The Athlete Whisperer

A SKATER'S MENTAL GAME

2007-09-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

Interview: Per Welinder
Former Free Skating World Champion

MOTIVATION

ATHLETE WHISPERER: Your background—how old were you when you got involved in the sport seriously? What was your goal? Where did it lead you?

PER: I had no real goals at the beginning, just a burning desire to learn how to skate and do new tricks. At first, it lead me from the suburbs of Stockholm, Sweden, to the center of the city where there were skate shops and occasional demos by U.S. pros like Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta. Then it lead to trips to Paris and other European destinations for competitions. Winning lead me to a more goal-like mind-set. I wanted to go to southern California, the Mecca of skateboarding. I wanted to compete against the best. I loved the skating opportunities, the weather, and the girls.
Today, I live with my wife and two sons in southern California, and run my skateboard company.

DISTRACTIONS

AW: What or Who were your stumbling blocks along the way? Were you encouraged and supported or discouraged?

PER: Rain and cold Swedish winters reduced the opportunities to skate outside. I was fortunate and was allowed to skate and do stationary tricks on a carpet in the living room. Also, when the weather was bad we would go to into Stockholm and find the least busy subway stations deep underground and skate for hours between the trains stopping. Those were very memorable days. My mother was supportive but my dad had reservations for many years about me spending so much time o the skateboard.

VISUALIZATION

AW: Did you have a pre-event psych-up routine?

PER: About 2-3 weeks before an event I would really start working on skating timed contest runs to the music I selected for that competition. On the actual day of the event I would warm-up in the arena. I would then go to a quiet area and rehearse the entire routine in my head numerous times.

SKATING AS IF. . .

AW: Who were your skating heroes?

PER: Skating with guys like Steve Rocco, Rodney Mullen, Hazze Lindgren, Bob Schmeltzer, Don Brown, and Pierre Andre Seniserguez inspired me.

MENTAL GAME

AW: Did you use mental game techniques?

PER: I would prepare using visualization. I would also use it to imagine new tricks. I would imagine the trick in slow motion, real time, and speeded up. All can be helpful to grasp how you would go about pulling off the trick.

AW: How did you deal with disappointments?

PER: Mull it over for a day or two. I would use it to push harder, skate more often, skate faster, and try more tricks.

LESSONS LEARNED

AW: What are you doing now? Does your sport experience help you in business? In life?

PER: In business, I really enjoy pushing for new products and new designs. That has carried over from the competitive skating days. And dealing with disappointments is similar too. I don’t dwell on business disappointments; rather I try to learn from them. I hope that transfers into satisfied customers.

athletewhisperer@gmail.com

Elliptical Marathon For A Cause

2007-09-07T23:05:00.000-07:00

MEDIA RELEASE

Hollywood Personal Trainer Sets Elliptical Record For Charity

Erik Flowers, a Hollywood-based gym owner and personal trainer exercised on an elliptical machine for 24-hours for ALS research. . .

(Sept. 10, 2007) Los Angeles, CA
He called it “ElliptiSize for ALS,” and fitness expert Erik Flowers went 24-hours on an elliptical machine during the 43rd annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. The event was designed to bring awareness and funds to “Augie’s Quest,” an organization that raises money for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease).
It may not be a recognized record by organizations that sanction such events, but it is the first time anyone has ever attempted an elliptical marathon.
Fact is Flowers went the equivalent distance of three marathons at a walking pace. He burned over 10,000 calories while maintaining a heart rate of barely over 100 beats per minute. Flowers trained six months for the event.
“This was my tribute to Augie Nieto, a fitness industry icon and role-model,” says Flowers. Nieto invented the Lifecycle and started the Life Fitness company. He developed ALS about two years ago, at 54 years old. Flowers raised $4,000-5,000, with contributions still coming in.
Earlier this year, Flowers was named one of L.A.’s most innovative personal trainers. His gym, Body Builders Gym, is located in Silver Lake, between Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles. Flowers lives in Orange County, CA.
He is also a certified mental game coach, which he says helped him during the more boring a.m. hours.Learn more about Augie’s Quest at: augiesquest.org. Read more about Erik Flowers at: athletewhisperer.com.

