GZ Performance Enhancement - Sport Psychology

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2011-12-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

NEW POSTS

2011-09-08T12:42:00.000-07:00

ALL NEW MINDSET MASTERY/SPORT PSYCHOLOGY MESSAGES WILL NOW BE LOCATED AT:

Z-FANATICAL FITNESS
"FITNESS IS NEVER JUST PHYSICAL."

Mindset Monday 9/5/11- Action Beats Inaction

2011-09-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

When in doubt, err on the side of taking action.

Sometimes you are forced to make a difficult decision. You have information supporting you, "going for it." And you have conflicting information supporting, "not doing anything."

At this moment, 9 out of 10 times I would recommend going for it. You have a greater chance of success and you will feel more alive.

Lets say things go wrong and you pick the wrong decision. In 10 years from now, in which way would you prefer to be wrong, if you had to pick- (1) I shouldn't have gone so hard or (2) I should have gone harder?

Most great competitors err on the side of gutsy. Take action. Action beats inaction.

We become tentative because we can easily recall past disappointments of ourselves and others due to carelessness. We got yelled at and reprimanded and maybe made fun of, which really hurt us. So we sometimes learn to play it safe. Stay comfortable. Don't take chances.

We forget the times we failed because we did not go hard enough because it is easy to justify to ourselves, "well, I wasn't really trying so it's ok I failed."

This is a major error in our thinking. Be smart. Be INTELLIGENTLY AGGRESSIVE. But for heavens sake, BE AGGRESSIVE. Get in there. GO after it.

It is better the other person beats you or rejects you than you beat or reject yourself. Don't hold back because you have a convenient excuse to fail- your lack of effort. Reverse this thinking. Be proud of the times you put it on the line. Even if you failed. More often than not, action beats inaction. Get down on yourself when you hold back when you could've taken action. Even if you succeed. Show your guts and put it on the line.

Gene Zannetti
Z Fanatical Fitness- Mindset Mastery
Make an appointment to speak with Gene Zannetti- 888-804-1819
genez@zfanatical.com

Mindset Monday 8/29/11- How to Bounce Back from a Loss

2011-08-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

You are a human, you make mistakes. There is a simple but effective way to deal with ALL loses, errors, mistakes, etc:

extract the lesson, commit the lesson to memory, forgive yourself, and move forward with confidence.

It is important that you do not repeat your mistakes, so you should note your shortcomings and downfalls. It is counterproductive to live in denial and suppression is almost never long term efficient. Recognize your flaw first and commit it to memory.

But after you recognize your mistake and commit it to memory you must, must, must forgive yourself. Successful people forgive themselves. Unsuccessful people do not.

Now I must draw a distinction here. Many successful people send the seemingly contradictory message- "never accept failure" or something similar to that.

It is important to note that these people are probably referring to not denying reality as we spoke about above. They are also telling you never to quit and to always keep moving forward and striving to get better.

To be successful, you must put mistakes behind you so you can proceed forward toward your goals. You cannot preoccupy yourself with "the last time you tried." Many athletes and teams have made this mistake of letting another team or individual, "beat them again."

Don't let someone beat you twice. Don't let a mistake cause another mistake. Recover. Forgive yourself and move forward confidently.
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Do not let a mistake or loss end your effort. Do not let it hurt your confidence. Easier said than done, sure. But this is what you need to learn how to do.

Remember, successful people make more mistakes than unsuccessful people. Successful people go for it a lot. Unsuccessful people hide behind fear, excuses and past war stories.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
genezannetti@gmail.com
908-337-6143
genezannetti.blogspot.com

Mindset Monday 8/8/11- Ditch Your Excuses Now

2011-08-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

MY high school wrestling coach, the great Steve Giordano (NJ State Champ & college All-American) would always tell us, “never give yourself an excuse to lose.” You do not want anything holding you back when you compete.

If you choose to compete, If you choose to do anything, you must eliminate all excuses.

In Sport Psychology, they call this “Self-handicapping.” When we know failure is a possibility, we will tell ourselves and others excuses or reasons why we are not at our best- we’re hurt, tired, went out last night, haven’t practiced often enough, etc. etc. We try to justify to ourselves and others that if the conditions were different, we would succeed. In essence, we blame the potential loss, on circumstances, not ourselves. We do this so if we do lose, we feel better about ourselves and so others do not look down on us.

In the great movie Peaceful Warrior, we hear- courage is not about protection, or victory, or invulnerability, but absolute vulnerability- that’s the only true courage.

Superman cannot be considered brave. This is because he is invulnerable. You can be considered brave, because you are vulnerable. Let this sink in. Your humanity, your imperfections, your mistakes, your infallibility, is what makes you brave. Because unlike superman, you can look at the possibility of failure, and proceed anyway.
Here is the key. Do not celebrate your vulnerability to yourself or others. Just move toward your goals. If you give yourself an excuse to lose, to yourself or others, you will always have the excuse in the back of your mind, and when the g
oing gets tough, you may use it as an excuse to not give your full effort.

You want to give your full effort at all times. Since after all, giving your full effort will maximize your chances of success. If you lose, you lose. If you make a mistake, you make a mistake. You are human, just like anyone else. Nothing you or anyone can do can make you or anyone else subhuman, or superhuman. Remember this. You do not need to make excuses for yourself. You will not always be at your best. Give a full effort anyway. Ditch your excuses, and move toward your goals, period.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 8/1/11- The Surest Way to Be Successful...

2011-08-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

The surest way to become successful is to become Fanatical.

If you want to learn anything or become successful at anything, you must engage in more than practice, you must engage in IMMERSION. You must become immersed in what you want to succeed in. You must give your life to your goal. you need to make it your life. Immersion comes from a Fanatical attitude. This will not be easy, but it will work.

If you look at the best people in different fields, you will usually find someone who is obsessed with the subject, topic, or sport. If you make the decision to become Fanatical in your approach, you may not become the best in the world, but YOU WILL BECOME SUCCESSFUL. Decide now that you will make a lifestyle of your goal. Commit to working harder than anyone else. Commit to working longer hours than anyone else.

Being Fanatical is a real dedication to make your goal your life. You make all your decisions based on if it will get you closer or further away from this goal.
You will have to give up many things along the way. You may miss out on a lot of fun times. But, if you have a goal that you feel that you absolutely must achieve, you need to become Fanatical.

Give 100%, become obsessed, immerse yourself, and you will certainly get more out of yourself than you otherwise would have. Going Fanatical works. Ive never seen Fanatical fail.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

MIndset Monday 7/18/11- World Cup Lesson

2011-07-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

My soccer experience is limited to my recreation play from Kindergarten to 2nd grade. I did not watch the women’s World Cup until overtime. Shame on me! There is a lesson to be learned in the closing minutes of the game.

I do know a thing or two about performance success and body language.
In the last few minutes of the game and the penalty kicks, I noticed a drastic difference between the body language of the American and Japanese goalies. I wonder if you caught it too.

I saw the American goalie get hurt, so we cannot hold this against her. Still, her body language was not the same as the Japanese goalie. I know, I know momentum was shifting toward Japan with a late goal, but there is still a lesson to be learned.

Before the penalty kicks I saw one goalie running around giving her teammates high fives. She was energetic and enthusiastic. I saw the other goalie sitting on the ground, almost sprawled out before the biggest penalty kick of her life. (Note- I take nothing away from this tremendous athlete who is certainly one of the best in the world at what she does, but remember, everyone makes mistakes, everyone is human).

Again, I know that an injury may have been present and when both goalies took the net, they each looked focused. But moments just prior to competition are crucial to your success.

Even if you are feeling down, you must act as if you were up. The difference between success and failure at a high level is so small that you need every little advantage you can get.

You cannot afford to be down, so you must practice being mentally up. You must practice acting as if you were up so you can call upon this mindset when it matters most.
You must train your brain similarly to the way you train your body. You must include adversity training in your repertoire of practice in sport and life. Practice acting awake when you are tired. Practice acting motivated when you are dragging or feeling lazy. You may be surprised to find that when you act a certain way, you begin to feel that way. We have studies that back this up.

Look alive! Feel great! Go for the gold. Both teams were champions yesterday. And both goalies are people to aspire to be like. Just make sure you learn the lesson here.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
genezannetti@gmail.com
908-337-6143
Genezannetti.blogspot.com

Mindset Monday 7/4/11- Success Algebra

2011-07-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

Success Algebra

F = MA
E= MC^2
K – A = 0

Wait, what was that last one? K – A = 0. Knowledge minus Action equals Zero. In other words, if you know what to do, but do not do what you know, nothing happens.
Most people know what to do to achieve success. The secrets are simple, but they are not easy. Most of us know what to do, but for one reason or another, we just do not do it.

But, knowledge is not the same thing as wisdom. Wisdom is DOING IT. I know a lot of very “knowledgeable” who cannot seem to get the job done themselves. Maybe you are one of them. Maybe I am one of them in some areas. We must strive for wisdom. Practicing what we preach. This is an ongoing every day battle. This is not a level you ever arrive at, but rather something you choose to do on a regular basis, and them something you choose to do again tomorrow, and then the next day, and the next one, and…you get the point.

Often times we hear good advice and we respond (or say to ourselves) “I already know that.” But the real question we should be asking ourselves is, “How well do I apply this information?” Usually, the answer to this question will be- not as well as I could.

