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PPP 019 Wimbledon Junior Champion, Noah Rubin

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In this episode of the Peak Performance Podcast, Ed chats about the mental game with Noah Rubin, fresh off his 2014 Wimbledon win.

What you’ll learn:

  • How Noah got his start in tennis
  • His 2 keys to success
  • How John McEnroe has helped his game
  • The secret to overcoming nervousness
  • The zone and slumps

Don’t miss this exclusive interview.

Follow Noah on Twitter and Instagram at Noahrubin33.

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PPP 016 INSIDE THE MIND OF MICHAEL CHANG

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In Episode 016 of the Peak Performance Podcast, Ed Tseng talks with former World #2, French Open champion, youngest player to win a Grand Slam tournament, and one of Ed’s childhood heroes, Michael Chang.

In this exclusive interview, hear about Chang’s amazing run at the 1989 French Open and what was going on through his mind when he started cramping against Ivan Lendl. Ed and Michael also talk about life lessons that can be learned from sports.

Link to the Chang Family Foundation: http://mchang.com/

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PPP 009 CARLING BASSETT, FORMER WORLD #8 AND FORD MODEL

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In Episode 9 of the Peak Performance Podcast, I chat with the great Carling Bassett, former World #8 tennis player, and Ford Fashion model.

What you’ll learn:

  • What life was like during the early days at the Bollettieri Academy
  • Carling’s take on the pro tour
  • How tennis can teach life lessons
  • The day in the life of a model
  • The biggest challenges of being a professional athlete and fashion model

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PPP 005 TIM MAYOTTE INTERVIEW

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In Episode #5 of the Peak Performance Podcast, I interview former world #7 tennis player and Olympic Silver medalist, Tim Mayotte. In this exclusive interview, Tim and I chat about:

  • State of US tennis
  • The pro tour
  • The mental game
  • The worst thing that he ever said to himself
  • Is education important?
Links:
Twitter: @timMayotte
I don’t know about you, but I loved hearing Tim talk about the mental game.  Share below!

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MESSAGE #1644 THINK LIKE THE PROS

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My friend used to coach the great Pete Sampras. One day he was training with Pistol Pete, getting him ready for his clay court season…his least favorite surface. Well, my friend proceeded to beat Sampras in three groundstroke games in a row, and as they were getting some water, he thought, “I just beat Pete Sampras three games in a row. He must feel terrible losing to his coach. What could I say to him to make him feel better?”

Before he could think of something to say, Sampras walked up to him and said, “That was GREAT! I really feel like I’m ready for the clay court season!”

Shocked, my friend thought, “What?!? How could he feel great after losing to a coach? That’s not normal.”

In a way, great athletes are not normal.

To me, what set Pete Sampras apart from everyone else was what was going on between his ears…his thoughts. He didn’t lose confidence when he lost. He gained confidence because he focused on the process and looked at his training as preparation, not a blow to his ego. Did he ever have negative thoughts? Of course he did.

We all have negative thoughts.

But Pete Sampras didn’t concern himself with his thoughts. He saw the game differently. Was the game actually different? No, only in his mind.

We all have the free will to look at any situation in any way that we choose. It’s not our situation or circumstances that affect our feelings, it’s our thoughts. 100 percent of the time.

The next time you find yourself in a “negative” situation, see if you can see it differently. See if you can see it like Pete Sampras.

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #1520 THIS IS WHO WINS

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Going into the Mercer County Tournament, my Princeton Day School girls tennis team was not the favorite. We weren’t even the second or third favorite. But we were still optimistic.

So how did we win the championship?

1. We went all-out.
2. We focused on the process, not the outcome.
3. We supported each other.
4. We never gave up.
5. We stayed positive.

We were tied with Princeton High School going into the final day and this is what I told my team:

“Day 1 was great, but it’s now in the past. Somebody’s gotta win this, why not us? It’s not the best team that wins, it’s the team that plays best. Play to win, not to ‘not lose.’ ”

And we are now the 2011 Mercer County Champions.

MESSAGE #1502 THE WINNER OF THE US OPEN WILL BE…

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I am going to make a prediction.

I know who is going to win the US Open this year.

Here it is:

The winner of the 2011 US Open will be…

The player who plays best.

Let me explain.

The best player does not win the US Open, the player that plays best wins the US Open.

It’s not about rankings, it’s about how well you play. Anything can happen in sports. There have already been several upsets in both the men’s and women’s draws.

So the next time you get ready for a competition, forget about who you’re up against. Instead, focus on your strategy and giving your full effort. If you do things that will help put you in a good position to win, you will win more often.

Leave your comments below.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1412 LESSONS FROM AN NCAA CHAMP

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Recently, Lauren Embree clinched the NCAA title for the University of Florida Gators women’s tennis team. She beat Mallory Burdette, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6) after losing a 5-1 lead in the first set and overcoming a 0-4 deficit in the final set.

I caught up with Embree after her incredible win.

“I had different thoughts racing through my mind when I was down 4-0 in the third. I kept fighting. I knew I still had a chance no matter what the score was.”

“I just told myself, ‘one point at a time,’ ”

“I kept telling myself positive thoughts.”

Embree’s goal was to fight her way back and instead of focusing on the situation, she focused on the process and just tried to get the ball back deeper.

So what did Embree do?

1. She went all-out.
2. She played in the present moment (not the past or the future).
3. She told herself affirmations to keep her performance, focus and energy levels high.

She could have easily fallen apart after losing the lead in the first set, but she didn’t—she fought back. Even when she was down 0-4 in the final set, she went all-out until the very end.

And we can all do that…it’s a choice.

You may not be an NCAA champion, but you can use Embree’s strategies to succeed in sports, sales or school. And you can begin today.

Thank you Lauren and congrats again.

MESSAGE #1245

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“The first and best victory is to conquer self.”
-PLATO

Recently, I worked with a young girl and she hated serving. She avoided it. Every time she practiced her serve, she would inevitably expect the worst.

I told her I was optimistic about her serve and that she should be as well. “You get what you focus on,” I told her.

Instead of focusing on how much she hated serving, I just told her to think about her technique and adjustments.

She stuck with it and started getting her serves in. And guess what?

She started smiling.

Had she given up or avoided serving, her serves would still be the same.

She conquered herself and began getting the results she wanted.

My student came up to me after class and said, “Thank you, coach. Today I learned a very important lesson.”

Conquer yourself and the sky is the limit.