Celebrity Rehab Advice

2007-08-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

You're an instant celebrity, a hot, young actor or actress, a rising pop singer, or perhaps an emerging filmmaker. Success looms large, and so do the choices you have to make. With success comes pressure, pressure creates stress, stress breeds doubt-in yourself and those around you.
That's how it starts. One day you wake up on top of the world, but in a fog, unable to put your finger on right choices. The choices have gotten easier, but that's when you're hooked.
As a Personal Trainer, I've worked in health and fitness for over 25 years, in Sin City, the OC, and the last ten years in Hollywood. I've seen my fill of "users." I've been around deteriorating health, relapses and suicides. Alcoholics, meth addicts, coke-heads, sex addicts, speed-freaks, and drugs simply identified with a single large letter. I've also witnessed addicts turn it around and become spiritually fit and mentally sound. How do some users make the change?
Get physical. Make exercise your new addiction.
Here are ten sober choices you can make to change your habit:
1. Exercise and add years to your life; or have your life stolen from you by your addiction
2. Impress yourself by getting physical; or depress yourself by remaining inert
3. Exercise can help prevent illnesses; or become a breeding ground for constant mystery sicknesses
4. Use your body wisely and be admired; or abuse your body and become a joke
5. Breath or choke
6. Finely tune your machine; or become a Pick-a-Part
7. Sleep well; or sit in front of the mirror and watch your face (and life) melt away
8. Exercise and feel good about yourself; or remain in an addiction that doesn't give a damn about you
9. Exercise and prevent neuromuscular diseases; or invite strokes, heart attacks, palsies, and other disabilities
10. If you are in recovery, which if you are you always will be, you need to exercise because it will add quality to your life; or you can search the word "Depression" on the internet and see your picture come up.
Get back to making the right choices you're capable of making. I say you need to re-train your addiction. But then what do I know, I've never had one.
Erik Flowers is a Personal Trainer and co-owner of Body Builders Gym, Los Angeles. He has been called "The Athlete Whisperer," and the L.A. Times named him one of L.A.'s most innovative trainers. Reach him at: http://www.athletewhisperer.com

The Mental Game Of Blackjack

2007-08-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

What if I told you I know what's inside the minds of the world's best tournament blackjack players? You want to win like the pros, you have to think like the pros! You're going to need all your book knowledge, skill, experience and more to compete professional blackjack tournaments.
To be a top professional tournament blackjack player you have to control your emotions, minimize drama, use effective systems, employ flawless strategy, enjoy competitiveness, rely on unerring money-management skills, and absorb the bad-beats.
I know you. I know your bookshelves are stuffed with expert blackjack books: "Big" books, "Secrets of..." books, "Theory" books. You must have a brain for numbers. Likely you play chess or Sudoku. You are a visual-analytical thinker who stores information up and to the left. That's where your eyes go when you are ruminating. You remember vividly your first love--what he/she looked like. You don't have time for heavy breathing, so likely don't do yoga. You prefer action sports. You speak in clips or bursts. You'll agree their are X-factors in the game, but not the thing called luck.
Here are the mental skills needed to be a top pro tournament blackjack player:
1. Relaxation (comes with hours and hours of experience in mini-tournaments, not with the game on your cell phone)
2. Concentration (so many important decisions to be made in brief spans of time)
3. Risk play (be comfortable losing because most of the time you will)
4. Fear (don't--it's only a game)
5. Pressure (it's your money you're losing)
6. Distractions (waitresses dressed like cheetahs, drinks, noise, stares, jabbering players)
7. Confidence (start small win big, start big win nothing)
8. Optimal play (not perfect play)
9. Post-performance review (all pros in any sport do it)
10. Control factors (stay in your zone, play your game)
Even after all that training, how much of the game can you really control? Maybe only 20% say some of the pros--same as any other high-stakes game.
Erik Flowers is a Certified Mental Game Coach. He has been called "The Athlete Whisperer" and was taught tournament blackjack in his mid-20s by players who are now considered the world's best. Contact him at: http://www.athletewhisperer.com

