The Peak Athlete

The Glass

2010-05-20T19:03:53Z

Below is one of my favorite poems. (slightly modified, it’s actually a bit longer.)

I also like having a version for male and females. Because hey, why not.?

Enjoy!

~ Todd

The Glass ~ For Men

When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you King for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartache and tears,
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.

~ Dale Wimbrow, 1934

The Glass ~ For Women

When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you Queen for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that woman has to say.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartache and tears,
If you’ve cheated the woman in the glass.

~ Dale Wimbrow, 1934

Mike Cammalleri Visualization Routine

2010-05-14T18:59:04Z

“Montreal Canadiens Forward, Mike Cammalleri’s Sports Visualization Routine…”

Mike Cammalleri visualizing before Game 7 against Pittsburgh.

Setup & Back-Story:

If you’re not a hockey fan, Mike Cammalleri is a forward for the Montreal Canadiens.
It’s playoff time right now (May 14, 2010) and he’s the leading goal-scorer in the playoffs.
He scores the game-winning, series-winning goal after he’s gone through this visualization routine on this night.
Throughout the course of The Champions Challenge, I’ve explained the different ways to use sports visualization and this is a fantastic example of one of the principles I talk about. (Using props or your sports equipment to make it more real.)

If you have questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you.

How Great Are You?

2010-04-27T18:40:30Z

Quotes From The Video:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure.”
~ Nelson Mandela

“I’m gonna show you how great I am!
Last night I cut the light off in the bedroom, hit the switch and was in the bed before the room was dark.”

“I’m gonna show you how great I am!
Only last week I murdered a rock.
Injured a stone.
Hospitalized a brick.
I’m so mean I make medicine sick.”

“I have wrastled with an alligator.
I done tussled with a whale.
I done handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail.”
~ Muhammad Ali

“This kid’s gonna be the greatest kid in the world. This kid’s gonna be better than anyone I ever knew.”
~Rocky

“But somewhere along the lines you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and try to tell ya – you’re no good. And when things got hard you started looking for someone to blame. Like a big shadow.”

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place – and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.”

“You, me or nobody’s gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you’re hit – it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward! How much you can take and KEEP MOVING FORWARD! That’s how winning is done! Cuz if you’re willing to go through all the battling you’re gonna go through to get what you wanna get. Who’s got the right to stop you?”

“I mean maybe some of you guys have got something you never finished, something you really want to do, something you never said to someone – SOMETHING! And, you’re told no – even after you’ve paid your dues. WHO’S GOT THE RIGHT TO TELL YOU NO!? NOBODY!”

“It’s your right to listen to your gut and it ain’t nobody’s right to say no after you’ve earned the right to BE WHO YOU WANNA BE AND DO WHAT YOU WANNA DO!”

“Now if you know what your worth than go out and get what your worth – but you gotta be willing to take the hits! And, not point your finger and say you ain’t what you wanna be because of HIM OR HER OR ANYBODY! COWARDS DO THAT AND THAT AIN’T YOU! YOU’RE BETTER THAN THAT!”
~Rocky Balboa

“It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
~ Nelson Mandela

Tell me what you think below. I love the feedback and comments.

Todd Herman is the Peak Performance coach and Mental Trainer to numerous professional and Olympic athletes around the world. Teams and players use Todd to prepare for major competitions, seasons or to learn some simple techniques to get the most out of their abilities. If you’re struggling with any self-doubt, negative self-talk, or would like to improve your confidence. Contact Us Today! Or, you can check out the internets largest sports challenge.

Sports Visualization: Does It Work?

2010-04-22T21:46:03Z

Sports Visualization: Does It Work?

Fred Couples during the 1992 Masters Tournament

With a frown on his face and arms crossed an audience member at a recent speech asked, “Does sports visualization really work?”

Me, “You tell me… Do you believe it works?”

“No.”

“Well, than it doesn’t…For you that is. BUT”, with major emphasis, “for the person in the audience that does believe in it – it’s the most powerful tool they could put in their training regiment. Here let me give you an example…”

And, this is where I went on to tell the story you’re about to see.

This example is just one of hundreds of stories and examples I could share with you on how clients of mine have used sports visualization to create the games, competitions or tournaments they desire the most.

But here’s the trick…

If you decide to add this to your tool-kit; whether or not you believe what you are doing is going to help – WILL determine it’s success.

