What if I told you that seeking perfection may hurt your chances of eventually getting it? We spend a lot of time learning, a lot of time practicing, and a lot of energy competing. We strive to be the best. Reaching the number one spot is what motivates many athletes in pursue of their dreams. Unless you sweat it, there is no way you can achieve it. There are many motivational quotes and inspirational phrases …
Any sport psychologist will tell you that thinking about the mechanics of your swing or stroke are a sure recipe for disaster. Regardless of the sport you practice, your peak performance will be achieved once you let go of your thinking process and allow yourself to fully trust in your swing or stroke. Do you remember when you first started to ride a bicycle? At first, there was a lot of instruction coming from a …
To win the NCAA title once is a spectacular achievement; to win it 11 times, it is out of this world; to win it 7 consecutive times, no words can really describe it. Coach John Wooden led the UCLA men’s basketball team to those unbelievable achievements. It is one of those records that will stand for life. A lot was written about Coach Wooden and many have tried to copy what he did, but despite …
Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy, fantastic Irish golf players credited to the use of sport psychology strategies for their latest successes. Padraig claimed working on the “mental edge” of his game that led him to play more consistently. He has just won the Honda Classic at the PGA National, which was his first win in American soil since 2008. Rory, during an interview just before teeing off at Doral, shared that his best golf comes …
It was at the beginning of the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl XLIX and his New England Patriots were down by two touchdowns and time was running out. Any team leader would typically be verbally pushing and encouraging his teammates to continue fighting. However, Tom Brady chose a different strategy: “One play at the time.” He kept repeating this phrase over and over again to the rest of his teammates. So, what is here …
Sports Motivation 101 means, keep your dreams alive!! Yes, many of us have frequently been told to keep our dreams alive, to envision what we want to achieve and imagine how those dreams would become reality one day. There is clearly no shortage of self-help books or motivational speakers voicing the importance of visualizing what we want to achieve by keeping our dreams alive. There is certainly a lot of truth to that. The wonderful …
In a recent interview, Mr. Arnold Palmer, member of the Golf Hall of Fame and winner of multiple Major tournaments, was asked if life could give him a second chance, what shot would he have liked to hit again? To the surprise of the interviewer, Mr. Palmer, who is known for his missed opportunities to win other Major tournaments, responded: “None.” Palmer went on to share that although he would like to hit again a …
Young student athletes face both wonderful and challenging times. Not only do they work hard to meet demanding academic requirements, they also devote long hours to sport training and competition. Please preview this article in full by downloading here: The Psychology of Youth Sports with Tuckahoe’s Dr. Alex Diaz ** This article was posted in the Westchester Magazine **
Athletes are motivated by many reasons. We see athletes competing to win gold medals, to achieve number 1 world rankings, or to win the local basketball tournament. When a new sports season begins, athletes see themselves achieving their goals. They cannot wait to hold the trophy and receive congratulatory comments from a lot of people. But, is imagining holding a trophy, also called an extrinsic motivation, enough to motivate an athlete? It is clear that …
– Embrace your true passion; – Commit to putting in hard and consistent work; – Be your own boss and take responsibility of your own actions; – Be realistic; – Learn from all your experiences. Maybe you thought that you were going to read the hidden secret on how to reach success by taking shortcuts. The truth is the above mentioned steps are the shortcuts to success. Whether you want to improve your tennis serves, …