Use my lessons on pleasure and pain in the previous weeks blogs and get to the bottom of this inside yourself. Mastering your mindset is the way you will finally Jump Levels. But, then again, you already knew that.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 6/27/11- Overcome Laziness

2011-06-27T20:20:00.001-07:00

Why are people lazy?

Again, we must go back to motivation. The root word in motivation is motive. To understand any behavior or attitude, you must first consider the two basic human motives.

When you boil it all down the two human motives are (1) Avoid Pain (2) Gain Pleasure. Your mind links pleasure and/or pain to all life events- persons, places, and things (due to past experience and information from others).

The trick is to discover the links in your mind through honest self-contemplation. If you are honest with yourself and take a little time to think, you will be surprised the positive results and the relatively little time it took for you to discover this information.

You must destroy all unproductive links in your mind and develop new and empowering links. Use pain and pleasure to your advantage.

If a person is lazy, then they do not have pleasure and pain working for them in this area of their life.

Think a little bit harder about why you may be lazy in a given area of your life. What is pleasurable about the activity that you are putting off. (make a list) What is painful about the event you are putting off (another list).

I would wager that the pain exceeds the pleasure at this point in your life.
You must reverse this process. Change begins in your mind. If you transform your mind, you can transform your body.

Start with your mind. Use pain and pleasure to your advantage. This is the root to changing your laziness.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Mastery 6/6/11- Perfection

2011-06-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

Perfection is the enemy of good. When you were young, the adults taught you how to detect and delete mistakes. This makes sense. I order to achieve at a high level, mistakes must be reduced. The key thing to remember is that mistakes are never eliminated.

We have all heard that practice makes perfect. Then as we got older, we heard, perfect practice makes perfect. But the truth is, perfection is non-existent, so the best we can shoot for is mastery. The analysis of error and intense practice of new behavior makes for mastery. But yeah, practice makes perfect sounds a lot easier for you to remember and say in front of your friends.

It is easy to agree with the statement, no one is perfect. We all have an understanding of our all too fallible human nature. But when we make a mistake, we tend to heap coals of fire on ourselves.

We forget that making mistakes is part of the learning process. People who are not making mistakes, are usually not making very much of anything. We should strive to eliminate mistakes, but we should not assume that we will stop making them.

It is usually the start that stops most people. People tend to procrastinate indefinitely until, “the time is right.” Successful people know that the time is never right, but time is always RIGHT NOW.

If you love to write, don’t begin once you have written the great American novel. Begin right now. Your odds of writing the great American novel go up exponentially once you finally start writing on a consistent basis.

Get it started, then get it just right. If you wait until all lights are green and until all mistakes, shortcomings, and obstacles are non-existent, you will miss the boat.
Get started today.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
genezannetti@gmail.com
908-337-6143

Mindset Monday 5/30/11- Why All Diets & Workout Programs Fail

2011-05-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Exercise programs, routines, and diets all fail for the same reason. They are too one dimensional. They focus on things you need to physically do. This is easy to understand, in theory, because it sounds so simple- do this, get that.
True change occurs in a different manner. If you transform your mind, you can transform your body, or anything else you would like. Consistency creates change. Lifestyle changes lives.

A diet, routine, or program implies that you will be doing some thing for a little while. You go off and on. A lifestyle implies something quite differently-consistency. Consistency is what makes a program or diet successful. A program or diet alone is nothing.

To succeed, you must focus on the person you want to BE, not the things you want to have. Exercising is not a verb, but a way of life. The same thing goes for healthy eating.

In goal setting sessions, I teach people the word BEHAVE. BE always comes before HAVE. Most people make the fatal mistake on focusing on what they want to have. Focusing on the things you have to DO is a little bit better, because your focus in now on actions instead of outcomes. But the best result comes from the focusing on focusing on the person you want to BE.

To succeed in anything you must BE the person who is consistent, intense, and intelligent. Work on seeing yourself as this person.

Create a list of the way you would like to be. Read this list daily until you have it memorized. Then switch to reviewing the list several times a week. Remember, you need mental reps for success. Train your brain.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 5/23/11- Jump Levels

2011-05-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

My college wrestling coach at the University of Pennsylvania was a world champion. He had an insight on success. He won the silver medal and was voted the most technical wrestler in the world. The one thing I remember him telling us, as we struggled endlessly in practice, was, "we need to jump levels." You jump levels by elevating your intensity and improving your mindset.

You are at some level right now. So is everyone else. The reason people buy gym memberships is because they are trying to get to the next level. This is a bold statement now: Very few people are truly satisfied staying exactly as they are right now. Deep down we all feel like we can have more, achieve more.

We become annoyed when we hit a plateau. We want to jump levels. Being human is jumping levels. So the question is: How do you jump levels? As I said before, elevate your intensity and MASTER YOUR MINDSET.

If you can make your mind work for you and not against you, you will release the emergency brake and fire on all cylinders. You will get more out of yourself when you are in full throttle.

You will not jump levels if your mind and body are working against each other. It is like two horses pulling a cart in different directions. It just wont move, or it will barely move at best. Master your mind and have both horses, mind and body, pull your cart toward your goals.

The mind is my specialty and I will help you master it. You will learn exactly how to jump levels. Stay with me...

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
908-337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com

Attend the Mindset Mastery of Sport Seminar Saturday: MAY 21st

2011-05-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

Mindset Monday 4/25/11- Mental Reps for Success

2011-04-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

Mental Reps for Success

David DeNotaris, a well renowned motivational speaker, always spoke of the importance of positive affirmations. Positive affirmations are short utterances we repeat to ourselves on a regular basis. They are like mental reps to build mental muscle. Some of his favorites were:

“I’m alert, I’m alive, I feel great!”
“I’m happy, I’m healthy, I feel terrific!”
“I’m getting better and better every day in every way!”
“I like myself, I like myself, I like myself, I like myself!”

It sounds ridiculously hilarious (or maybe hilariously ridiculous) at first, but the truth is that positive affirmations are a great way to train your brain.
You may never in your life use the above positive affirmations. The secret is to come up with positive affirmations that are suitable to YOU and YOUR particular goals.

The best example is Muhammad Ali- does the phrase, “I am the greatest” ring a bell?
Advertisements, movies, and songs implant ideas into your head all the time. Think about it…

“Frosted Flakes- theyre grrrrreat”
“Pokemon- gotta catch em all”
“Run Forest Run”

The more times you implant a phrase into your head, the more your unconscious mind will accept it as fact. Have you ever heard someone say, “He believes his own BS?” Are there any childhood stories that you tell where you deep down thin, “did this even happen?” When you tell a story over and over, you start to believe it is true. This is the same thing that happens with positive affirmations.

If you want to build confidence, tell yourself- “On a good day no one can beat me, on a bad day no one can beat me.”
If you want to stop worrying about other people’s judgments, tell yourself- “I compete for myself, I don’t care what anyone else thinks of me.”

Whatever thought you would like to have more regularly, write a quick sentence that you can personally relate to, then repeat it all the time.

As any weightlifter will tell you, you cannot begin training the day before a competition. You cannot expect to do bicep curls once and have arms like Arnold. Likewise, do not expect to repeat an affirmation to yourself once and feel any result. You must literally train your brain. You must not just repeat your affirmations to yourself, you must hammer them into your head. Beat the saying into your mind (figuratively, of course). Make the affirmation your own personal mantra. Repeat your affirmations many times throughout the day. Do this regularly and you will find that what you repeatedly tell yourself, you become.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 4/18/11- How to Regain Control of your Energy

2011-04-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Think back to the moments leading up to a big competition or performance. Think about the atmosphere in the locker room. Think about how people moved around. Before a competition or performance you tend to see a lot of nervous energy.

People fidget and pace. They develop idiosyncratic quirks and twitches. They develop a tunnel vision and their mind becomes very literal. Think back. It was very difficult to joke around with someone about to take center stage. As the focus of the mind narrows, movement becomes stiff and mechanical. This is why you often see simple mistakes in the very beginning of a competition. The athlete is tense and tight.

In essence, the performer loses control of their energy OR they did not control their energy from the beginning. As the competition continues, the athlete often settles in and energy is regained (hence, the reason athletes often leave wishing they performed in the beginning as they did at the end). Has this ever happened to you?

I am sure this has happened to every athlete and performer at one time or another. Luckily, there is hope to regain control of you energy. The answer is Deep Breathing.

Deep breathing is a practice of taking deep breaths in the abdomen; in though your nose, out through your mouth. Many studies show the effectiveness of deep breathing in reducing anxiety in many different settings. The idea of deep breathing is not a new one. It has been learned and modified from Eastern cultures and meditation.
Once you regain control of your breath, you begin to regain control of your body. You feel in control of your own energy. You become centered. Your movement becomes more fluid and decisive.

As a college wrestler, I began deep breathing and have seen immediate results. The athletes that I work with have been taught deep breathing and they have seen immediate results. And if you learn how to deep breathe, I can guarantee that you will see immediate results.

How to do it:
Find a quiet place and begin taking deep breaths (in through your nose, out through your mouth) through your stomach. In the beginning, place a hand on your abdomen to make sure you feel only your stomach moving in and out. Think of nothing but breathing. At this point in time, there is nothing else in the world that exists but your breath.

How to do it even better:
Follow the above directions and add a cue or anchor to deep breathing. In other words, physically perform a certain behavior while you begin deep breathing. Ie. I would place my hands on my thighs throughout my deep breaths.

