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MESSAGE #1242 FOCUS

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We choose what we focus on.

Suppose you are winning a tennis match by a score of 5-0, and your opponent then wins the next three games. You start to think that the momentum has switched and that the person on the other side of the net has a chance to win.

STOP!

This type of thinking is normal, however, many people end up losing that set by focusing on the possible loss instead of focusing on HOW they can close it out.

The key is acknowledging that negative little voice inside your head and then moving on. Focusing on the next point. Your strategy. Your footwork.

Is this easier said than done?

Yes and no. Simple…yes. Easy…no. Mental training is just like physical training. You have to work at it.

Here’s an example of how you can shift your focus at any time.

Look around you and find three things that are blue.

Now quickly close your eyes and find something green.

Isn’t it hard to do?

Why?

Because it’s hard to focus on two things at the same time.

You can’t get green when focusing on blue.

You can’t get a win from focusing on a loss.

MESSAGE #1216 ACTION

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to all the great basketball/tennis players, coaches and parents that attended my “Mental Edge” seminar.

In my seminar today, in conjunction with the great Micah Lancaster’s basketball session, I talked about how to get the mental edge in sports and life. I shared some of the mental secrets of the world’s greatest athletes.

One of the keys I stressed was that knowing the mental secrets was not good enough–you need to APPLY them.

Information is nothing without implementation.

Everyone knows what they need to do, but most people don’t do it.

And here’s the secret…

A real champion does what they need to do, when they need to do it, whether they feel like it or not.

You don’t have to feel like a champion to act like a champion. It’s a choice, and it can begin right now.

A special thanks to Brian Klatsky for making “The Mental Edge” possible today.

MESSAGE #1187 A TIP FROM JOHN MCENROE

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There are scores of players who can hit every shot in the book who never make it into a Grand Slam event. Those who make it are there because they are mentally tougher. They wanted it more.
-JOHN MCENROE

MESSAGE #1179 PRACTICE MAKES IMPERFECT

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“Practice makes imperfect. People practice until they ‘think’ they know it. The key is to remain a learner.”
-ELLEN LANGER, Ph.D, Harvard

In conversations I’ve had with Dr. Langer, we spoke about how when practicing, athletes need to be mindful. Don’t just practice in perfect conditions, practice in realistic conditions, i.e., in tennis, practice hitting balls with different pace, spin, and depth coming at you. Practice in sun and wind and extreme cold and heat. Practice with people better than you. Practice with people worse than you.

Notice what is happening, make adjustments.

Rarely will conditions be perfect, so why practice that way?

MESSAGE #1161 MENTAL WEAKNESS

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Recently, I was teaching a high-level high school player and we were playing a groundstroke game to 11 points.

I was up 7-1 and he said to me, “Can we play another one after this one?”

In his mind, he had already lost.

And then he really did lose.

When you think about the future, you can’t perform well in the present.

Remember what the great philosopher, Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over til it’s over.”

MESSAGE #1135 TAKE SOME MEDICINE

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“There ain’t much fun in medicine, but there’s a heck of a lot of medicine in fun.”
-JOSH BILLINGS

Take a break and have some fun.

Google jokes or comedians.

Take a walk in nature.

Cultivate gratitude for all the big and little things in your life.

Smile for one minute.

Call/text your loved one just to say you were thinking about them.

Too busy to have some fun?

Then you’re TOO BUSY…

MESSAGE #1133 DAY 1 OF THE US OPEN

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MESSAGE #1097 THE KARATE KID

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I have a confession.

I like taking notes at movies.

The movies I like to watch are inspirational. They have a lot of great quotes. Recently, I went to see The Karate Kid, I knew it would have some good quotes. Here is my favorite…

There is no such thing as bad student only a bad teacher.

The “evil” kung fu instructor’s motto was “No fear, no mercy.”

Mr. Han’s (good kung fu instructor) motto was “Win or lose, it doesn’t matter. Fight hard, earn respect…Kung Fu is about making peace.”

I know coaches that tell their players to call the ball out when it is close. They teach them to be jerks on the court. They think winning is everything.

Is it?

When I work with athletes and business professionals, I ask them, “At the end of your life, what do you want to be known for?”

The answer is never, I want to be #1 in the world, or I want to be a millionaire with five homes and a boat.

The answer is always something like, “I want to have been a role model; someone who made a difference and led by example. I want to be known as someone who went all-out, regardless of the situation.”

We may not all be coaches, but we are all teachers. We may be teaching our children, our friends, our parents, our fans, our employees or a stranger on the street. But what are we teaching them?

Roger Federer said, “It’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice.”

People say, nice guys finish last.

I say, nice guys are winners before the game begins.

MESSAGE #1023 HOW TO WIN MORE

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IMAGINE THIS…

You are playing a match. The score is 30-30, 5-5 in the final set. Your return is nice and deep which forces your opponent to hit a weak shot. You hit a nice deep approach shot, follow it to net and get a high floating ball to your forehand side. You hit it, it hits the top of the net and you lose the point.

How do you react?

Most players would react negatively with their body language, self-talk or hit their racquet on the ground.

This works to your opponent’s advantage because…

1. You will boost their confidence.
2. By reacting negatively, you actually produce different hormones in your body and create muscle tension (which makes you play poorly).
3. You will decrease your chances of winning the match.

I have worked with some high level players and most of them play unbelievable when they are “on” but when they start losing, their games and body language deteriorate.

This is fairly normal.

Do you want to be normal or do you want to be great?

Act as if it were impossible to fail. -DOROTHEA BRANDE