was this a case of a chair umpire overstepping his bounds? Or perhaps this was a case of a frustrated player […]
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Interview on Business Innovators Radio
April 12, 2018Recently, I was interviewed on Business Innovators Radio, and I discussed my approach to competitive skills training for teams and individuals. It was a great opportunity for me to share some of the secrets of mental toughness with an audience on a national platform. If you have the time, please listen to the interview below. […]
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50 for 50 Idea # 12: Start a Training Journal
March 22, 2018One of the secrets of elite performers in any context (music, sport, dance, etc.) is the concept of deliberate practice. Most people don’t practice their skills with clear intentions, but the best performers always have a specific focus when they practice or train. It is this focus that allows them to improve faster and reach […]
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