How to do this best: Follow the above directions and add a symbol of serenity associated with your cue or anchor. Ie. Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid (In the Karate Kid, Miyagi places his hands on his thighs before he meditates-> this was an image that my imagination could relate with). Find your symbols
Finally, you must pair your anchor and symbol to your cue regularly. You must practice deep breathing many times before a competition before an actual competition. Practice deep breathing at least twice a week. You will see results. You will relax and regain control of your energy.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 4/11/11- Top 10 Worst Phrases for a Competition

2011-04-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

10. “I have to…”
9. “I need to…”
8. “I ought to…”
7. “I should…”
6. “I must…”
5. “This is it OR This is everything..”
4. “Do or die”
3. “Make it or break it”
2. “It’s now or never”
1. “Don’t miss “OR “Don’t (anything)”

All competitions and practices are important, but nothing is “special.” When you make a particular competition “special,” you are most likely to put additional pressure on yourself, which can cause you to change your approach and deviate from the very actions that got you success up until this point in time.

Instead, use phrases like, “I will,” “I choose to…” “I want to,” “I’m going to.” Phrases about allude to a Jehovian command that simply cannot be supported by facts. Approach competition with a willful attitude, not an obligatory one.

Pep talks are Hollywood. Listen to Olympic and professional athletes interviews. They always speak about consistency. In the real world, great athletes stress “being myself,” “doing my own thing,” “Being me.”

In other words, great performers approach their sport with high intensity, confidence, and serenity each practice and each competition. They rarely change their approach, strategy, or mindset physically or mentally before one competition. Neither will you.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 4/4/11- Personality Psychology 730 (Doctoral Level)

2011-04-04T20:48:00.001-07:00

Psychology 730- Personality Psychology (Doctoral Level)

When is personality revealed?
Research shows that there are two key components to your personality (1) your way of seeing the world and (2) your way of coping in the world.

In regards to personality, psychologists are less concerned with how individuals cope with Low Demand Situations (situations where there is low stress and little meaning) ie. while you’re home alone watching television. Rather, psychologists are more concerned with how individuals cope with High Demand Situations (situations where there is high stress and great significance)ie. after losing a major competition.

These high demand situations seem to show us an important aspect of an individual. During these times, our emotions and thoughts may be high, and in many instances, working against each other. Difficult circumstances seem to tax us and affect every fiber of our being. Often times, our future depends on our reaction to these moments.

“Pressure causes some people to break, others to break records.”
Which kind of person are you?

How you cope with High Demand Situations is crucial for your happiness and success. Tough times cause many people to quit or let up. It is often during these times where they need to fight the hardest, if they want to achieve their goal.

There are many people around us who act tough and talk a big game. It is easy to be confident and have swagger when things are going well. Show me that same person when times are tough. I see a lot of people looking tough before they face an easy opponent. Some of these same people are timid and tentative before they face difficult competition. If you are going to have swagger, have it against everyone. Don’t be a tough guy only when times are good and things are easy.

Get tough DURING the hard work out, not just before it. Be just as fired up for your last few reps as you are the first. When times are tough and the chips are down and you feel like quitting, that is especially when you must step up and bring that swagger back. If you’re tough, be tough always, not just when it’s easy.
Either way, during the tough times, we will see who you really are.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 3/28/11- Success Drug Pt. 3

2011-03-28T19:51:00.001-07:00

For the past two weeks we have been talking about the motivation as the drug that will bring you to your goals. True motivation is an internal process in which pain and pleasure are activated enough to provoke you to act in a certain way. Everything we do is with the good intention of either avoiding pain or gaining pleasure. Pain and pleasure are the driving forces behind all of our behaviors.

So how do we know what events are associated with pain and which are associated with pleasure. Our past experiences. Other people's experiences. What we see, what we hear. If a person says hello to a stranger and the stranger gets mad and yells at them, they could get a strong negative feeling about the whole encounter. The person may make an unconscious negative association between confronting strangers and upset feelings. The peron may not even realize that the next time they confront a stranger they are reluctant to do so. The person may or may not realize why this is happening.

Out brains link things together in this sam way almost instantly. This is why we have a difficult time changig. Many associations we make are below our own awareness, so we rarely even question them. Rest assure they are going on, all the time, even when you are awae of it.

Why do associations occur? It would be difficult to function in a world in which we would have to relearn things each time we are presented with them. We connect new material to things we already know. We make mental shortcuts. We connect pain and pleasure to things based often on our first experience with them or someone elses opinion. How productive are your associations is the real question!

To succeed you must simply decide what action you must take to achieve your goals and then link pain to not taking this action and pleasure to taking it. When you get a strong emotional reaction to anything, remember the situation. Your emotions are an excellent alarm system and a great opportunity for self-exploration. Decide what emotion your feeling and what it is connected to. Ask yourself if this connection is productive. If it is not you will need to form a new connection.

Once you determine an unproductive association:

Step 1: decide what emotions are connected to what thoughts or situations

step 2: challenge that connection. is it rational? does it makes sense? look for all the wholes in the logic of your connection. Write them down.

step 3: write down a new empowering connection and all the reasons this association makes sense.

step 4: look at the writing you did on step 2 and 3 at least 3 days a week for 10 minutes each time. You need to spend time and get emotionally involved in your reactions. You must really feel these new associations. Keep going over these writings until you feel the new associations. just like you would not lift weights once for a body building competition, you must TRAIN YOUR BRAIN the same way. Do this several times a week.

Make pain and pleasure work for you not against you.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
genezannetti@gmail.com
908-337-6143
visit my blog at http://genezannetti.blogspot.com

Mindset Monday 3/20/11- The Success Drug

2011-03-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

As we established last week, the drug that produces success is motivation. Not motivation in terms of rah rah speeches and pep talks, but deep personal motivation. This drug will take you to the next level that you are looking to go to.

Contrary to popular opinion, motivation is not something someone else gives you. Motivation is internal, not external. I use the term “motivational speaker” for myself because it is something that other people are familiar with. The truth is, I cannot give you motivation. I can open your eyes to some things that you may have never considered before. I can show you something from a different angle or perspective. But, true lasting motivation can only be powered by the individual- you.

All of human behavior is driven by two forces- Pain and Pleasure. To truly understand human behavior, you must look at these 2 driving forces. We strive to avoid pain and/or gain pleasure in EVERYTHING that we do. Pain and pleasure dictate every decision we make and every action that we take. In this sense, we ALWAYS act with good intentions for ourselves. It is through this lens where you begin to understand the word MOTIVE which is the root word in MOTIVATION.

This is not to say that we always act in our own best interest. Indeed we are often our own worst enemy because we think too much of short term pain and too little about long term pleasure. The point is that people take action to avoid pain and/or gain pleasure all the time.

The tricky part is that almost every action has some pleasurable experiences and some negative experiences associated with it. Consider exercising. Exercising is both exhausting, repetitive, and time consuming AND rewarding, endorphin producing, long term beneficial, and mind clearing AT THE SAME TIME. With elements of both pleasure and pain associated with exercising, will a person decide to exercise or not? The answer is, it depends on what elements the individual is focusing on at the moment of their decision. If at the decision making moment the person is focusing on the soreness they will feel the next day, they probably will decide not to exercise. If the person is focusing on how they will look in a bathing suit in the summer, they probably will decide to exercise. It comes down to the focus of their mind. If both of the soreness and the bathing suit are on our mind, we will go with the activity that has more pleasure and less pain linked to it. Pain and pleasure fuel our emotions. This is why our emotional control is absolutely critical to our success.

The secret is: we need to first decide what we want to accomplish. Then we must decide the action that we need to take that will bring us to our goals. Then, we need to link pleasure to performing this action and pain to not performing the action. It is really that simple. In fact you may say to yourself, I already know that. I will then ask you, how well do you apply this?

Next week we will talk more about pain and pleasure and how our mind naturally links pain and pleasure to objects, people, and activities, and how we can learn to control these two forces to accomplish our goals.

Stay with me…

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday- 3/14/11- The Drug To Take To Achieve Your Goal

2011-03-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

If I offered you a drug, with no side effects, that could help you achieve your goal, would you take it? This is a one question IQ test. Of course you would. I can give you this drug, but you must first be willing to take it.

What if I told you that you already know what this drug is, but you misunderstand it? And that is why you are not the getting results you want.
The drug is very simple: Motivation.

Ok, so you probably need a pep talk right? Wrong. When most people hear the word motivation they think of pep talks and yelling coaches. Don’t worry it’s not your fault. You have been fed this information since you were young. It’s Hollywood. You watch a sports movie and see a coach give a passionate speech before a big game, and then you see the team go out and win. Not only is this a poor coaching strategy (more on this at a later time) but it is NOT motivation.

The root word in motivation is motive. What is your motive or reason for action or inaction? Motivation is the INTERNAL (within) force that drives or compels you to not act or to act in a certain way.

Motivation is intimately linked to 2 principles (1) AVOID PAIN (2) GAIN PLEASURE.
All of human behavior boils down to these two principles.

If you want the drug that will get you get you to your goals, you absolutely must understand YOURSELF and how you relate to PAIN and PLEASURE.]

Over the next few weeks, you will learn to make principle of motivation work as your slave, so you can gain control of your life and live your dreams.
Stay with me..

