I recently began working with a young golfer. This golfer has all the talent in the world, but is his own worst enemy. During practice, he performs unbelievably, but under pressure, he unfolds.
Golf is challenging because there is a lot of down-time. A lot of time to think.
The tournament prior to my last session with this golfer, he played poorly. But the next day, he played great…in practice. So during my session with him, I focused on creating a pre-shot routine.
And I told him to focus only on his pre-shot routine during his next tournament.
Guess what?
He won first place.
Everyone works on the physical game, but the ones that succeed are the ones that work on their mental game.
Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077
Phil Hughes is an All-Star and World Series Champion with the New York Yankees. I spoke with Phil on Tuesday at South Street Seaport in New York City for Day 2 of the Yankees’ HOPE Week.
I asked Hughes what he does when he has a bad day.
“I call my dad,” Hughes responded with a laugh.
I followed up with, “Do you ever have a negative voice inside your head?”
“Oh yeah, I do,” said Hughes.
“We ALL do,” chimed in pitcher, Steve Garrison.
“You have to have a short-term memory,” Hughes added.
What does this mean for you?
If an All-Star and World Champion gets negative, it’s okay if YOU get negative.
The key is to be like Phil and let it go and move on. You can certainly LEARN from the past, but you shouldn’t LIVE in the past.
Be like Phil Hughes today!
Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/IMG_21802-204x3002.jpg300204adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2011-07-27 23:39:502011-07-27 23:39:50MESSAGE #1463 PHIL HUGHES GETS NEGATIVE?
On Tuesday, I was honored to be one of the people honored by the New York Yankees as part of HOPE Week. For approximately five years, I have been a mentor for Tuesday’s Children, a wonderful organization which began helping children who lost a parent in 9/11.
I became a volunteer mentor because I wanted to make a difference in a child’s life. It turned out to be the opposite – a child has made a difference in my life. I have a feeling this week, the Yankees have a similar attitude.
This amazing day consisted of mentors and mentees attending a beach party at South Street Seaport…with the New York Yankees. Highlights included lunch, ping pong, a water balloon fight, photos, autographs, a water taxi ride, a private Yankee Stadium tour, on field for batting practice…all with the Yankees.
To the Yankees, HOPE stands for: Helping Others Persevere and Excel. This is their way of giving back, but like the volunteer that I am, the Yankees reap the benefits of their charity. All of the players I spoke to felt that HOPE Week is one of their favorite weeks of the year, and it puts everything into perspective.
Even though I was one of the honorees, I was thinking about you (yes you) and how I could help you persevere and excel.
On the beach, I had a wonderful conversation with Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer in the history of baseball. I asked him what he did when he didn’t feel confident. His answer replayed in my mind the rest of the day…
“You don’t ask a professional what he does when he doesn’t feel confident. A professional should always be confident. A better question is, ‘What do you do when you aren’t at your BEST?'”
Let’s analyze Mo’s answer.
Rivera says that you should always act confident (regardless of how you feel). He focuses on the positives versus the negatives. When he re-phrased my question, he didn’t say, “What do you do when you are at your WORST?” He, instead, chose to use a more powerful word, “BEST.”
Mariano Rivera doesn’t focus on results, he focuses on the process. I asked him what he thinks about when he pitches. His answer?
The catcher’s mitt.
You don’t have to be the best closer in the history of baseball to have the mindset of a champion.
Stay positive, and focus on the process instead of the results and you too can reach peak performance.
Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077
Remember this secret equation for peak performance…
E + R = O
Event + Response = Outcome
Much of success comes from our reactions in situations. If you lose a point or miss a shot, much of the time, it’s your reaction that will determine your results. Will you think a negative thought or a productive thought? Will you get frustrated or fascinated?
A friend of mine who plays in the Yankees organization once said that sometimes you may only have 70 percent of your game, but if you use 100 percent of that 70 percent, you can still win. The key is your response, or adjustments towards the event/situation.
We don’t have control over many of the events that occur, but we have total control over our response. As a result, we will have more favorable outcomes.
A big part of sports (and life) is persistence. Hanging on.
When I gave my recent talk at TEDxPrincetonLibrary, I talked about the word “hope” being an acronym—Hold On Possibilities Exist.
What do most people do when adversity strikes?
They give up.
Do you know what the great ones do?
They hang on until they catch on.
They get fascinated instead of frustrated.
They get intrigued instead of irritated.
If you stick with it when times are tough, you will most likely come out on top.
Why? Because not many people will be left.
If you do what everyone else does, you’ll get what everyone else gets.
Be great today.
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/default2.jpg300300adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2011-07-16 23:04:132011-07-16 23:04:13MESSAGE #1452 HANG ON
Recently I created a type of meditation called, the “Now” Meditation, inspired after talking mental toughness with a former New York Yankee. Here it is:
1. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths (in through the nose for four seconds, out through the nose for four seconds).
2. Clear your mind from thoughts and external distractions by repeating the word, “now,” bringing you to the present moment.
3. Your mind may wander, this is normal. When this happens, just accept the thought or distraction and go back to focusing on the word, “now.”
One of the keys to sports success is relaxing under pressure. With the “Now” Meditation, you will be able to relax any time, any where, whether it is before a competition, test, or presentation. Kung-fu masters use something similar called xi sui to keep a clear mind.
With practice, this meditation will also help YOU become more focused, relaxed and able to do your best when it means the most.
Practicing the “now” meditation only takes a few minutes, so there’s no excuse not to do it, even on holidays.
Speaking of holidays…
Happy Fourth of July!
Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/default2.jpg300300adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2011-07-04 08:44:522011-07-04 08:44:52MESSAGE #1440 THE TIME IS NOW
Well, it’s official, Derek Jeter is in Trenton, so it only makes sense to talk baseball.
I just finished reading Shawn Green’s new book, “The Way of Baseball” and enjoyed it thoroughly.
One of the things that stood out most was his after at-bat routine.
Whether Green hit a home run or made an out, when he took off his batting gloves, the at-bat was over.
He let it go.
Good or bad.
In other words, you shouldn’t get too high or too low.
Once that happens, the ego is involved and you are out of the present moment and cannot reach peak performance.
In competition, you either win or you learn, and regardless of the result, you need to let it go and get ready for the next round/at-bat/shot/point/stroke.
Simple—yes.
Easy—no.
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/default2.jpg300300adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2011-07-01 23:03:222011-07-01 23:03:22MESSAGE #1437 EVEN KEEL...