How Many Exercises You Can Do With A Chair

2007-08-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Cancel your gym membership. I'm going to list 21 exercises you can do with a common chair. You'll be able to exercise your entire body, for free, with these:
1) hands on the seat, face down, legs stretched out and on your toes--pushups;
2) butt off the seat, hands behind you, raise and lower--back of the arms;
3) sit, put your hands on the insides of your knees, try closing your legs as you resist with your hands--thighs;
4) stand, hold chair, lift up a straight leg to the side, then switch--hips;
5) sit, hold sides of chair, bring knees up, hold for two--abs;
6) sit, straight arms out to sides, rotate in small circles--side shoulders;
7) sit, long arms in front, then hide straight arms behind your back--front/back shoulders;
8) on floor, feet on chair, hands reach for ceiling, bring shoulders off floor then back down--abs;
9) on floor, feet on chair, long legs, lift heels off chair six inches, up and down--lower abs;
10) sit, squeeze your cheeks and hold--butt;
11) sit, knees flared out to the side, raise knees up--side abs;
12) sit, face in, raise shoulders up to your ears and hold for two--neck;
13) stand, curl the chair--biceps;
14) lying on floor, lift chair over head, then all the way over your head until it touches the floor behind you--high back;
15) stand, hands on seat, bring your knee to your chest, then kick back like a donkey--butt;
16) sit down, stand up--front thighs;
17) stand, hold chair, raise only your toes twenty times--shins/ankles;
18) same thing, this time raise your heels and hold for two--calfs;
19) stand, hold chair, kick your heel to your butt--back of legs;
20) hold chair, curl it by flexing your wrists up and down--forearms/wrists;
21) walk around the chair twenty times, then reverse, and hop to make it harder--cardio; Bonus: sit on chair and take a moment for yourself, you did it--meditation.
Just these will help change your attitude, your body and your energy level. Email me your additions to the list.
Erik Flowers is a Personal Trainer and co-owner of Body Builders Gym, Los Angeles. He has been called "The Athlete Whisperer," and the L.A. Times named him one of L.A.'s most innovative trainers. http://www.athletewhisperer.com

MENTAL TOUGHNESS Q & A WITH A CHAMPION

2007-01-18T13:28:00.000-08:00

Mental Toughness: Staying In Control
Interview w/ Rod Gaspar, a lifelong competitor (and member of the World Series '69 N.Y. Mets)

Rod Gaspar is a former standout college, minor league and professional baseball player. He has a World Series ring to prove it. Rod is a lifelong competitor and was raised with a tough view of the game--whatever game it happens to be. He is currently a nationally highly-ranked handball player.

Q: How did you prepare physically for your United States Handball Association Four-Wall Tournament matches?
RG: I did 30-60 minute sessions of intense cardio on an elliptical machine, and played handball 2-3 times a week leading up to the tournament.

Q: How do you prepare mentally?
RG: By the time the tournament starts, I go into it thinking I can beat anyone.

Q: Are these the same psyching techniques you used as a pro baseball player?
RG: Similar. But handball is such a physically demanding game, so it has a different type of mental challenge. The game of handball is relentless mentally and physically. Baseball allows for breaks to gather yourself.

Q: They are long tournaments. At 60 years old how do you deal with the physical and mental fatigue?
RG: If I think I'm tired I'm tired. Sometimes mentally no matter how hard I try to push past the fatigue my body says "no." I had to learn to accept that. Sometimes my competitor wins.

Q: What percentage of your game is physical and what percent is mental?
RG: I couldn't say. I do know this: all things being equal, whoever is mentally tougher is going to win--most of the time.

Q: How do you stay focused?
RG: It can be difficult in a long ballgame or handball tournament to maintain concentration. My style has always been to take the competition head-on and try to get it over as quickly as possible.

Q: How do you usually react if you make a mistake during a game?
RG: If you're smart, you'll learn from it and move on.

Q: As a serious competitor, do you always compete to be the best?
RG: I just love to compete. It's a fun process. But it's important to realize that you're not going to be the best at everything--in life or athletics.

Q: Where do you get your drive?
RG: I have a very intense nature.

