These photos are self-evident, but the question for you is how do YOU know how you’re progressing? What feedback mechanisms do you have in place to gauge progress and development?

Squash Racquet Strings Usage Comparison

You want to consider this on an on-going basis so that whenever the opportunity arises, your Reticular Activation System (RAS) will pick up on it.

Squash Racquet Strings Usage Close Up View

In future posts, I’ll share additional feedback mechanisms I use. Of course if you have some you’ve used in other sports, by all means share them with me so I can share them with our readers!

Thank you to Michael Pye of the South Shore Diet for forwarding this to me. Thanks Michael!

Cell Language Theory

The concept of cell language has been defined in molecular terms. The molecule-based cell language is shown to be isomorphic with the sound- and visual signal-based human language with respect to ten out of the 13 design features of human language characterized by Hockett. Biocybernetics, a general molecular theory of living systems developed over the past two and a half decades, is found to provide a physical theory underlying the phenomenon of cell language.

Nerve Cell Language Chart

The concept of cell language integrates bioenergetics and bioinformatics on the one hand and reductionistic and holistic experimental data on the other to account for living processes on the molecular level. The isomorphism between cell and human languages suggests that the DNA of higher eucaryotes contains two classes of genes–structural genes corresponding to the lexicon and ’spatiotemporal genes’ corresponding to the grammar of cell language.

The former is located in coding regions of DNA and the latter is predicted to reside primarily in noncoding regions. The grammar of cell language is identified with the mapping of the nucleotide sequences of DNA onto its 4-dimensional folding patterns that control the spatiotemporal evolution of gene expression.

Such a mapping has been referred to as the second genetic code, in contrast to the first genetic code which maps nucleotide triplets onto amino acids. The cell language theory introduces into biology the linguistic principle of ‘rule-governed creativity,’ leading to the formulation of the concept of ‘rule-governed creative molecules’ or ‘creations.’

This concept sheds new light on molecular biology, bioinformatics, protein folding, and developmental biology. In addition, the cell language theory suggests that human language is ultimately founded on cell language.

What does cell language theory have to do with the Mindset Of A Champion?

Have you ever seen an elite athlete perform so well that he/she makes it effortless?

Dr Malcom Simons (and I concur) explains that an athlete’s self-perceptions have to be non-conflictual at their very core and essence to create a serene level of elegance, confidence and self-awareness.

I know what this sounds like and I have to admit it’s ‘out there’, but y’know what?

That’s why you read this blog – to be challenged with new ideas, concepts and insights you wouldn’t get anywhere else.

I’ll discuss this and the concept of ‘flow’ in upcoming blog posts, so stay tuned!

One thing is for sure – you have to get pumped up for your games, training and competitions – I’ll address this in future blog posts. There are several anecdotes that you’ll really enjoy!

That’s why another article on the same page really hit home – it’s one of the ways you can get a 1 Percent Improvement with minimal ‘effort’ and have fun!

Life In The Fast Brain

Life In The Fast Brain

1. OCCIPITAL LOBE

What is it? Responsible for processing visual details, shapes and colours, the occipital lobe is found in the bottom of the back bulge of your grey matter – the part that takes a pounding when you slip on a banana skin and activate the “flashing stars” screensaver.

Boost it: Learn to juggle. Clowning around with coloured balls can increase reaction times by up to 10 per cent in just two months, according to University of Hamburg neuroscientists. And extra cash on the side from those kids’ parties to boot.

My 1 Percent Improvement Doctrine is all about IMPROVING something – not just DOING something. Juggling for example IMPROVES your reaction time – that’s the 1 percent improvement, important for athletes who need FASTER reaction times, this includes all reactionary sports – especially racquet sports such as squash, tennis and badminton.

2. DENTATE GYRUS

What is it? Thank this blob of neurons for lifting your spirits when your Leonard Cohen collection is calling.

Boost it: Get running. Tests at Columbia University in New York found that just 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise three times a week boosted new brain cell growth by up to a fifth. “The natural depletion of cells here is responsible for increasing periods of depression as you age, and regular exercise is proven to counter this,” says Dr Rohan de Silva, from the Institute of Neurology in London.

Let me say that again – new brain cell growth… NEW…

With 70 percent of Australians NOT doing this… means you can start getting SMARTER almost ‘instantly’…

Yes, I know. If everyone thought this way…

But they don’t THINK this way – the stats PROVE IT.

