MESSAGE #1096 LESS EFFORT

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

The way to run faster is with four-fifths effort. Just take it nice and easy.

-BUD WINTERS

If I had a dollar for every time I saw an athlete try to perform by tightening every muscle in their body, I could retire. Most people think that they need to be tight to succeed. This is false.

It is a bad sign when I see the veins in athletes’ arms, or their faces turning red.

People perform at their best when they are loose and “just doing it.”

When you constrict your muscles, you cannot swing freely.

Instead, use only the muscles you need and trust your swing/stroke/shot. This will help you throw faster, hit farther, run faster and get the results you are looking for.

Everyone says, “Less is more.”

Why?

Because it’s true.

MESSAGE #1095 DO YOU HAVE IT BACKWARDS?

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

I saw a sign today that read…

“First we will be the best, then we will be first.”

This is a great quote, but unfortunately most people have it backwards.

Most people think that they need to be first to be the best.

That’s the wrong focus.

When you focus on being first, you probably won’t become first.

But when you focus on being the best by giving the best effort/service/attitude, you will be first at whatever you do. And don’t worry if you don’t become first right away, stick with it because I’d like to see who’s going to beat you in the long-run. I guarantee there won’t be many still around.

MESSAGE #1094 I WAS THINKING…

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

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Justin Shackil.

I thought of this blog entry while I was out running this morning. My ideal start to the day is a visualization/gratitude/meditation run, then some weights and ending with yoga.

As I was doing my interval running (walk/jog/sprint), I found myself wanting to stop when I couldn’t go any further. And in the first round, I did stop. But then I thought, I am going to just go a little longer next time. I did. It wasn’t so bad. Then I did it again. I pushed myself.

The problem with stopping when you “feel like” stopping is that you are training yourself to ease up.

The key is to do a little bit more. Whenever I’m training someone in the gym, I say, do as many repetitions as you can, then do two more.

When you push yourself through the initial uncomfortable state, you end up in a whole new world.

And you get whole new results.

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 that 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 CORBETT, heavyweight boxing champion

MESSAGE #1093 THINK LIKE THE BABE

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

Supposedly, Babe Ruth was once asked, “What do you think about after you strike out?”

His reply was, “I think about hitting home runs.”

What do you think about when you don’t get the results you want?

What you focus on, you get.

MESSAGE #1092 BE PRESENT

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Kevin Roveda, who is tearing it up at tennis camp this week!

Much of peak performance is staying in the present moment.

Everyone says that we should not focus on the past or the future, but nobody tells us HOW to stay in the present moment.

Here’s a little exercise that can help you stay in the here and now, have laser-focus and get the results you want.

Pick something that you do every day, like walking or eating. Every time you do this activity, give it your total attention. Do it at half-speed. Observe and enjoy every movement, sound, smell, and sight. Be mindful. Focus on taking deep breaths while you are performing this task. At first, you may have to consciously slow down, but after a while you will get used to it. Then, “just do it.”

Great athletes slow the game down to their speed.

Great people slow life down to their speed.

Be present today.

MESSAGE #1091 FIRST PITCH VIDEO

/0 Comments/in /by

MESSAGE #1090 FIRST PITCH…

/0 Comments/in /by

Well, today was a special day.

Not only did I throw out the first pitch at the Trenton Thunder game; I also asked my girlfriend, Sarah McLoughlin to marry me after the pitch.

I went 2-for-2…I threw a strike and she said yes!

A very special Thank You to the Thunder staff and players, especially Bill, Krysten, Rachel, Dave, Justin Snyder and the great Brandon Laird for their help and support on this special day.

MESSAGE #1089 THIRSTY?

/0 Comments/in /by

So here I am sitting in the front row at the Trenton Thunder game.

I have been spending some time with several of the players before the games and I am amazed at how driven these professional athletes are.

I have given some of them a copy of my book and a mental toughness piece I wrote, with great feedback.

It amazes me how thirsty these players are.

Thirsty for knowledge and constant improvement…they have growth mindsets.

It doesn’t matter if you are a professional baseball player, a dentist, or a pianist…if you’re not thirsty, you’re not growing.

This blog is not to give you something to drink…this blog is to make you thirsty.

Drink up.

MESSAGE #1088 TRAINING

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

How you do anything is how you do everything.

I have seen many athletes (and non-athletes) focus on speed.

They think everything is a race. When they are warming up for a practice, they want to come in first. When they are writing a paper, they want to compete it first. When they are working on a project…well, you get the idea.

Here’s the problem…

When you rush, you are training yourself to be sloppy. You are focusing on quantity, not quality.

When you train yourself in the wrong way, you have to go back and do it over again (re-training your body, re-writing that paper or re-doing that project).

The great Dan Millman once told me, the key is to focus on excellence in the moment. Be mindful. Be great.

Try it, just for today.

MESSAGE #1087 VERY SUPERSTITIOUS

/0 Comments/in /by

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Michael Sachs, Ph.D. at Temple University.

Ever notice how athletes are superstitious?

Many baseball players don’t step on the foul line when hustling on and off the field.

Tennis players bounce the ball a certain number of times before they serve.

Eating the same meal before competition is also quite common.

Michael Jordan wore his college team shorts under his NBA uniform.

Not shaving until you get out of your slump happens all the time too.

Silly things, right?

Wrong.

New research shows that you may actually perform better if you are superstitious.

Rituals and lucky charms can help you–if you believe they can. They can give you added confidence.

When talking to Austin Romine, one of the Yankees’ top prospects who just played in the MLB Futures Game and the Eastern League All-Star Game, he told me that he has the same routine every single day. “Consistency off the field turns into consistency on the field,” shared Romine.

A long time ago, I wished someone good luck before a competition and they said, “I don’t need luck–I create my own luck.”

I guess they were right.