If you are interested in personal consultation or have a topic you would like me to feature on Mindset Monday, please email me at genezannetti@gmail.com

Mindset Monday 3/7/11 - Driving with the Emergency Brake?

2011-03-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

Imagine driving a high performance car, say a Lamborghini, on a race track. You start the car and you begin to drive. You give it more gas,You shift the gears, Your speed climbs. You feel your car moving faster and faster until all of a sudden...you hit a plateau. Your speed remains constant well below the cars known potential. You become frustrated, you get angry, you search for the problem. Your pedal is to the floor. Check. You are in the highest gear. Check. You seem to b doing everything within your power to push the car to its top speed. You look down, and you finally notice...You are driving with the Emergency Brake!

Many, if not most athletes have at least another 2 or 3 unused gears inside them. Gears that are very available, but they are not using them. As an athlete, I always hated it when coaches would tell me that I was just about ready to, "turn that corner." This is frustrating to an athlete who is trying to do everything within his or her power to properly prepare for their sport.

The good news is: Most athletes are not lacking any ability, they are just blocking it. If you are putting in hours and hours of time into preparation and you know deep down that you are better than your performance shows, you too are blocking it. There is no corner to turn. You are already there. You just need to learn how to release the emergency brake.

There are 4 main jobs of all sport psychologists, life coaches, personal trainers etc. (1) Help the person decide what they want (2) Map out a plan to get there (3) Get the person to take action and (4) help the person step out of their own way. In essence, unblock themselves.

If you are already doing steps 1-3 on your own and are not getting the results you deserve, you only need to learn how to unblock yourself. It is simple IF, repeat IF, you take proper action and train your mind.

Learn the lessons from my blog and past blogs. Release the emergency brake and take your performance to your potential.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
genezannetti.blogspot.com

Mindset Monday 2/28/11- 4 Mandatory Mindsets for Championship Weekend

2011-02-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

Pre-Competition

1. I don't care who I go against, I want everyone. I go after the tougher opponent. I live for the challenge.
The best defense is a good offense right? Same thing with your mindset. If you seek the challenge and look for tougher opponents, you're not worried about competing against someone good. You want them!

2. I'm good enough to beat this person, or anyone else for that matter.
Confidence Plus is a Must.

3. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world right now. I live for this. I love it!
Present, In the moment. Devoted 100% to the experience you're having.

Post-Competition

4. This is the best thing that could have ever happened to me.
Learn from everything- wins and losses. Learn lesson regardless and move on.

Note- If you are missing ANY of these mindsets, it is important to rethink your mental game and take the steps necessary to change them to the ones above.

Mindset Monday 2/21/11- Step on their Throat

2011-02-21T17:11:00.000-08:00

When you compete you gotta be out for blood. –Team Zannetti Principle

When you’re winning you gotta step on their throat. –Jim Clarke (sales and investing guru and personality)

No Mercy. –John Kreese (Cobra Kai Sensei)

The point illustrated-
Watch as my UPenn professor kicks the crap out of a racist author:

“It is certainly embarrassing to be wrong. It is doubly embarrassing when your own facts prove you wrong. But isn’t it triply embarrassing when, rather than confess the mistake, one is incoherently pushing the disconfirming facts in support of the theory? And isn’t it quadruply embarrassing when the argument that shows the theory to be wrong is included—and with some insistence!—in the book that defends the theory? Finally, not to be uncharitable but the question must be asked: isn’t it quintuply embarrassing when all of this should be transparently obvious?”*

*taken from the theories of Gil-White (Dr. Francisco Gil-White)

This is the intellectual equivalent of how you handle your opponent on the field of play. There's a place for mercy, compassion, and empathy, but it's not in competition. If you are going to look back and regret a loss or a close score, you must kick them while they are down. You gotta be OUT FOR BLOOD!

In honor of the Region tournament this week in New Jersey wrestling, here is the documentary THE SEASON: IOWA WRESTLING...this is what I'm taking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peKWoVOA85s

Mindset Monday 2/14/11- Life is Choice

2011-02-14T15:21:00.001-08:00

The longer I live, the more...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
- Charles R. Swindoll

These numbers seem pretty strong. And I am sure these figures severely underestimate sociology and the power of context. I do not know if you can assign accurate numbers, but I am sure life is part what happens to you and part how you react to it.

In other words- Life is Choice.

Life is filled with choices, made up of trade offs which include their own respective consequences, some of which we cannot see, only predict. The consequences in turn shape your life to some extent.

So at the most basic level, your choices affect your life.

My parents always stressed two big concepts to my brothers and I- (1) Always be a good person (2) Always use good common sense.

Both are important!

I've heard it said, "good things happen to good people" and "what goes around comes around." Neither of these are true in a literal sense, all the time. These saying hold up sometimes, but not always.

I have seen many "good" people make bad decisions that have literally ruined their life. Good people who made 1 bad decision, 1 time.

This is not to say that everything you do has life affecting consequences. But the truth is, some choices you make do have THAT big of an impact.

But remember! You do not only have a choice in big matters. You have a choice all the time. The first step to controlling your life is recognizing that you are in control of your life (at least to some degree). Remember life is part what happens to you, but also part how you react to it. How you react to life are your choices. And good decision making is crucial to a happy and successful life.

You have control of your choices. You can choose to be a victim or anything else. (-peaceful warrior).

Realize you can choose to let someone anger, annoy, or upset you or not.
You can choose to eat healthy or not, go all out or hold back, exercise or not, take drugs or not, have unprotected sex or not etc.

All life is a choice. Even reading this right now is a choice. You can choose to do what you want.
This is a very empowering and liberating idea. Imagine living under Communism with no choice at all. You would be dying to come to a Democracy, like you live in, with the options and choices before you right now.

Start appreciating your choice.

Another thing to remember is to only concern yourself with things you have control of. Do not waste time worrying about things you cannot control. This will lead to unnecessary fear, anxiety, and stress.

Your Choice (which includes how you will act) is the only thing you can control. Do not overly concern yourself with other people's decisions and actions, even if they work against you. Just decide what you want to do from this point forward.

The second step to controlling your life is realizing NOW is the moment of power. Now is the time we harvest the crops of the past and plant the seeds for the future. There is power that lies in the past or future. The past does shape where we are now. The future does shape the course of action we will take now. But, the PRESENT is the only time that you can act.

So our first two steps to controlling our life are (1) Recognizing you have a choice and (2) Realizing that Now is the only moment you are capable of acting on your choice.

You can choose to act in the future, but you are only capable of acting in the present. Concern yourself with (1) Your Power of Choice and (2) The Present Moment

Mindset Monday 2/7/11- Pull the Trigger

2011-02-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

Pull the Trigger
To sum up Sport/Performance Psychology in a 3 word sentence- Pull the trigger!

This is analogous to the Nike slogan of "Just Do It." However, I like "pull the trigger" because it commands the most attention and includes a sense of urgency.

When it comes right down to it, you are faced with one major decision in life- Am I going to go all out OR am I going to hold back? (thank you Dr. Rob Gilbert) Are you going to make it happen or are you going to sit back and hope it happens? I'm sure anyone reading this does not need to be convinced that the difference between champions in sports and life are the ones who make things happen. Champions pull the trigger.

There are many things that could inhibit someone from pulling the trigger- fear, past experience, over analysis, etc etc. Many people have a misconception that champions do not go through similar mental discomforts- they are just different kinds of people than we are, they say. Well guess what? Champions are human just like anyone else- never subhuman or superhuman, but simply human. They have emotions, doubts, fears, nervousness, and past failures just like anyone else, but they act ANYWAY.

A warrior isn't about perfection or victory or invulnerability, but absolute vulnerability- that's the only true courage. (Peaceful Warrior)

Champions do not let doubts, fears, and past failures cripple them from taking action. Typically, a champion uses "failure" to motivate themselves to take more action. Champions will pull the trigger.

Many do not realize this, but Champions lose more than normal people lose. Why? Because they make more attempts than ordinary people. The difference is that they continue to take action no matter what their outcomes. Surely they use their failures as feedback and thus look honestly at themselves and make modifications when necessary, but they continue to act, they continue to pull the trigger.

Take a look at a few examples of Champions losing more than normal people:

~Few people would think that the hitter who struck out most times in baseball history would be thought of as a good player, much less a baseball hall of famer, Mr. October REGGIE JACKSON.
~Or that the batter who made the most outs ever would also have the most hits- does PETE ROSE ring a bell?
~ Surely the pitcher with the most all time losses would be sent back to the minors. He wouldn't be the pitcher with the most all time wins would he? Would they name the Most Valuable Pitcher the CY YOUNG award?
~You would think the basketball player who missed over 9,000 shots, lost almost 300 games, missed the game winning shot 26 times, and cut from freshman high school team would be MICHAEL JORDAN.
~Just google the "successes and failures of ABRAHAM LINCOLN" if you want to see real adversity and bouncing back from losses!

NJ wrestling great Andrew Flanagan once said that in high school he wrestled in higher divisions in the off-season and thus had a lot of losses. But that made him tougher and was a big contributor to his success. He said, "if you're not losing, your not wrestling good enough competition." You can apply this to any area in life. The Champion seeks the best competition. He goes for the challenge, to test himself. We often tend to compete at the level of our competition. So to raise your level, raise your competition. How many people could have been so much better if they would have chosen to join the pack of lions instead of assuming the lead among wolves. Yeah it may feel good, but which will make you better? Ask yourself that honestly. Is your goal to look good in front of people and feel good? Or is it to get as good as you can (which of course will eventually lead to recognition and good self feelings)?

