MESSAGE #1379 MENTAL BLOCKS

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Mental blocks are common in all sports, at all levels. I have seen beginners and professionals get stuck on the six-inch playing field between their ears. Perhaps they are a baseball player, who, all of a sudden can’t throw the ball to first base. Maybe it’s a diver who can’t do a flip.

Physically, nothing is wrong, but mentally they can’t get out of their head…yet.

Slumps happen when an athlete is thinking about the wrong thing at the wrong time.

During competition, an athlete should focus less on the internal (negative thoughts) and focus more on the external (target, form, etc).

The beauty of focusing on the external is that your brain cannot think about your target/form and negative thougths at the same time.

So the next time you have a mental block, accept it and re-focus on the things you can control (your effort, body language and strategy). I think you will be pleased at the results.

And if it doesn’t help right away, stick with it.

Why?

Because if you don’t quit, you can’t fail.

MESSAGE #1371 QUITTERS NEVER WIN

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Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team.

Thomas Edison failed over 10,000 times when trying to invent the lightbulb.

Derek Jeter started his professional baseball career so poorly that he called home nearly every night crying.

Did Michael Jordan give up?

No.

Did Thomas Edison give up?

No.

Did Derek Jeter give up?

No.

Did Elmer McAllister give up?

You don’t know who Elmer McAllister is?!?

That’s because he gave up.

MESSAGE #1363 SETBACKS

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Hollie Holcombe.

Earlier today, I spoke to about 40 young basketball players at Nick DiPillo’s Spring Break Skills Camp. A key point I brought up was that failure was inevitable. Everyone fails. It’s part of the process.

Michael Jordan got cut from his basketball team in high school, but he didn’t give up.

Thomas Edison failed over 10,000 times when trying to invent the lightbulb.

Babe Ruth hit the most home runs, but he also had the most strikeouts. And each time The Babe failed, he said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”

How does this relate to you? Let me put it to you this way…

A SETBACK IS A SETUP FOR A COMEBACK.

Bounce back today!

MESSAGE #1362 ARE YOU A THERMOMETER?

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Nick DiPillo, former WNBA assistant coach of the New York Liberty.

I had a meeting of the minds today with Nick DiPillo. We were talking about mental toughness in basketball…and life.

I asked him what the biggest challenges were for basketball players.

One common challenge was that some players lacked focus. They were thinking about the wrong things at the wrong time.

Many young basketball think about homework, other sports or other external factors when practicing or competing.

The pro basketball players think about the commercial they need to shoot or other commitments they may need to tend to after practice or the game.

The specific distraction may be different for young and pro basketball players, but the challenge is the same—they have the wrong focus.

The average or below average players are thermometers—they focus on what’s happening on the outside, other than basketball.

The great basketball players are thermostats—they can change their internal temperature, re-focus and kick butt on the task at hand.

Mental Toughness Tip: Before practice or competition, make a list of specific issues that may be concerning you. Write them down. Keep them in your locker and forget about them until the end of your session. Stay focused on the present moment, that’s where the power is.

MESSAGE #1348 MENTAL TOUGHNESS FROM A GOLD MEDALIST

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Here is a brief, but great video I did with gold medal skier, Lindsey Vonn…listen to EVERY word she says…

MESSAGE #1342 NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP

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You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.

-BABE RUTH

Do you go all out?

If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I always say, it’s better to go all out and lose than it is to hold back and win. Because when you hold back and win, you are training yourself to hold back.

Most people just do the minimum. So think about it, if you gave your full effort, all the time, whether you felt like it or not, wouldn’t you win more? Wouldn’t you get better results?

Of course you would.

Do the winners always feel like going all out in practice and competition?

No, but they do anyway.

Your actions create your destiny.

What actions are you going to take today?

MESSAGE #1337 LET GO #2…

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Recently, I gave some advice to a young friend of mine, Madison (above). She had a test in school the next day and I told her to just relax while taking it and give it her all. Well, I saw Madison yesterday and asked her how her test went. Her response was, “I got a 100!”

We all want to achieve greatness, but the problem is we often put too much pressure on the results.

The best way to get the best results is…

Not worrying about the results!

Focus instead on staying loose and concentrating on the task at hand.

If you put the time in studying (or practicing), you are ready. Trust the work you put in, take a deep breath and go for it.

When you focus on HOW you can perform well, instead of IF you can perform well, your world changes. Your results change.

Too many people worry about what parents will think or what friends will think…if they perform poorly. This is a recipe for disaster. Don’t worry about the past or the future…the power is in the present. The best performers in the world from athletes to students to business owners, know the secret.

Relax and go all out!

One question at a time. One point at at time. One meeting at a time.

Gandhi put it best…

“Full effort is full victory.”

Thank you, Madison, for reminding me of this very important lesson and inspiring me to be better at everything that I do!

MESSAGE #1336 LET GO

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Learn to let go. That is the key to happiness.
-The Buddha

Learn to let go. That is the key to success.

Thinking too much—Bad.

Putting too much pressure on results—Bad.

Letting go and trusting your game—Good.

You can think during practice, but during competition, just trust your hard work and have fun.

Take a moment and think about a past peak performance you had. Didn’t you play loose? Weren’t you just playing?

The more you can let go, the better your results.

MESSAGE #1335 NATIONAL CHAMP!

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Anthony Robles has just become the NCAA Division 1 National Champion for wrestling. And Anthony Robles has only one leg. Watch this inspiring interview.