admin, Author at Dr. Alex Diaz Consulting

Young Athletes: The challenge of balancing sports and academics

Student athletes face both wonderful and challenging times. Not only do they work very hard to meet high level academic requirements, they also devote long hours to sport training and competition. Most young children start playing sports for fun—running behind a soccer ball, hitting a baseball down the line, or seeing a golf ball flying through the air. However, once young athletes start participating in varsity or club teams, a shift takes place and frequently, …

Football Players – Hyperarousal

Strategies to help football players find ways to contain hyper-arousal on and off the field! Football is one of the biggest American pastimes! It is a physical and aggressive game. Players wear helmets and all kinds of pads and are still bound to get broken bones, dislocated shoulders and concussions. Despite the fact that the chances of going pro are slim to nil, a truly dedicated football player is not deterred by the aggressive nature …

Are you looking for a performance edge?

Imagine walking onto a tennis court. Your opponent takes his position as you prepared to serve. As you are tossing the ball in the air, you also throw a cautionary look at your opponent that communicates, “I am in charge here!” “I got the edge!” If you are like most athletes, you are probably saying to yourself, yes, I can imagine myself in this situation. You are also probably thinking how great it would be …

Practice Like You Mean It!!

Have you noticed that when you practice you perform more naturally and with a higher level of confidence than when you compete? Think about it, you are better able to hit the golf ball the way you want it, land the first serve without a glitch, or throw the ideal football pass without any hesitation. You put a lot of time and effort to do your very best. However, when it really matters, athletes often …

It is Not a Cliché: Being in the Present Moment is Super Important

Rory McIlroy has just won the Open Championship at the age of 25; he is only one of three players in the modern golf era to have done so along with Nicklaus and Woods. Clearly, a very selective group of golf players! When asked how was he able to navigate the stress of leading a major tournament, he said: “I only stayed focused on two words: process and spot.” McIlroy went on to share that …

Key Tips to Coach Females Athletes

Parents often consult me for guidance on the best way to coach their daughter. Very often young female athletes decide to participate in sports because of the implied social interactions. They enjoy participating in the same sport with their friends; however, as their level of competition strengthens, competing becomes more challenging and newer mental demands arise. Many emotional conflicts come up when female athletes are competing with or against their own friends. They find themselves …

How To Help Players Deal with Frustration During Practice

A squash coach works with a player who gets easily frustrated when his practice session does not go well. The player loses his temper and becomes defiant. The coach dedicates a good portion of the practice session dealing with the player’s behavior resulting in a non-productive practice session. Q. Coach: Are there any techniques I can use to help my player focus on his game, enjoy his successes, and deal with his frustration in a …

Tiger Woods: The urgent need to get back to basics!!

For the past 19 years of his professional life, Tiger has kept up glued to the tv watching his extraordinary shot making abilities. It was really fascinating to see him hitting and mastering golf shots in any direction he wanted. Not only was he much longer off the tee than his competitors, but his short game was just about unbelievable. It is unfortunate that he has gone through so many physical injuries, but his return …