I love to hear the reasoning when I hear great performers call BS on Sport/Performance Psychology. They say "that stuff" is garbage. I don't think about psychology or anything for that matter. I just do it.
When I hear this I always laugh to myself because theirin lies the master of Performance Psychology. If I had to make a brief list of what Performance Psychology in a nutshell it would be (1)Help person find what they want (2)Come up with a plan of how to achieve it (3)Get person to take action (3)Get person to step out of their own way (get their mind and body to work together). That's it!
The Champions who call a bluff on Performance Psychology do naturally exactly as they are supposed to (they just do not realize it) - they know what they want, they act, they don't get in their own way by over thinking or negative thinking.

True, some people have it naturally. So it's tempting to say, "you either have it or you don't." Well I say, you have it or you can LEARN IT. Remember the strong rule the weak, but the smart rule the strong (for example humans tame lions, not the reverse). As some people are naturally stronger than others, this is not the end of the story. On the contrary, a person who is naturally strong who never lifts weights can and will lose to the unnatural who makes lifting weights a high priority. There are scientific ways to improve your strength, just as there are scientific ways to improve your mindset.

That's right, this is not chat room discussion. This is a SCIENTIFIC FIELD. A lot of people aren't aware of that. Sport Psychology is a SCIENCE. Many coaches tell athletes to be more confident or to relax. But they never tell them quite how to do it. Probably because they themselves are not aware of how to do so. I'm here to tell you there are techniques and systematic ways to help you get more confident and to relax when you get too nervous. Whether you take advantage of them or not is up to you...

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com

Mindset Monday 1/31/11- Think Big

2011-01-31T08:37:00.000-08:00

There is no factor more crucial to your success than your self-image. –David DeNotaris

Only a person with a big self-image can achieve big dreams. Donald Trump says, “if you are going to think anyway, you might as well think big…real big.”

In many of his books, Trump speaks about a story of himself and former president Jimmy Carter. Carter gave Trump a phone call asking him for a multi-million dollar donation to his new library. Trump was surprised by this request because he was always very vocal about his disagreements with many of the former president’s policies. Trump declined Carter’s offer, but withdrew a valuable lesson from the situation. He said that this experience made him realize why Carter was a US president: he had the ability to think really big.

One of the greatest influences on my wrestling career was Darren Schulman, a 2 time Division 1 All-American, NJ state champion. I was fortunate to have Darren as one of my coaches and mentors when I was in college. Darren asked me, while I was a young freshman, what my goals in college were. I told him I wanted to be an All-American when I was a senior. Coach Schulman, who is a no nonsense guy, told me in no uncertain terms that my goal was not high enough. He said that my goal should be to win the nationals THAT YEAR. I was a little surprised by his idea, but it didn’t take me long to realize that THIS IS THE REASON HE WAS SO SUCCESSFUL. He thinks big. He still thinks big. Whenever I think my goals are high, I have a talk with him and I quickly realize that I should raise the bar even higher.

Darren Schulman was and is a great wrestler and coach. He is the owner and head coach of SugarFoot School of Wrestling. I recommend you check out his website at:

http://www.sugarfootwrestling.com/

A person who does not believe they will succeed decreases their chances of success significantly. –Gene Zannetti

As a senior in college at the University of Pennsylvania, I conducted a sociological experiment with my good friend Zach Bretz. We asked students, “Where do you see yourself on the socio-economic scale in the next 10 years?” We gave the categories Below Average, Average, Slightly Above Average, Well Above Average, and Living the American Dream. Much to our surprise, most people projected themselves at only Slightly Above Average. These were some of the best and brightest in an IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL! How could they only see themselves at slightly above average? Zach and I saw ourselves Living the American Dream, so should you!

I submit to you, that if you choose to be a State Champ, National Champ, or Living the American Dream, you will have a better chance of achieving it than your small minded peers. Have you ever heard a post game interview where the champion said, “I never thought I could win.” I haven’t, and I know there is a lesson to take from that.

Think big. Go For the gold. If people aren’t laughing at your goals, they probably aren’t high enough.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 1/24/11- Watch FLOW and 4 easy steps to attain it

2011-01-24T09:51:00.000-08:00

For the past three weeks we have been discussing the Flow state in sport and performance. As we have said:

Flow is an experience (not exclusive to sports) where a person is immersed in an activity and has their mind focused on the present moment while losing consciousness of ego, self-evaluations, and the audience and audience evaluations. Things seem to fall into place as the unconscious takes over and a self-transcendence is reached.
This week we will present videos of 2 athletes in Flow and give 4 of the most important tips on ways for YOU to CREATE this mindset in YOURSELF, absolutely positively guaranteed.

Flow caught on tape!

FLOW 1

1992 NBA Finals Game 1. Michael Jordan scored a finals record of 35 points in the 1st half. This included six 3-pointers, another record. Watch Jordan's face throughout the video. He does not get excited, he simply keeps doing his thing. Only after his 6th 3-pointer do we see him finally show emotion and reflection of the situation- he shrugs his shoulders, as if to say I don't know how this is happening.

This is Flow:
Michael Jordan-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86KRYhXyPBo&feature=related

FLOW 2
Autistic student, Jason McElwain was the team manager for his high school basketball team. The last game of the season, his coached allowed his to dress. With two minutes left in the game, the coach gave Jason the signal to go in. After 2 missed shots, Jason McElwain does something extraordinary. He attained Flow. He made the next 6 shots in a row. Watch this clip and see what I'm talking about. He makes 3 in a row and its very exciting. And then it starts to get freaky, as he makes 3 more. It's a little bit scary to watch someone in this Flow state because for a little while, potential is reached and self-transcendence is achieved. Limits seem to disappear. Anything becomes possible.

Jason McElwain- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6cOp6EDFlI&feature=related

Jason illustrates how Flow is not exclusive to anyone, or any group of people.

This video makes me think of a quote I heard a long time ago by Marianne Williamson:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. 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.”

While it may not be possible to will a Flow state, it is my firm belief that you can facilitate it, and thus make it more likely to happen.

Steps to facilitate Flow-

1* Practice Trusting your abilities.
[Know there is a difference between Training and Trusting. Training is analysis of behavior and technical awareness. Trusting is the act of Letting Go and allowing your instincts to take over. Both are necessary to become successful. Remember the timeless wisdom, you need to practice the way you want to play. This means if in a game you want to be in a Trusting mode, you must spend time in practice actually practicing Trusting. Dr. Bob Rotell recommends if you are a golfer you practice 70% of your shots in a Trusting Mindset. You can apply that theory to any sport or trade.]

2* Practice Letting Go of Your ego and Value Judgments (good vs. bad, right vs wrong) in Sports...and in Life. Just see things as they are. [Note- This does NOT apply to your morals.]

3* Practice staying in the Present Moment and having an alert yet clear mind. [Watch the movie Peaceful Warrior to get a better sense of this.]

4* Learn about meditation and practice it on your own on a regular basis.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 1/17/11- FLOW while you compete Pt.2

2011-01-17T19:52:00.000-08:00

Continued from last week…

Dr. David Lieberman describes this IDEAL STATE as he calls it:

"Your ideal state of mind is to have no ego and this is achieved by focusing solely on your objective. This will allow you to be unconcerned with how you are coming across and help you avoid second-guessing yourself. If you are absorbed with your objective, the "I" or the ego disappears and you can pursue your goal relentlessly. Focus only on the outcome, not on yourself."

Surely when Dr. Lieberman speaks of focusing on your objective, he means focusing on executing your mission, not on how to do it, and certainly not on winning. When you watch McElwain and Jordan below, they are achieving Flow by thinking about making baskets, not on winning the game. The winning is a byproduct of making baskets.
Letting Go and Trusting your instincts is another important part of attaining Flow. A common complaint among athletes is that they perform better in practice than in a match or a game. I believe that this phenomena of a "practice room wrestler" is due to the fact that in practice it is easier to LET GO. In practice, these athletes attain, if not, come closer to attaining Flow. They may experience tunnel vision to an optimal extent, not to the extreme. Fluidity and creativity is maintained as one is loose and relaxed with their muscles. Being too in the Zone would create extreme tunnel vision, and overall narrowing of the vision. This is likely what happens when a "practice room wrestler" competes, due to over arousal.

I do not know if there are different levels of Flow and if exists along a continuum, but I would have to believe this is at least somewhat the case. Either way, it seems the more into Flow one becomes, the better.

So if in practice an athlete can come closer to Flow, they will probably perform better (better not in terms of wins or losses, but rather in terms of competing to their potential). If its easier to Let Go in practice, then it logically follows that the athlete will be more into Flow and thus perform better.

A more technical name for Flow is what Sport Psychologists call Ideal Peak Performance State (IPPS). They say there are 7 characteristics of IPPS.

(1) Total Concentration (focused on the Here and Now. Living in the present moment).

(2) Clear Goals (the clear objective we spoke of earlier)

(3) Lack of Self-Awareness (loss of the ego and audience and audience evaluations).

(4) Unambiguous Feedback (Clearly seeing things as they are. Also includes no value judgements of good or bad associated with actions. Not thinking, yet not dreaming, ready for whatever may come).

