Archive for July, 2007

“By the time Rivera reached the mound, he had shed all of the elements of humanity inconvenient to his job. Rivera tuned out the fans, as if switching off a light, and mentally muted Yankee Stadium’s thumping sound system; Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” had been used as the accompanying music for his entrance for four...
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“Humans think around 60,000 thoughts a day, and the quality of these thoughts is becoming increasingly important in a sport where a hundredth of a second is an eternity.” From an article on About.com by Craig Townsend. Here’s the full article. Here’s another quote: “One of the best ways to overcome negative thoughts before...
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“The game is more mental than it is physical…if you can’t handle it mentally, you’re not going to be here very long.” - Chipper Jones In this MSN video, Joe Simpson interviews Chipper Jones who talks about the mental toughness needed to succeed in baseball and the excitement of facing big league aces.
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“To be effective, like any skill, imagery needs to be developed and practiced regularly. There are four elements to mental imagery – Relaxation, Realism, Regularity and Reinforcement (the 4Rs).” This article by Brian Mac can help you incorporate visualization and mental imagery into your training toolbox. Here’s his overview on mental imagery.
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The root of mental toughness lies in motivation. Those who are deemed mentally tough typically exhibit what sports psychologists call “intrinsic motivation.” From a Men’s Fitness article by Sean Hyson, C.S.C.S. Here are the major points discussed in the article: BE A SELF-STARTER FIND YOUR “ZONE” BE POSITIVE TALK TO YOURSELF VISUALIZE MEDITATE GET...
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“Making or missing the move. Attacking at the right moment or hesitating. Avoiding a crash or being caught up in it. Often, the key in these cycling situations – and many others that you’re likely to face – is concentration. Maintaining, shifting, and regaining your focus could make the difference between falling short of...
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Attitude by Charles Swindoll “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is...
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Here’s an article on Golf Like A Pro that outlines important mental toughness skills that anyone can work on and benefit from. It’s written by Jeff Troesch, MA, LMHC, an internationally recognized expert in the mental side of golf. As the former Director of Sport Psychology for the David Leadbetter Golf Academies, Jeff has...
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“The scientific ivory hunters of Columbia University discovered that the secret of Babe Ruth’s batting, reduced to non-scientific terms, is that his eyes and ears function more rapidly than those of other players; that his brain records sensations more quickly and transmits its orders to the muscles much faster than does that of the...
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“I have come to realize that disliking someone can give you a lot of motivation. I know it sounds mean and some people might say that it’s not in the spirit of the game but nowadays you have to do everything possible to gain an edge. If that means that I have to look...
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