Q: Where does that "nature" come from and where does it go during the game?
RG: It has a lot to do with how I was raised. Growing up in the 50's and 60's, my parents were blue collar, hard-nosed loving people. By being small for my age (at 16 I was 5'2", 105lbs.) I was competing against bigger boys. I could hang in there with them, but I wasn't an exceptional talent, until 19-20 years old. By then my confidence in my baseball abilities had skyrocketed.
After I signed my first professional baseball contract the confidence level increased even more as I progressed through the New York Mets system. That confidence and my athletic ability has helped me tremendously in handball. Competing at the major league level has helped give me the confidence to know that I can compete with the best in handball as well.
My attitude is I am going to win and most of the time that happens.

Q: What mental game techniques do you use to control your competitiveness?
RG: Practice your skills until they become automatic. I use Relaxed Concentration, a technique that helps relax my breathing and intensify my focus.

email: athletewhisperer@gmail.com

4 NEW GOALS

2007-01-09T04:06:00.000-08:00

A local cutting-edge magazine wanted me to analyze the Resolutions of four people. The goals were expresed as these:
1) Pass the Bar examine
2) Learn Italian
3) Refuse to make one because I don't want to fail
4) Graduate college
Some people call them "New Year's Resolutions." Let's look at them as typical new goals. Break them down this way: Goal/Motive/Plan.

Pass the Bar after investing $100,000 and three years........With this type of "advancement" goal you have to visualize the big picture. See it. Feel it. Make it your movie. Taste the success. Smell the $$$. Ask yourself "How will passing the Bar benefit me and others? Be honest. Write down how you will contribute. Find out how you learn best. Are you tactile (flash cards around your room), visual (a class) or auditory (CDs in your car). Study using your strongest modality.

Learn Italian so I'll be ready when I go someday........Too broad of a goal. The "someday" weakens the purpose. The chances of accomplishing this goal have already been diminished. If we do not have many reasons to act on something, the action can break down over time. Reframe this way: Learn Italian because it can lead to learning other languages and more international travel, which I love.

Graduate college because I don't want to be here forever..........Better to reframe into a positive statement by just dropping the second part. To accomplish this type of goal don't overload your classes or assignments because of outside pressures. Keep in mind why you want to accomplish this goal--For the grand party after? Because your big sister didn't? To feel proud of yourself? You're ready to start the career you've always dreamed of? Put your reasons on wall and look at them everyday. Lose outside distractions and maintain focus. Be a "student," one who is an attentive observer.

Don't want to make one so I don't fail again..........Nothing happens without action. And, we are the sum of our actions. Not acting for fear of failure is a safe, secure limiting belief. Do you know what "security" is? Security is the person who guards the corndogs at 2am at the Quickie Mart. Pick something you can accomplish NOW; ONE HOUR FROM NOW; NEXT WEEK. Do these things, that's your resolution! Good job! That's the path to success.

Email: athletewhisperer@gmail.com

WHO DO YOU ADMIRE?

2006-12-15T22:38:00.000-08:00

Erik Flowers, "The Athlete Whisperer"

The following worksheet aligns you with the athletes you admire most.

1. Write down all the personal attributes you can think of that make a champion.

2. Write your own sports history in exactly 250 words.

3. Write down three players you admire most, then add your name to the list.

4. Write down three things you admire about these particular three players.

5. Write down three things you admire about yourself as an athlete.

Examine what you've done here. Look where you have to go to get where they are as champions and top athletes. Remember this: They've all been where you are now. Know this: You can get there too.

Email: athletewhisperer@gmail.com

20 INSTANT TIPS FOR A BETTER PERFORMANCE IN SPORTS (AND LIFE)

2006-12-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

In the following, the words "life" and "sport" and "performance" are interchangeable.

Recipe: Take one of these every morning, put it in a bowl, dribble some water on top, place the bowl in the microwave and zap for one minute, and start your day with instant Betterment!

1. Know the truest, most foundational reason why you are performing or playing your sport.

2. Realize you can only control about 10% of your performance and the rest is just distraction.

3. Admit you don't know everything about your sport.

4. Find your optimal performance number.

5. Set specific measureable, attainable, realistic short-term and long-term goals.

6. If you are a parent, let your kids play without judgments, attachments, comparisons, constant coaching, anger, embarrassment, or future significance.

7. Answer this question: Do you like to win more, or do you hate to lose more?

8. Know that everyone gets nervous, loses site of their original goal, feels game pressure, loses focus, and let their emotions take over.