That’s why ONCE you get onto the 1 percent Improvement Doctrine, success gets easier and easier!

3. HIPPOCAMPUS

What is it? Small, banana-shaped nuggets on either side of your brain, which are responsible for awareness and consolidation of memory.

Boost it: Researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University in the UK found that consuming the equivalent of 25 grams of sugar – found in a 200-millilitre glass of orange juice – can boost memory retention by a fifth. “Sugar boosts reaction times and memory function, even helping to ward off dementia,” says lead researcher Dr Leigh Riby. Just the false teeth to worry about in your twilight years then.

4. BRAIN STEM

What is it? The crucial link between brain and brawn controls survival mechanisms and arousal (of the “out of” rather than “in” bed variety).

Boost it: “Stress causes the muscles in the upper back to constrict the nerve pathways and blood flow to the brain stem, resulting in shallow breathing and even blackouts,” explains de Silva. Get some relief by gently squeezing your trapezius muscles, from your neck to your shoulders in circular motions, between thumb and fingers for five minutes.

Oh… that feels good! AND it’s good for you!

5. CEREBELLUM

What is it? The mighty cerebellum contains over 60 per cent of your brain’s neurons coordinating your muscles for posture and precise movements. It’s the only thing standing between you and that concert violinist fighting to get out.

Boost it: Re-wire your neural pathways with some brain gymnastics. Try “Lazy 8s”: extend one arm in front of you, thumb pointing up, and trace a figure of eight on its side, focusing ahead. Do it for five minutes twice a day. “It connects the cerebellum to different parts of your brain for better neuro-muscular control and spatial awareness,” says de Silva.

If you want to really boost your brain power, check our Brain Gym… Another little secret that helps you learn more, more quickly and effortlessly!

6. PITUITARY GLAND

What is it? The pea-sized gland that controls your sleep and hunger hormones. It also produces the “love rat” hormone vasopressin, linked by Swedish researchers to certain men’s inability to remain faithful.

Boost it: Load up on manganese, the mineral found in egg yolks and fish. “Without manganese your pituitary gland is unable to eliminate overloads of hormones, leading to reduced sleep and increased appetite,” explains Kit Ashley, executive director at the UK-based Pituitary Foundation.

This blog is all about giving you the Mindset Of A Champion… A champion knows that excellence is all about incremental improvements that are easy to learn and then SUSTAIN. Once the ‘box has been ticked’, he/she moves on to the next item on the list to be improved. As a step-by-step process, it’s within everyone’s reach, but only a few have the discipline and commitment to actually follow through.

70 percent of the population ADMITS they don’t have the discipline.

70 percent have handed all the rewards to the other 30 percent.

Within that top 30 percent only a small percentage are really focused at ‘this level’ of accomplishment or success – which is why ONCE adopted, the Mindset Of A Champion becomes a way of life with no comparison in everyday reality.

But it all starts with 1 percent…

Today’s post has several 1 percent improvement suggestions – take the one that works for you and stay tuned for others coming soon…

Men’s Health Magazine (November 2009) reported that in The Journal of Sports Sciences a study quoting that cyclists who actually wrote down their drinking strategy consumed 55% more water than those who didn’t. A drinking strategy for a cyclist can be be as simple as “the mouthfuls art the 15, 25 and 35 minute marks or at the 10, 40 and 50 Kilometers.” For a squash player, it could be “drink a full glass one hour prior to my practice/match, then half a glass on my way to the court, then 2 mouthfuls in-between each game, then a full bottle after the practice/match”.

Just having a drinking strategy can make a big difference – try it out and see what happens! Of course it may just improve your performance by a few percentage points, but in squash, that’s 1 point per game and y’know what? I’ll take it!

Too many people are looking for the BIG BANG solution, when very small, easy steps can add up to produce BIG RESULTS.

Stick with me and this blog and you’ll see how easy it really can be if you actually DO THIS STUFF!

If you have a secret weapon like this – develop and nurture it. The unleash it when you need it most!

Psst! If anyone can teach me a similar shot like that in squash, I’ll pay big money to learn it!

Thank you to Andrew Powell from Montreal Canada for forwarding this to me.

