Archive for August, 2007

“It is common knowledge that Muay Thai training is one of the toughest in the world of sport. Some sports physiologists even feel that it is too stressful for the nervous system to go through two sessions of anaerobic training a day like Muay Thai practitioners do. I believe that it is not the...
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“Pre-race jitters are a very common, expected aspect of competing, and all athletes experience them to varying degrees. They are a manifestation of processes occurring in the body which prepare it for action — the “fight or flight” response. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is the part of the body responsible for the symptoms...
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“It is no secret among athletes that in order to improve performance you’ve got to work hard. However, hard training breaks you down and makes you weaker. It is rest that makes you stronger. Physiologic improvement in sports only occurs during the rest period following hard training. This adaptation is in response to maximal...
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“Offensive skills let an athlete dominate a competition. Offensive physical skills might include the terrific top-end speed of 400-meter runner Michael Johnson or the high VO2 Max of Lance Armstrong that allows him to pass other cyclists in the Alps. Unusual strength and quickness are offensive physical skills in a majority of Olympic sports....
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“In a complete training program, the mind is as important as the body. Many top amateur and professional athletes know that mental fitness, as much or more than physical fitness, gives them an edge over their competitors. But just what is mental training and what is it not?” From an article in Pez by...
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“The idea that mental coaching can help the youngest athletes has pervaded the upper reaches of the country’s zealous youth sports culture. In the pursuit of college scholarships and top spots on premier travel clubs, the families of young athletes routinely pay for personal strength coaches, conditioning coaches, specialized skill coaches like pitching or...
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Here’s a review of Wired to Win: Surviving the Tour de France by LAist.com. I saw this IMAX movie a year ago and I thought it was fabulous from a psychology standpoint. It’s extremely informative and overflowing with the expected beauty of an IMAX film. The Wired to Win website has some interesting content...
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“In the 1988 Seoul Summer Games, the power of hypnosis on focus and performance was displayed beautifully when Olympic diver Greg Louganis hit his head on the board while performing a complicated dive during the 3 meter final. In what is considered one of the greatest feats in sporting history, Louganis, his head gushing...
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