9. Visualize your event from start to finish; then from finish to start; then in slow motion; and in complete detail.

10. Know your equipment as if it is a part of your body.

11. Change negative self-talk to positive simply by adding "but I will do better this time."

12. Peak performance is 50% visualization; 40% practice; 10% execution.

13. Drive + Habit = Performance

14. Perform as if you are one of your heroes.

15. Practice like you want to play, play like it's practice.

16. Always want your opponent to play their best.

17. Mastery of anything takes 10,000 hours.

18. You can control your effort, but not the outcome of your efforts.

19. Pull back your performance to a 80-90% level to allow your mind to work instinctively.

20. Review your wins and loses, then move on.

Email: athletewhisperer@gmail.com

WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM YOUR SPORT?

2006-12-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

Okay, you've written down your short-term, intermediate, and long-term goals. And you're very clear on why you are playing. So, what do you want from your sport? Ever ask that one?

How is that different from your motive for playing? You're motive is an all-encompassing drive. It's your motor, your purpose for playing. But your Wants are pieces of that puzzle too. What do you Want--
> now
> tomorrow
> this season
> your career
> most privately
> considered "impossible"

Your Wants will affect those around you. As you succeed in your sport, what do you Want from your--
> mate
> spirituality
> family

What do you Want from YOURSELF?

Don't wish it, yearn for it, prey for it, pine for it, beg, scream or be determined to fight for it. Simply be honest with yourself. Don't explain it, excuse it, apologize for it, give reasons for it, and most importantly--don't share it with others. Your Wants are YOUR Wants.

Take your list and ask "Why?" to each Want. Break it down. Make sure your get to the bottom of it; the pure, unadulterated, unpolluted truth. Keep the process positive.

Thinking about each one for 16-20 seconds is enough to send a message into the cosmos.

Acknowledging your Wants is a kind of selfish allowance. It's positve feedback with positve payback.

Know them

Acknowledge them

Send them out into the world!

Email: athletewhisperer@gmail.com

CONTROL FACTORS

2006-12-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

Do you agree:
YOU CAN ONLY CONTROL ABOUT 10% OF THE NOISES AROUND YOU.
Would you say:
YOU CAN ONLY CONTROL ABOUT 10% OF PEOPLE'S REACTIONS TO YOU.
Do you believe like I do:
YOU CAN ONLY CONTROL ABOUT 10% OF YOUR OWN LIFE.
And:
YOU CAN ONLY CONTROL ABOUT 10% OF YOUR SPORT.

I'm going to lay out for you why you should concentrate on improving that paramount and personal ten percent. And if you concentrate primarily on that 10%, you can improve your game (life) up to 85%! Apply this lesson to any sport, at any level.

Let me first ask another question: Would you rather fight nine guys and let one go, or fight one guy and let nine go?

Now do this: Take four blank sheets of paper and a pen. Label one sheet "LET IT GO." Label another sheet "NOT LIKELY," and the third sheet "IN MY CONTROL."
Take the LET IT GO sheet first. List all factors of these sports that an athlete has no control over.

Ice skating (judges...)
Triathlon (weather...)
Football (referees...)

If something creates a debate, move it to the NOT LIKELY sheet. Now let's go there. List all factors of these sports that an athlete has only partial control over.

Volleyball...
Sprinting...
Golf...
Surfing...

For example, in tennis, you have under 30 seconds between serves. You can choose to slow the match down by using all the time, or speed up the pace by serving quicker. What you cannot do is take more time than the rule allows.

List factors of these sports that an athlete has total control over.

Boxing...
Basketball...
Hockey...

Now, take the fourth sheet of blank paper and put the name of your sport at the top. Now list the factors you cannot control, the factors you cannot likely change, and the factors within one hundred percent control. This is the list for your sport (and life). Work almost exclusively with the IN MY CONTROL factors you have listed--and add more.

Best equipment for you!
Best pre-game ritual for you!
Best stretching for you!
Best breathing technique for you!
Best short-term/long-term goals for you!
Best ways to control your emotions!
Best weight for you!
Best job for you!
Best spirituality for you!
Best life path--for you!
THE BEST YOU!

