Posts

MESSAGE #1021 WHAT CHAMPIONS DO IN PRACTICE…

/0 Comments/in , , , , , /by

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Didi Fisher Weinreb.

What determines if a player becomes a champion?

Part of it is practice.

A lot of practice. 10,000 hours in fact, according to most performance experts.

But practice does not make perfect.

Perfect practice makes perfect. Some call it “deliberate practice” or “purposeful practice.”

Either way, the road to becoming a champion needs the following ingredients:

1. A lot of practice (20 hours per week for 10 years = 10,000 hours).

2. Practice sessions must focus on progress (instead of results).

3. Practice sessions must be focused on improving your weaknesses (AND improving your strengths).

“When most people practice, they focus on the things they can do effortlessly. Expert practice is different. It entails considerable, specific ,and sustained efforts to do something you can’t do well – or even at all. Research across domains shows that it is only by working at what you can’t do that you turn into the expert you want to become,” said psychologist, S.W. Tyler.

Matthew Syed says that “…the practice sessions of aspiring champions have a specific and never-changing purpose: progress. Every second of every minute of every hour, the goal is to extend one’s mind and body, to push oneself beyond the outer limits of one’s capacities, to engage so deeply in the task that one leaves the training session, literally a changed person.”

How will YOU practice today?

MESSAGE #677 1-2-3-4 PRESSURE…

/0 Comments/in /by

Anyone can perform well when they feel good, or are “in the zone,” but it’s the great ones that perform well when everything is on the line.

It’s the great ones that love the pressure.

But is it really pressure?

No, it’s perception.

Does the situation make you fearful or excited?

Someone asked Pete Sampras after he retired, what he missed most about playing professional tennis. Sampras said, “I miss feeling so nervous that I would throw up before the finals of Wimbledon.”

So if you can thrive on pressure on the field, at work, in school and in your relationships, you will be one of the greats.


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #610 NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP…

/0 Comments/in /by

“Fight one more round. When your feet are so tired that you have to shuffle back to the center of the ring, fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round. When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired that you wish your opponent would crack you one on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round — remembering that the man who always fights one more round is never whipped.”
-JAMES J. CORBETT

MESSAGE #433 THE ONLY THING YOU NEED TO GIVE…

/0 Comments/in /by

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Liza Horan.

Pay attention if you’re a teacher, doctor, coach, athlete, student, male, female…

If you’re a coach, the only thing you need to give your players is…

HOPE

If you believe something is possible, it IS possible. But if you don’t, it ISN’T.

Give hope to your students, your patients, your friends and family.

Below is a message that I received yesterday…


“I am currently a 16 and under junior tennis player in New Jersey. My ranking is #6 in the USTA/Middle States section and #170 in the country. Throughout my life and tennis career I have never been able to beat someone ranked higher then me until today…last night Ed told me a quote-‘It’s better to go all out and lose, than to hold back and win.’ I played like that today and for the first time ever I beat two top 100 players in the country…THANK YOU, ED!”

-Max Rubin, Cherry Hill, NJ

Physical skills take a while to develop, but as I say, in my new book, “Game. Set. Life.” you can improve instantly by having the attitude and mindset of a champion. I just helped Max believe in himself…I gave him hope.

H.O.P.E. – Hold On Possibilities Exist

Great job, Max!

Thanks for reading.