“Belief is the fuel that will fire up the engines of creation.”

Todd Herman is the Peak Performance coach and Mental Trainer to numerous professional and Olympic athletes around the world. Teams and players use Todd to prepare for major competitions, seasons or to learn some simple techniques to get the most out of their abilities. If you’re struggling with any self-doubt, negative self-talk, or would like to improve your confidence. Contact Us Today! Or, you can check out the internets largest sports challenge.

2010 Masters: Three Sports Psychology Take-Aways

2010-04-12T20:21:35Z

Phil receiving the Green Jacket

The movies can’t do it…

Politics can’t do it…

There is nothing on the planet like sports. It captivates our attention and creates story-lines like nothing else.

The 2010 Masters didn’t disappoint. It had more story-lines than the entire 2009 Hollywood movie releases combined.

Whether it was Tiger’s return. Lee Westwood’s quest for a first ‘Major’. Or, Phil’s search for another championship after 4 years of drought and an emotional year of their family battling breast cancer.

Here are 3 takeaways from the 2010 Masters:

It takes more than a public statement of change to alter your competitive tendencies. Tiger, made the declaration a few weeks back that he will curb his outbursts.
The problem: Now everyone expects him to be even more ‘perfect’ than he was before his tumble from society’s pedestal.

What actually happened?: He was Tiger. He had a few outbursts, swore a little and tossed his club. And, people go right back to judging him on a scale they would never put themselves on. It’s completely Hypocritical.

The Reality. Anytime you try to change a part of your personality which is completely natural – it will take a heck of a lot more than a public declaration. In order, for you to change something that has been a fundamental part of who you are it will take complete daily focus for months. Not days. Not weeks. MONTHS. Your brain needs to learn a new natural process. It’s like trying to re-train the roots of a 100 year old oak tree to get it’s water supply from the underground stream on the right, rather than the one on the left. (Which it’s been getting for 100 years!)The re-wiring takes time.
Your body language says a lot about what’s going on inside.
Insight: Amy Mickelson, said, “When I saw the way Phil was walking off # 12. I knew he wasn’t going to let this one slide away. That’s when I rushed to get ready and head over to the golf course.” (paraphrasing) (Amy was lying in bed resting from her rounds of chemo and weak from her battle with breast cancer.)

What About You?: Everybody has some natural physical tendencies they display when they feel like everything is going their way. Find out what yours are, practice them and you can immediately trigger positive emotions and tap the inner confidence you’ll need to succeed.
Phil and Amy after The Masters

Playing for yourself is good. Playing for someone or something else is beyond powerful.

Back-story: For the past year Phil’s wife Amy and his mom have been battling breast cancer.

Result: Phil has often said, it’s re-prioritized his life, it’s brought the family even more close together and it makes him want to do even more for his family.

Your Takeaway: I’ve said it in my speeches, my coaching sessions and to friends asking for advice. “The person with the biggest WHY will always win.” What’s your why? The goals or dreams you’d like to achieve can be fueled with the power of asking yourself ‘Why’.

Here’s my challenge to you – sit down and ask yourself why you want ‘that’ goal. Don’t just stop at one. Act like a curious three year old. Keep on asking why and writing it down. I promise by about #17 you’ll start to hit the real reasons.

Just like a miner digging for gold… the deeper you go, the more you’ll find.

Now. Here’s the challenge. Did you just read that and say… “hmmm sounds like a good idea.” Or, “Makes sense. I’ll get to it later today or after I finish surfing the web.” Be honest. It’ll never happen.

Do it now. Or, you’ll never do it.

“When your WHY is big enough, the HOW doesn’t matter.”

Todd Herman is the Peak Performance coach and Mental Trainer to numerous professional and Olympic athletes around the world. Teams and players use Todd to prepare for major competitions, seasons or to learn some simple techniques to get the most out of their abilities. If you’re struggling with any self-doubt, negative self-talk, or would like to develop a plan to reach your athletic goals – we now have openings for two new amateur clients. Contact Us Today!

10 Steps To Becoming A Better Athlete

2010-04-06T18:00:29Z

Practice.
Practice more.
Practice even more.
Practice even more than that.
Practice when you don’t want to.
Practice when you do.
Practice when it’s sunny.
Practice when it’s not.
Practice in your mind.
Keep practicing.