(5) Sense of Control (In a sense that the person is competent enough to perform the task, the task must be a challenge, neither over challenging or under utilizing the person's present skills) It is a little bit of a stretch of the persons current skill level, hence it is within their control, and the person is aware of this

(6) Autotelic (Self-Goals) Experience (Intrinsic Motivation, the process becomes its own reward)

(7) Transformation of Time (Which some report, make time seem to slow down during the task, but paradoxically seems fast once the task is over).
How Does it feel to be in Flow? (basically corresponds with the 7 characteristics of Flow):

1. Completely involved in the experience. Focus and concentration.

2. Sense of ecstasy. Greater than normal.

3. Inner clarity. Knowing what needs to be done and how to do it.

4. Sense of Control (we spoke of just above).

5. Sense of Serenity (loss of ego and evaluations)

6. Timelessness (Happens in a flash, things fly by).

7. Intrinsic Motivation (we spoke of before).

Warch FLOW in action next week: Jason McElwain and Michael Jordan

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 1/10/11- FLOW everytime you Perform

2011-01-10T10:57:00.000-08:00

Some athletes call it “the Zone” others call it “Flow,” scholars call it “the Ideal Peak Performance State (IPPS).” The feeling that you cannot miss, where time and accuracy seem to be moving and acting at your command. All good athletes and performers know this feeling. When you compete, the idea is to be in this state as often as possible. My next few Mindset Mondays will explore the concept of Flow in greater depth and how to facilitate its occurrence. I do not think Flow is something you can force to happen, as ‘Trying’ seems counterproductive as you shall soon see.

Flow is an experience (not exclusive to sports) where a person is immersed in an activity and has their mind focused on the present moment while losing consciousness of ego, self-evaluations, and the audience and audience evaluations. Things seem to fall into place as the unconscious takes over and a self-transcendence is reached.

Many athletes call this experience being "In the Zone." They use the words in the Zone and Flow interchangeably. I do not believe that the Zone and Flow are one and the same. I can differentiate between the two.

I know I have been in the Zone every wrestling match in which I ever competed. But, it was only in rare occasions where I felt Flow. I believe the Zone may be a prerequisite for Flow. But, being in the Zone will not inevitably lead to Flow. There may be several steps necessary to achieving Flow.

I will differentiate between the two now. While in the Zone, one feels as though they are In the Moment. There is a Buddhist word for being in the Here and Now- Satori. I loved to compete because when I was on the mat, I was not thinking about my school work, girl problems, etc. I became focused on the present moment.
To me, being in the Present Moment, here and now, represents the Zone. I'm sure athletes share this common experience with me. This tunnel vision results from a moderate amount of arousal or anxiety. It can be harmful the tunnel vision becomes extreme. This will close your mind to creativity and fluidity, both necessary components of Flow. But in the Zone you can still be self-conscious and aware of other people's evaluations and expectations.

Flow is the Zone, plus the relative absence of self & others consciousness. You and the experience become one and the same. In a sense, you lose yourself. This principle is by no means new. Many cultures all over the world have known about this concept for thousands of years, not the least of which being the Eastern cultures and the principle of Zen.

As stated above, a major prerequisite of Flow is the loss of one's ego. Listen to how Dr. David Lieberman describes this IDEAL STATE as he calls it:
"Your ideal state of mind is to have no ego and this is achieved by focusing solely on your objective. This will allow you to be unconcerned with how you are coming across and help you avoid second-guessing yourself. If you are absorbed with your objective, the "I" or the ego disappears and you can pursue your goal relentlessly. Focus only on the outcome, not on yourself."

To be continued…

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 1/3/11- Resolve This for the New Year

2011-01-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

Resolve This for the New Year-

Some of the greatest Peak Performance advice I ever heard was from the great Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz.

On the topic of Resilience he said:

“Life is not always as good as it seems, and its not always as bad as it seems, but somewhere between there reality falls.”

Resolve to Bounce back from mistakes and losses. Never Stay Down!

We cannot allow an opponent or circumstance to defeat us twice in a row.

Sometimes in life we will lose, but we should not allow that loss to affect our minds to the point that they hurt us again in the future. Think of an athlete or loses to a team that they “shouldn’t.” Now, I do not like even thinking in terms of “shoulds’ and expectations, but that’s a topic for another time. But after the team or athlete loses, they sometimes get down on themselves and wallow in self pity, leading to another loss to yet another inferior team. In essence, they let the first opponent beat them twice. We cannot allow this to happen.

We will be successful because we never had problems or obstacles, but because we solve them. And because there is no price we are not willing to pay to make sure we succeed.

“Remember the good Lord put eyes in the front of your head instead of the back so you can see where you are going, not where you’ve been.”

Imagine driving your car for any distance while starring through the rear view mirror. There is a reason why the windshield is 10x bigger than the rear-view mirror. Yes it is good to look back at the past from time to time. But we should spend the majority of our time focusing on the present and future.
Whatever life throws at you, you must bounce back.

In Rocky Balboa Stallone says, “it’s not about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take.”

It’s your choice to stay down or to get up and fight another round. Put your gloves back on and get back in the ring!

Resolve to Never Stay Down!

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 12/27/10- Mental Toughness

2010-12-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

Mental Toughness is plain and simple- never giving up no matter what.

In my Personality Psychology class, we learned that Character is revealed during difficult times, not easy times. This may make intuitive sense to many people, but there is also a good amount of scientific research to support this idea.
You just can’t ever give up on yourself. The world will provide plenty of surprises, adversity, and difficult circumstances.

Life may knock you around, but no one can make you quit. Quitting is an intimate personal decision. Many people blame quitting on circumstances, but when it comes right down to it, it is a choice, and it is your choice.

I have a survival in the wilderness book that gives great useful information on what to do in the event of being stranded on an island, at sea, in a cave, etc. etc. They have a “Pyramid of Success in Survival” and as you would imagine, the foundation of the pyramid is the “Will to Live.”

I like to start Mental Mastery with the topic of Rationality and Unconditionally accepting yourself. Many people wonder why I do not start with Confidence or Goal Setting. It is because one day you will lose, adversity will strike, circumstances will get worse, and you will need the skills to persevere. All the Mental Skills and Physical skills are meaningless if you do not have a strong will to persist no matter what.

This probably sounds like my most preachy post. It may sound like something from a motivational speech, but this lesson is well worth revisiting.

*Read biographies of successful people. They didn’t have it easy all the time.

*Have a reason to succeed which is larger than life. Make your mission spiritual, however you may personally define spiritual.

*Write your reasons to succeed down. Read them daily.

*And finally, take some time to watch Ants. Put your foot down in their path. Watch them. They will go around it, under it, over it; they may even try to go through it. The bottom line is that nothing derails them. Have you ever seen a bug in a pool as it struggles for survival. It never lays there and gives up. There is no quit in an Ant and if you want to be successful, there can be no quit in YOU either!

Everyone gets knocked down, common people stay down, great people get up.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 12/20/10- Communication is Crucial

2010-12-20T19:27:00.000-08:00

People do not have superhuman powers. So why do we think coaches, teammates, family, and friends can read our minds?

One of the best practical pieces of advice on performance success is to communicate. Communicate with the people around you about your needs, feelings, ideas, etc.
How do you like other people to deal with you the day of competition? The night before competition? At the competition? After practice? During practice? We all have different ways we like to be approached and dealt with. Step 1 may involve figuring out how you like to be handled. Step 2 then is communicating this message to the people around you.
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You will need to be corrected sometimes. People will not always agree with you either. How do you like to be corrected? How would you like criticism and disagreement framed toward you? Do you like direct, blunt critique or would you prefer it framed more positively? You must know your own sensitivities. Do you have any words or phrases that your parents or coaches use that you just cannot stand? Do not wait for them to say it, talk to them about it in advance.

It may seem obvious that you can perform at your best if you create an empowering and positive environment that suites your individual needs. We must not be afraid to communicate our needs to the people who will be in close contact during the season and at our competitions.

The people around us are not mind readers. They use strategies that have worked on them and strategies that have worked for them on others. But, we cannot expect them to know exactly what best suites us. This makes communication crucial. We all like to be dealt with in different ways. And it is crucial we learn to express ourselves to those around us.

There is a productive way to communicate with people- truthful and tactful. We must express ourselves honestly and with regard to the other person’s feelings and viewpoints. We should do it at the right time- in private- not in the middle of a practice or an argument. And we should speak in a positive tone without yelling. While we communicate, the last thing we want to do is trigger a defensive reaction from the other person.

It may be difficult for a young adult to express him or herself to an adult, parent, coach, or friend. But this is a very mature action and one that will almost certainly be more than worth the minor awkwardness or embarrassment you may feel. If you are looking to be successful, you will barrel through anything and take action to improve.

Lastly, we cannot expect that people will always listen to us when we share how we feel. Our job is to communicate openly, honestly, and with tact. Their agreement and their reaction is on them. Do not be disappointed or angry if the person does not react exactly how you want them to. (Do you know how they like to be dealt with? This further illustrates my point).

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday- 12/13/10- How important is the mind? Ask the BEST!

2010-12-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

My friend, wrestling coach, and mentor Donn Ernst gave me two pieces of advice on decision making:CONSIDER THE SOURCE and LEARN FROM THE BEST. These are two tenants we all can live by.

That being said...How important is your mindset to your success? Please, don't take my word for it...Ask the best...