I was driving my 5-year old daughter and her friend. When we came to a red traffic light, they began chanting "Booble-lee-booble-la, fe-fish, fa-fish, three-two-one change!" But the light stayed the same. They did it again and again, as we continued to sit there and let the red light run its cycle. The little girls repeated that chant twelve times before the light turned green then they let out a small cheer.

You can control winning only slightly more than those little girls controlled the changing of the traffic light. You can control winning as much as you can control the noises in the world around you. You can control winning about as much as you can control your life.

Concentrate on the IN MY TOTAL CONTROL factors. Don't waste your life trying to change the traffic light from red to green.

It's really all we can do.

*Concepts for this column can be attributed to Bill Cole, Pres. Int'l Mental Game Coaching Assoc., www.MentalGameCoaching.com

EMAIL: athletewhisperer@gmail.com

PARENTS AS PART OF THE TEAM

2006-12-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

Take a look at the title of this discussion. It's not called "Parents As Assistant Coaches" or "Parents As Cheerleaders" or even "I Wanna Be Good At Sports Because My Mom or Dad Was."
It is estimated that 70% of kids who play organized youth sports quit by age 13. Of that 70%, most lose interest in the game, chose to follow other studies, or just plain tire of the routine.
Parents, do you want to know the very specific reasons kids get turned off by organized sports. Can you handle the truth?
Kids want to quit organized sports because. . .

-- they get lectured, criticized, or coached at home for their performances
-- they get constantly watched and judged by their parents during practice and games
-- they get talked to, or are constantly talked at about their sport
-- they get placed into upper levels when they're not yet ready
-- they aren't taught the larger life lessons of sports
-- they feel too much pressure with phrases like "This is a big game," or "There's a lot riding on this game"
-- they are taught winning is everything

These are just a few real reasons why talented young athletes end up resenting their sport. (Because kids will take it out on the sport rather than the parent.)
I want to present three suggested corrections for parents. I highly recommend adjusting your behavior according to these new rules of thumb:

#1. DO NOT GIVE STRATEGIC OR GAME-WORTHY ADVICE. That's why he/she has coaches.

#2. TALK ABOUT ALL THE OTHER THINGS GOING ON IN THEIR LIVES. Ask how he/she feels about those daily happenings. Veer away from sports specifics.

#3. STAY AWAY FROM THE FENCE! You all know what I mean. By not going to practices and games as much, you allow your child to mature on the field or court, without your supervision. Also, he/she will have more to talk to you about at home--and most significantly, he/she will talk in his/her voice. Do you realize the importance of that? They will retain the joy and excitement for the game, and you are allowing them that space.

Parents, while your child is practicing his/her sport, you practice these three new parenting approaches. It's win-win advice.

email: athletewhisperer@gmail.com

SPORTS PERFORMANCE AND MUSIC

2006-11-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

Looking for a sure-fire way to raise your sports performance? Study after study confirms the affects of music on attitude and behavior. Certain music strikes certain chords within us, changing our inner vibrations, making us sharp when we're flat. You can tinker with your mood, tune into your inner rhythms, make your spirit soar!

THE MOZART EFFECT ON ATHLETES
Athletes deal with play-by-play pressure. Elite athletes become comfortable being uncomfortable. Young athletes can be surrounded by unfamiliar spectators, while top sports stars are scrutinized by millions of viewers and the media.
Fifteen minutes of Mozart can calm your nerves, clear the jumble in your head, place you in a safe place. According to Don Campbell, author of "The Mozart Effect," a little Mozart goes a long way to:
> boost your immune system
> regulate stress
> expand your perception of time and space
> increase your effectiveness
> help your digestion
> increase your endurance
> create a comfort zone

HEAR THE MUSIC, BE THE MUSIC
If you are feeling emotional, unfocused, scattered--sit quietly with Mozart or Baroque music. If you are too systematic, too robotic, too structured in your play--listen to some Jazz.
You want to know what certain types of music can offer you? Follow this guide:

Baroque -- order
Georgorian Chants -- meditative
Romantic -- compassion
Jazz -- inspiration
Samba -- soothes
Big Band -- well-being
Pop -- belonging
Country-Western -- modesty
New Age -- relaxation
Metal -- release
Hip Hop -- understanding

