“I play better in practice than in competition.” -Nearly Everyone If you’re like most people, you have probably noticed that you play better in practice than you do in competition. You may have even said something like the above quote to a coach, a family member, or to yourself. And it makes sense that most […]
read moreDiscipline equals freedom. Have you heard this phrase before? If you’ve read the book Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, then you are familiar with the concept and this post will be a refresher. Otherwise, you may be confused about the relationship between discipline and freedom. On the face of it, discipline and […]
read moreThe 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 […]
read moreSomething really interesting happened in the world of psychology during the 1950s. Students of psychology know it as: The Cognitive Revolution. Before this, a school of thought called “behaviorism” was rooted in the psychological status quo. This approach was, unsurprisingly, focused on the behavior of humans and animals. Think of Pavlov’s famous experiment with the […]
read moreDepending 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 […]
read moreDuring 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 […]
read moreIn the philosophy of sport, the ethics of athletes’ behavior is a big focus. It should come as no surprise, then, that the idea of sportsmanship is a very popular subject for sports-minded thinkers. There isn’t an athlete or player out there that hasn’t heard all about it. But I don’t need to tell you […]
read moreDo you work in an office or work for a company? Perhaps you’re in sales. If so, you’re not just an employee. You’re also a corporate athlete. And athletes have to train in order to manage their physical, mental, emotional, and motivational energy. In today’s environment, that could be more challenging than ever. For many […]
read moreIn 1974, I started playing tennis. I was 6, and tennis was booming in the US. It was so popular, that it was difficult to get a court at our swim and tennis club. Fortunately, there was a backboard. It was always available. Over the next few years, that wooden backboard became my most reliable […]
read moreAs athletes and high performers, we all have dreams of achieving true greatness. But what is true greatness? What does being great mean to you? And how do you achieve it? These are important questions to consider. And here is a first principle of being on the path to greatness: If you want to be […]
read moreAdmittedly, it can be difficult to be positive during a global pandemic. People are sick and many are dying. The economy is shattered. You’re probably concerned about your family, your health, money, food, safety, etc. These primary concerns need your attention. However, positive emotions can be helpful in getting you through this crisis. They are […]
read moreOne 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 […]
read moreLiving during a global pandemic certainly presents its share of challenges and stressors. How are you holding up? Admittedly, it’s not easy to be plucked out of our normal lives and placed into lockdown. We are all having to get used to different ways of doing things and taking care of ourselves. And you may […]
read moreIn 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 […]
read moreNote: 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 […]
read more