Arnold Schwarzenegger
“The Secret is to make your mind work for you, not against you.”
(Arnold’s approach to bodybuilding was more mental than physical)
http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_60/69_fitness_tip.html

Michael Jordan
Michael's biggest strength was his mental game. Jordan held a decisive mental edge over his opponents throughout his entire career. It was his mental toughness... Jeff Janssen, M.S.
http://www.teamarete.com/ificouldbe.html

Wayne Gretzky
…he (Gretzky) was not very strong physically, but he made up for that in the mental edge he held over opponents.
http://www.lycos.com/info/wayne-gretzky-hockey.html

Tiger Woods
Tiger's biggest club is his mental strength –USA Today
His mental game is every bit as good as his physical game. –Bob May
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2004-02-10-tiger-toughest_x.htm

there’s another quality even more important than skill. It’s his mind, and that very well could be his greatest weapon.
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/09/sports/sp-mindgame9

Michael Phelps
His strongest asset is relaxing & focusing in competition. He can take himself mentally to a place. That’s what separates him from his competitors. –Coach Bowman
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/bowman-on-phelps-mental-strength/3003143297

Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali was a master of psychology…his mental toughness played a great factor in many of his fights. There was no one stronger mentally then Muhammad Ali.
http://greatestofalltime.homestead.com/muhammadali.html

Dan Gable
“Mental Toughness is the key of all keys…Mental Toughness is the foundation.”
http://www.briancain.com/articlesbybriancain/Dan%20Gable%20-%20Brian%20Cain%20CBN.pdf

Coach John Wooden
“I am constantly trying to make players realize the mental side.”

Coach Vince Lombardi
“Mental Toughness is essential for success.”
He was always working on both the minds and bodies of his players. The guy was a beautiful psychologist. – Jerry Kramer (former player)

Coach Bobby Knight
“Mental toughness to physical (toughness) is as 4 is to 1.”

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 12/6/10- Starting from Scratch

2010-12-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

If you were going to start from scratch, what would be different about you?
If you could shape yourself exactly into anything you want, with no past experiences, no past heartbreaks, no memory of setback, what information would you put into your mind? Very few people approach their mindset from a creator’s point of view. We tend to operate as slaves to our genetics and past experiences. Most people look at their mind as a fixed entity, a final product.

You do not need to continue down this path. One of the gifts that humans have is a conscious mind that, if used correctly, can correct itself. More and more, research is finding that our brain can in many ways rewire itself and manifest it’s vision on the outside world. Many scientists believe that we have barely scratched the surface into the power of the mind.

The point of all this is to empower you to become the creator of your new mind. Decide what you would put in your head if you could choose anything. For me this includes- never fearing rejection, absolute confidence in all my abilities, discipline that cannot be broken, unbelievable positive thinking about life, courage to face all of my fears, etc.

We must remember that we can always choose to approach our mind as a creator. There are tools available to help you attain this mindset, if you would just be willing to learn them and step out of your comfort zone and try them.Have the guts to create your own reality! Very few people will do this, but the ones who want to be champions will. Create a list on a piece of paper of exactly what you would be, if you could mold yourself into exactly what you would want (think along the lines of what traits you would need to accomplish your goals).

Make the list as specific as possible and read it daily and give it your full attention, don’t just blow through the list as you read it. Use a process cue after reading it every time so you will have a movement associated with the Ultimate You. Read the list while listening to music that captures the feelings you are trying to create inside you- empowerment, confidence, faith, and guts.
This is an investment of about 5 minutes every day, which is relatively small. Choosing to do this or not comes down to one crucial personal decision- How important is it to you that you make the most of yourself and your life? Framed other ways, How good do you really want to be? Do you really want it?

Also, get into meditating or just taking some quiet time on a regular basis thinking about the new reality you have created for yourself. As the image of your new reality grows stronger, you will begin to see results in the real world. Don’t be surprised when this happens, remember I told you this would happen.

Keep in mind that like any physical training, you must do this repeatedly for real results. Don’t quit on this process in the beginning if you do not see results immediately. Trust the process. And, when you do start achieving success, continue to do look at your list and meditate on your new reality. Life will do all it can to pull you from here, your center. Remember a body builder does not discontinue training when he starts to grow muscle. This should be lifelong mental training.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143 (908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 11/29/10- The "Fan Mentality"

2010-11-29T09:28:00.000-08:00

Stop approaching your sport as a spectator! Players play, coaches coach, administrators administrate, and there can be no overlap in between.
Identify your role first. You are a player, an athlete, a participant. This means you must think like a participant, not as a coach, not as an administrator, and certainly not as a fan.

Most athletes have never experienced being a coach or administrator. But pretty much everyone has experience as a fan. We watch ball games on television and followed our sport before we ever competed. This is why the “fan mentality” is so difficult for us athletes to shake.

Fans talk about the importance of the game, streaks, wins, losses, slumps, records, predictions, rankings, and war stories of individuals. They spend countless hours watching television, listening to radio, reading articles on the internet, participating in forums, debates, gambling, etc. etc.

We learn all about stats and what indicators to look for in teams and individuals so we can win bets. We know all the stories about guys on our favorite teams and past records. We figure out stories and streaks so we have things to talk about while watching these games with our friends.

We learn very quickly how to become a great fan.

What we do not learn is how to think like an athlete. We just kind of sit back and hope it happens to us. We should be proactive in this process.

Sport Psychology and common sense teach you to focus on things you can control and stop worrying about things you cannot. When you compete, you cannot think about stories, and records, and streaks, etc. You need to stop looking at the newspaper, predictions, forums, and seedings.

Many people say that these things do not affect them, so they can still be a competitor and fan at the same time. If that is the case, I challenge you to think of past poor performances. Think of at least 3 of them. What were you thinking before and during the competition? If anything had to do with how good or bad your opponent was, this is in part a result of getting involved in the hype. Walk away when friends and teammates start talking about the sport as spectators. Do not let that garbage into your mind.

The “fan mentality” is a difficult habit to break. This will take real work on your part, but the results are well worth it. Stop caring what other people think of you, how they will view your performance, what this all means, records, seedings, predictions, streaks, and stories. Read a book on technique or mindset instead of box scores and newspaper articles. Start thinking like a participant. Destroy your “fan mentality,” and live in your own reality!

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 11/22/10- Wins and Losses

2010-11-22T20:11:00.000-08:00

If you want to be successful you are going to have to stop thinking like everyone else!

Everyone else judges performance based on wins and losses. 10% of the people in the world have 90% of the money. The same is true with success. If 9 out of 10 people judge performance based on wins and losses, then you need to be the 1 in 10 that does not.

What do successful people focus on? Evolution! Constant improvement. Have you ever seen an athlete in the Olympics or Championships a little dissatisfied after winning? Think hard. I am sure you can think of a few examples. And I can almost guarantee you said to yourself while watching, "I would be happy if I were that guy." Well, that is why you are you and he is him!

Failure is feedback, failure is never final (unless of course you quit or give up hope). The very best know the only way to succeed is to be positive, go all out, and learn from your mistakes. Failure is a part of the process. Rejection is a part of the process. Successful people have failed A LOT more than average ordinary people.

What hitter in baseball struck out the most times in baseball?
Answer: Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson "Mr. October"

What baseball hitter made the most outs?
Answer: All time hit leader Pete Rose

What baseball pitcher has the most career losses?
Answer: All time wins leader and Hall of Famer Cy Young

Thomas Edison did not fail 1,000 times, he found 1,000 ways not to invent the light bulb. -his words

Abraham Lincoln lost over 6 elections and a nervous breakdown.

All these things would make a normal person quit. But these people are not normal. And that is the key. You have to be uncommon to be great. Be the 1 in 10 people who do not think about wins and losses.

It is a liberating feeling to let go of wins and losses in your mind. It will free your mind to open up, go all out, take more chances, and as a result, succeed far more than you ever thought possible!

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit my blog- genezannetti.blogspot.com

Mindset Monday 11/15/10- No Mind

2010-11-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

You have no doubt heard most of your life, "stop and think" or "look before you leap." We are taught to always think. This is usually a good rule of thumb except when it's not. Allow me to explain...

At almost every speaking engagement I offer the same pop quiz to attendees. All things being equal, which performer will do the best: (a)the positive thinker (b) the negative thinker (c) the person who is not thinking. (Dr. Rob Gilbert)

The answer of course is C, because they will have no distracting thoughts in either direction. Their mind will be using all of it's power to handle the task at hand. No time will be wasted on thoughts or expectations.

If you chose A you are in the majority. But don't worry, as almost everyone fails the pop quiz almost all the time.

Most people have been raised to believe that the positive thinker will be the greatest success, and this is not a false statement. Most of the time you must be the positive thinker if you want to succeed. But, when you compete or perform, you do not want to have much in your mind at all. You do not want any distracton from the task at hand.

If you must have any thought, it should be a word or short sentence at the very most. This should only be a CUE or ANCHOR to remind you of where your focus should be at the moment or to snap you back into a more productive mindset. These cues or anchors should be decided long before you perform.

The primary cause of most people's fears, anxieties, worry, doubt, and human disturbace in general is from being trapped in the jail of your own mind (Dr. Brad Blanton). We play unbelievable mental gymnastics with ourselves on a regular basis, contemplating what if's, that in all probability will never happen. We think and think and think about something we want to do and never get around to doing it- we get paralysis from our own analysis!