Find the music that best suites you. Use it to your advantage. But do it now because music has been found to be so effective for athletes that some organizations are thinking of banning IPods and MP3 players from the field.
I wonder, would that include national anthems?

email: athletewhisperer@gmail.com

GAME PRESSURE

2006-11-26T22:10:00.000-08:00

When I was a teenager, a classmate of mine who was a cheerleader and had a lot going for her--pretty, great personality, nice family--asked me how I was so confident. I remember her asking so earnestly, "Where do you get it from?" I didn't have to think about the answer, it just came out, "Here take mine, I'll get more."
Contrary to her outward appearance she had fear, the opposite of confidence. Fear boils, the pressure creates steam and perspiration, which are forms of hot air looking for an escape. Fear is just a lot of hot air. It doesn't exist unless we create it and give it form.

PRESSURE
We create pressure by forming anxieties about the future and recalling failures from the past. We create pressure by attaching our worth to results. We create pressure by not practicing enough. We create pressure by not breathing correctly. We create pressure by making comparisons. We create pressure by feeling accountable to others. We create pressure by selfishly hoarding our successes. We create pressure with stagnation. We create pressure with perfectionism. IT'S COMING AT US FROM ALL ANGLES AND WE JUST CAN'T TAKE IT!

"DON'T CHOKE"
You're not alone. Everyone feels pressure. Everyone has fears, loses confidence, loses site of the original goals, loses focus, and gets emotional during a contest. Even Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Michael Jordan, and Marion Jones have choked. As International Mental Game Coaching Association founder Bill Cole says, It's who chokes least that wins.

HOW TO MEASURE SUCCESS
Baseball batters are happy getting an on-base hit 30% of their at bats. Boxers usually win in the distance if they hit their opponent with 20-30% of punches. Skilled hockey players make millions of dollars putting the puck in the net 10% of their shots.
Picture your boss storming into your office and demanding, "Do you have that cost analysis report for me?" and you say "Nope." So he leaves your office but applies the pressure eight more times during the day with the exact same demand. Finally, after the tenth time you hand it over. Is that success?
What are your odds of sinking a ten foot putt? How many foul shots can you make out of ten? How many first serves do you get in during a typical match? Do you measure your successes and failures? Don't. It's an endgame you'll lose 95% of the time. Which means you allow yourself to be satisfied only five percent of the time. Talk about pressure!

ANTI-STRESS TECHNIQUES
Here are some suggestions that you can also give form:
> Learn to belly-breath
> Don't try so hard
> State your moment-to-moment goals
> Correct your posture
> Talk to your fears
> Monitor your emotions
> Remind yourself with Power Word cues
> Play like your hero

If you are hardly ever satisfied with your performance you need to become familiar with all these anti-stressors. They will give you back your confidence.
Take them. . . I have more.

email: athletewhisperer@gmail.com

10 QUESTIONS TO ASK ANY ATHLETE WHEN PERFORMANCE IS SUFFERING

2006-11-23T12:34:00.000-08:00

Why these particular questions? Because they cut a path to the truth. If you want to get close to the reasons why you, or any athlete, has slowly or suddenly been performing less than usual, start with with these questions. Then for each answer, open a dialog by asking "Why's that?"

#1. Why are you playing your sport? Not yesterday, not tomorrow--now, today!

#2. Do you still enjoy practicing? You should still be using that valuable time to always improve. Unless you think you know it all. If that is the case, please write a book and share all you know with us. Or, perhaps you are humble enough to admit you still don't know everything there is to know about your sport. That is the way to mastery.

#3. Are you playing with physical injuries that others don't know about? It is more courageous to let others know.

#4. Has there been a death, loss, or serious illness of a relative or loved one recently? "Recent" means five years or less. We all need time to recover emotionally.

#5. Are you sleeping soundly? Insomnia, nightmares and night-terrors are messages.

#6. What else is bothering you right now? Could be an accumulation of many little things. Maybe it's major. It's your life, you have to deal with all of it.

#7. What are your other interests? If you don't have other things and people in your life that interest and excite you your performance can lack depth. The more you have to offer the longer you will last.

#8. How else do you express yourself? Maybe you help a non-profit organization or sing opera.