Attributions are best understood within the framework of self-efficacy. Self efficacy is a judgment about one’s capability to perform a particular task (1) at an elevated level, (2) with certainty, and (3) repeatedly over time. It means much more than just being confident, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Where self-efficacy explains the transition from expectation to effort, attributions re-direct the focus to the causes of expectancy beliefs, that is, HOW success and failure affect continue motivation.

With this in mind, there are three critical characteristics that underlie attributions:

1. Locus of causality. Perceiving an outcome to have resulted from either internal or external factors. Can you see how your orientation can affect this?
2. Stability. Perceiving the likelihood of the same outcome recurring.
3. Locus of control. The perception of whether an outcome can be manipulated. Once again, your orientation will sneak in here!

Let’s look at some examples and be honest with yourself… Where do your attributions lie?

Locus of causality.

• Internal: Your effort or an injury
• External: Field conditions, Equipment, referee, judge

Stability.

• Stable. Your talent and ability.
• Unstable. Weather, luck.

Locus Of Control.

• Controllable (Internal). Your game plan, pre-game preparation.
• Uncontrollable (External). Opponent’s actions, referee, judge, field conditions.

From this summary explanation, you can see there are many dimensions or what I call distinctions to dice and slice the Mindset Of A Champion. The more precise you can be about WHY you do stuff, the better you can be at FIXING the errors and mistakes.

More importantly, if you can change, alter or improve your mental model and motivations, the physical manifestations will follow with a lot LESS EFFORT.

That is why the Mindset Of A Champion is the one defensible advantage that you can count on. Talent won’t be enough. There is always someone out there with more talent – but very few with the mindset to beat you and win.

So, the question for today is – where do your attributions lie? The more honest you are, the better your results will be.

Remember, this is a completely confidential process – ONLY you know (and of course your coach or other champions who can see right through you!)

That’s the power of this psychological stuff – once you know it, it becomes your weapon, like an X-RAY machine that reveals all.

Fun stuff isn’t it?

Sports participants are said to have one of two orientations: (1) task-mastery when they take pride in the progressive improvement of their knowledge and ability relative to their own past performance or (2) an ego orientation, intent on demonstrating superiority over others, motivated by social comparison and desire statistics in the win column.

One isn’t better than other – as we’ll see in future blog posts, they affect everything you think about and do (don’t do).

Psychologists and coaches generally agree that even though DURING competition, one’s orientation can shift, we each have a predominant orientation. By knowing what that is, you can become much more self-aware of your behaviours – the ones that help as well as hinder your progress.

Give it some though – which orientation are you?

What does it mean in respect of what you do/don’t do, how you train and how you compete?

It’s worthy of reflection.

Of course you can then extend this orientation to your life, career, business and other activities and hobbies.

An element which distinguishes some of us from others is the capacity to focus, to resist distraction.  Once we have prioritised how we want to apply our resources of energy and time, we then identify the essential elements and hold them in focus in order to most efficiently and expeditiously achieve the projected outcome. While the process takes place, variations arise, as they do with all evolutionary, emergent processes.

Another distinguishing characteristic of successful people is to be flexible enough to allow reprioritization as these inevitable variations arise. Some have been hunched earlier, so they come as less of a surprise and therefore incur less resistance to review and change.  Others are unexpected, even unimaginable, coming from some space that is not on the stage on which we are currently strutting. The mental image that I hold is of the Galilean thermometer in front of me now on my desk. The indicative glass balls respond to variations as they arise, in this case primarily environmental temperature. They respond smoothly as they sense the destabilising change, then float quickly to the appropriate level, in the process rearranging the grouping of the other balls.

I have the existential experience of reprioritization on a now-by-now basis, such that the process is as fluid as the thermometer indicator changes. Once priorities are rearranged, the secret is then to implement the most appropriate changes required, again, to ‘most efficiently and expeditiously achieve the projected outcome’.

Another element to which you allude, and which is to be recognized and usually avoided, is to change a winning game. [Personal communication removed] There’s a developed skill in seeing one’s life in that sort of structure so that the occurrence of variations and the impact of those variations on achieving a winning game or in departing from a winning game, are most easily discerned.

Whatever the stage on which we strut, and whatever the accolades or brickbats that we experience, always remember that “life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

Words Of Wisdom that we can all learn from, thank you Malcolm!