Even with more than 16 years of experience as starting quarterback for the New England Patriots, Tom Brady still feels "butterflies" before games. "Yeah, absolutely," Brady told the media recently. "Yeah, there will definitely be nerves and being anxious, but that’s part of football. And once you … [Read more...]
Talk your way to confidence
Hockey season is here. Whether you are preparing for a pro camp, early season training with your college team or beginning your club or house league, hockey energy abounds. As part of this kickoff to the season, the focus in this column will be confidence. Whether you are returning to your old team … [Read more...]
Imagery can be a powerful asset for motivation
This month, the focus is on imagery, a mental skill fundamental to high performance. Not only is it a powerful tool that improves potential, but also it is fun. By one estimate, 99.9 percent of Olympic athletes draw upon this skill to enhance their performance. While imagery has many uses — too many … [Read more...]
Your focus determines your reality
In 1985, I attended a seminar, Journey to Center, at which I volunteered to demonstrate an exercise with Aikido master Tom Crum. Tom, who became a mentor, asked me to stand before a large group. Facing me, he gently pushed my shoulders, and as I fell back, I had to catch my balance by moving my … [Read more...]
Drive your performance with motivation
So far in my columns, I have introduced effective ways to gain a competitive edge through mental conditioning, specifically by utilizing breathing as a mind-body connection and by goalsetting. These tools are only effective, however, if athletes have the drive to reach their goals, whether for … [Read more...]
Setting goals will set you up for success
In my column, I share key elements of mental conditioning that improve athletic performance. This month’s topic is goal setting, the ability to set and achieve goals fundamental to success in both sports and life. As I wrote this column on "Marathon Monday," about 30,000 people were running the 26.2 … [Read more...]