#9. What is your daily stress level (1-10 most)? This is a general measure of your daily anxiety, which can affect your specific performance.

#10. Can you name 10 things in your life off the top of your head that you appreciate? GO!

Re-ask these questions now and then. It helps fine tune your game.

email: athletewhisperer@gmail.com

50-QUESTION ASSESSMENT

2006-11-16T23:28:00.000-08:00

"You have to train your mind like you train your body."

(Bruce Jenner, Olympic Gold Medal Decathlete)

Take this PEAK PERFORMANCE 50-Q Assessment (developed by Int'l Mental Game Coach Assoc. founder Bill Cole). Email it back to me at: athletewhisperer@gmail.com. I will then analyze your answers--at no fee. It is NOT a psycho-babble survey.
It's fun to find things out about yourself. . .

ARE YOU READY TO CHANGE [TRAIN] YOUR MIND?

Answer each question YES (Y) or NO (N). Email the Assessment numbered 1-50 with a "Y" or "N" after each number. Do not include the question. Example:

1. Y

2. N

3. Y

etc.

-----------------------------------

1. I have a mental training system. Y N

2. I have this plan written down. Y N

3. I have short-term goals and long-term goals in this plan. Y N

4. I have dates for all goals written down. Y N

5. I like to practice. Y N

6. I have asked my coach "How did I do?" Y N

7. I know what the 90% Rule of Athletics is. Y N

8. I do know what % of sport achievement is physical. Y N

9. I know what "belly breathing" is. Y N

10. I look at my written game plan at least once a week. Y N

11. I keep a sports performance journal. Y N

12. I visualize myself succeeding before I perform. Y N

13. I monitor my thoughts before I perform. Y N

14. I am able to move objects just by using my thoughts. Y N

15. I know what % of athletes use mental training techniques. Y N

16. I do other things besides sports for fun. Y N

17. I monitor my feelings before I perform. Y N

18. I know how to control my breathing. Y N

19. I know what my "Optimal Performance Number" is. Y N

20. I practice as I want to perform. Y N

21. I study the equipment I use. Y N

22. I have practiced with my eyes closed. Y N

23. I subject myself to practice situations similar to those I will encounter in a real performance. Y N

24. I know how to play the "As if. . ." game. Y N

25. I am good at canceling "I can't" thoughts. Y N

26. I take time to review my performance. Y N

27. I know how to get into the "Flow" of my sport. Y N

28. I train myself to stay in "The Zone." Y N

29. I know how to remove mental blocks. Y N

30. I am good at tuning out negative criticism. Y N

31. I play concentration games. Y N

32. I am a patient athlete. Y N

33. I have a pre-game ritual. Y N

34. I have my own "trigger" or "power" words. Y N

35. I often tell myself "good job!" Y N

36. I give back to my sport by helping other athletes. Y N

37. When people I know watch me play I get nervous. Y N

38. I get along with all my coaches. Y N

39. I use affirmations daily. Y N

40. Every day I take a silent moment and ask for my wished to come true. Y N

41. I am aware of how long motivation lasts. Y N

42. I am positive and passionate about my primary goal as an athlete. Y N

43. I have written down my Reward Statement. Y N

44. I know on average how many times a day I need to check my attitude. Y N

45. I thank my supporters daily. Y N

46. I praise my teammates. Y N

47. I realize what % of my sport is under my control. Y N

48. I know that elite athletes use imagery. Y N

49. I know that almost all U.S. Olympic athletes and most professional sports teams/individuals use sports psychology consultants. Y N

50. I believe I can improve my game even more with mental game training. Y N

Email your answers for your complimentary analysis!

email: athletewhisperer@gmail.com

A CALM VOICE

2006-11-14T23:12:00.000-08:00

I am the calm voice that quiets all the other loud voices in an athlete's head. I bring down the volume, teach how to filter out the white noise and focus on the 10% the athlete can truly control.
Have you lost the ability to filter out all the instructional voices? When did you lose the fun of your sport? Why are you playing?
I can show you how to effectively use the FIVE WHYS OF MOTIVATION. . .the 90% RULE OF ATHLETICS, and more.

If I could grant you one wish in your sport what would it be?

email: athletewhisperer@gmail.com