admin, Author at Dr. Alex Diaz Consulting

Visualization: Why and How to do it.

Visualization is one of the most common mental strategies used by top athletes to help them achieve their top performance. Visualization, also called imagery, intends to mentally rehearse the performance-like atmosphere by using the athlete’s five senses to pretend he is performing in real time. It is known that pretending to be executing a performance while in training by imagining its success becomes registered in the brain as if it were taking place in real …

How to Build Sports Confidence!

All the roads lead to the same outcome. Highly confident athletes are more likely to be successful. Numerous studies have been done to study the traits commonly shared by highly achieving athletes and the common denominator is confidence. The question is, how do we build confidence? According to Jean Williams, there are four areas we need to pay attention to: interaction of thoughts and performance; cultivation of self-awareness; optimism; reaching for excellence. It is crucial …

How Do Top Athletes Achieve Success?

We have seen top athletes achieving fantastic goals while others who possess equal physical and technical talents fall short of becoming successful. Is it nature or nurture? This is a million dollar question whose answer will be forever debated. What most coaches agree on, however, is that elite athletes have developed a rigorous process that helps them remain focused at the time when they need to perform. One of the main characteristics elite athletes share …

It Just Takes Shear Tenacity

Zach Johnson has just won the Open Championship at St. Andrew’s. Despite the odds against him, he completed the four rounds tied with two other players. In a 4-hole play-off, he ended up golfballbeating them and is now a two time Grand Slam champion. But, Zach was not the favorite player coming in to lift the claret jug. His driving distance was ranked 60th out of 156 players. Players like Dustin Johnson or Jason Day …

Setting Sports Goals Backwards?

Many athletes come to see me asking how to properly set goals and I always tell them to set them backwards. At first, I see a surprised look on their faces when I explain that long-term goals need to be set before establishing short-term goals. But, then they begin to understand that goals need to be broken down into mini-steps to help them achieve a long-term dream. They need to know what they want to …

It Is Crunch Time!!!

I have been writing numerous blogs hoping to help athletes find ways to improve their performance when it matters. I am fully aware that competition brings nervous feelings as you are expecting to perform to your best abilities and, that alone, can become quite nerve wracking. It is not easy to feel perfectly calm, and in fact, the great majority of the times, you will feel nervous regardless of how well you thought you were …

I Cannot Control My Anger

Is it possible not to get angry, at all? Well, we all get angry. It is a acceptable human experience that is part of our repertoire of emotions. So, the answer is no. But, why do we feel anger and what can we do about it? There are many reasons we get angry, but I believe that placing a lot of attention at the final outcome of a shot or performance eventually robs the athlete …

Why Wouldn’t You Use a Sports Routine?

It may sound like a silly question and some of you may be wondering, what is the benefit of using a routine? Top athletes use systematic routines to help them regain focus on the task at hand; hence, if they use them, there must also be beneficial to all level athletes who are considering performing more consistently. Routines are pre-arranged tasks organized for the purpose of gaining focus. Once used systematically, it helps to push …

Sports Mental Toughness: Can You Develop It?

In a recent interview with Jack Nicklaus, he was asked if athletes are born having mental toughness. His immediate response was that athletes do not know their fullest potential until they put themselves in situations where they are demanded to perform outside their comfort zone. Athletes are continually asked to take one step further to improve their performance. A thorough preparation leading to perform to one’s best is the only guarantee to building confidence in …

Getting Distracted?

Any athlete, whether elite or recreational, deals with the challenge to stay focused on the task at hand. And, any one of them will tell you that they need to work quite hard to remain focused if they want to perform to the best of their abilities. One may argue that elite athletes are better able to keep their concentration than a recreational athlete could, but the challenge remains the same. There are two kinds …