It is important to think sometimes and it is important to turn your mind off at other times. This will take ongoing practice to master when to turn your mind on and off. For best results, do some reading on the topic or consult an expert. I will continue to post great information on how to make your mind work for you, not against you!

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com

Visit my blog: http://genezannetti.blogspot.com

Mindset Monday 11/8/10- Control Your Destiny

2010-11-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

No matter what field you are in, it is crucial that you understand Control. You must make this concept of Control work FOR YOU, not against you.

Studies repeatedly show that people who believe that they control their destiny have greater success than those who believe that their success is determined by outside factors, like luck or circumstance. The scientific name for this concept is Locus of Control (you can type this word into Google Scholar to see the studies for yourself). If you want to be successful, then you better believe that YOU control your destiny.

We do not control outcomes directly! We cannot control success, wins, etc. directly. There are many extenuating circumstances that play a role in outcomes. BUT, we can ALWAYS control 2 things: (1) our individual effort (2) our Attitude (approaching your activity with positivity, willingness to improve, and belief that you can succeed). IF you control these 2 factors, you can feel confident that you control your destiny. We control our outcomes INDIRECTLY by focusing on Effort and Attitude. You cannot guarantee success, but you can increase your chances.

You must realize we cannot control circumstances outside our control: referees bad calls, coaches decisions, weather, other people’s opinions of us, luck of the draw, etc. etc. etc. Trying to control these factors are at the root of clinically diagnosable Anxiety and Depression. You must become effective at discerning what you can control versus what you cannot. Life will be unnecessarily painful if you do not grasp this concept.

Think about people you know who try to control things outside their control. Chances are, they are a mess mentally. Sales Instructor Jeffrey Gitomer said it best when he said to resign your position as leader of the world, and start thinking about yourself (not in a selfish way). We all know people who constantly give others advice on how to change, and then when they are given advice they say they cannot control that. They say, “that’s just the way I am.” This is very annoying and inaccurate. The only person you can control is yourself.

Now think of people you know who focus their energy on Self-Control: controlling their (1) effort (2) attitude. Did you ever notice how very little stands in their way? These people bounce back from mistakes and persist diligently toward their goals. AND, THEY ARE HAPPIER PEOPLE! Because they don’t waste time and energy on things outside of their control!

Understand Control and make it work to your advantage. Studies show you will be more successful and happier. Have your cake and eat It too!

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 11/1/10- 11 Ways to Guarantee a Performance Failure

2010-11-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

Eleven Ways to Guarantee a Performance Failure

1. Make this performance special- believe it is different than all other performances.
2. Use phrases like “It’s now or never,” “this is it,” and “do or die!”
3. Get involved in the hype: read the newspapers, forums, rankings, predictions, and seedings.
4. As often as possible, think about both the short-term and long-term implications about this performance.
5. As often as possible, think about past poor performances and mistakes as well as all your current imperfections.
6. Make sure to try especially hard in this performance.
7. Take this performance very seriously, have no sense of humor, and never smile.
8. Care deeply how other people will view your performance.
9. Be negative, even when it is difficult to do so.
10. Be Realistic: Who are you to succeed?
11. Only train yourself physically, performance has nothing to do with your mindset.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 10/25/10- Care Less, Win More

2010-10-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

Mediocre athletes begin to care when the post-season begins. Good athletes care once the season starts. Great athletes care before the season. But, the BEST athletes DON’T CARE. If you are going to be successful you need to learn not to care!
Now how could this be? Could the best athletes really not care? The best athletes know what they should and should not care about. The best know to care about things they can control and not care about things they have no control over.

The best athletes care about factors within their control: (1) their effort, (2) their attitude, (3) their discipline following their action plan for success, (4) their mental and physical training, (5) their nutrition and rest etc. etc.
Many athletes, if not most, care about things that are outside of their control. Focusing on factors outside of one’s control takes one out of the moment and add pressure which makes poor performance far more likely.

It is crucial to YOUR SUCCESS to know what you should and should not care about. I would recommend making a list that you can review often and refer back to in times of need. Make the list and then get emotionally involved while reading the list. Become mad, stubborn, and intense when you read the list of things you do not want to care about. Involving your emotions will help drive this point home inside your mind and body. Here is a good example of what I am talking about:

List of things I don’t give a crap about:
• Wins and Losses
• Records
• Past results of myself or my opponents
• Newspapers, Forums, Predictions, Rankings
• Past accomplishments of mine or my opponents
• Common opponents or past times competing against each other
• What other people think about me
• What other people will say to me if I win or lose
• What will happen if I win or lose
• Coaches, parents, friends, etc opinion about me
• Other people’s expectations

I am not saying that other people don’t matter and not to listen to coaches or parents. I am saying that being preoccupied with these thoughts has been long recognized to blow performances. So it is crucial that you train yourself to think this way, and only care about things you can control. You control outcomes indirectly, by preparing yourself with mental and physical training and not getting in your own way mentally by worrying about things outside of your control.

Remember about 9 out of 10 people will spend no time on their mentality and will continue to care about uncontrollable factors. You need to be the 1 out of 10 athletes that DOES NOT CARE about these things.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 10/18/10- Unshakable Confidence Part 3

2010-10-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

What philosophy do you live by?

The past two weeks I have written about the importance of Confidence to your success. We have also gone over concrete, research supported techniques to improve your Confidence.

Today I would like to go deeper into Confidence at its most fundamental level. It seems to me that Confident people all share something in common- they know what they believe- in the world and in themselves.

To truly improve your Confidence at its deepest level, I would recommend soul searching to find what it is you believe in.

Some people put their faith in a higher power, others put it in science, still others trust a combination of the two. Whatever it is, you must decide what you believe about the world and yourself. What philosophy do you live by? You may believe in your own blend of several different philosophies. That is fine too. The important thing is that you know what you believe- about yourself and about the world.

Many religions and philosophies have at their roots the belief that people are powerful beyond belief; created in the image of an immortal. Others believe in Chi, inner energy, or the vibration of the universe. My recommendation is to find what you believe in- read about it. Then, write it down on a piece of paper that you refer to several times a week to remind yourself what you believe in. Life will throw curve balls at you and unexpected events will occur that both have the capacity to derail you from your center (core beliefs about the world). Be open-minded and never too rigid, but it is crucial to know what you believe.
Even if you are not a believer in a higher power you can still have a belief in science and research. You can still be a believer in science if you have faith in a higher power. In both cases, you can be confident that all of the techniques and strategies I offer you every week are the best available from the latest available evidence.

One thing that always gave me Confidence to face my fears head on and go after my goals was my strong faith. I have a list of favorite Bible Quotes that I continue to read weekly. They keep things in perspective for me and remind me what I believe in. If you are interested in seeing my list of Motivational Bible Quotes from both the Old Testament (Hebrew Scripture) and New Testament, I have attached that blog for you here:

http://gzchristian.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-04-06T23%3A38%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7

Reminder that Judaism, Islam, and Christianity all share a reverence for the Old Testament, whereas the New Testament is more Christianity specific. I included both so as to reach the broadest audience possible.

Again, if you are not religious, it is still to know what you believe in. If you know what you believe in, it will carry over to the field of play. You will have things in perspective and have a deep feeling of inner Confidence that will be very difficult to beat.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 10/11/10- Build Confidence Part 2

2010-10-11T10:05:00.001-07:00

Confidence is so important to our success I have decided to do at least a 3 part series continuing from last week.

What else can we do to build Unstoppable Confidence?

A different approach to building confidence is taken from behavioral theorists (a major branch of psychology).

It may be common sense that the body listens to the mind. If we start to have thoughts like, “I am not good enough,” the body will probably start sweating, your heart will start racing etc. But what may not be such common sense is that the mind also listens to the body. Indeed, after seeing one’s body sweat and feeling one’s own heart race, the mind will look at this and decide, “I must be nervous because my body looks nervous.” This will make a person even more nervous than they were originally!

How do we stop the cycle?

We do not need to be Confident, we must simply ACT CONFIDENT! Muhammad Ali was the master of this. He said he was scared to death before every fight. He did not appear this way though because he ACTED CONFIDENT. He moved confident, he spoke confident, etc. When he or anyone else does this, your mind sees your body’s actions and decides, you must really be confident.

Can you be happy right now? Maybe, maybe not.
Can you think happy thoughts right now? Again, maybe, maybe not.
Can you smile? YES, anyone can smile. And studies show that we smile when we are happy and also WHEN WE SMILE- WE FEEL HAPPIER.
Apply this to Confidence. ACT AS IF, even if you do not feel this way. Fake it till you make it. Better still- fake it till you feel it!
(Dr. Gilbert)

Tony Robbins gives this exercise- Get yourself upset, or mad, or in some negative mood and then make a Big Smile and Look up in the air. You cannot stay mad, because you are sending your mind mixed signals. This will at very least break the cycle we spoke of earlier.

* Know in advance what Confidence looks like. What do you look like when you are confident? How do you move? How do you speak? How do you hold your head? What gestures go with your confident feeling? When you get this feeling of confidence remember how you look so you can make yourself do these same things when you need to be confident in the future. Practice doing this a lot before competition. As always, you do not want to practice for the first time before a competition. You want to get this look down.

* If you do not know how you look when you are confident, look at other people who you perceive as confident and watch how they move, walk, talk, hold their head, gestures, etc. and DO THAT. This will remind you of Confidence and you doing this will in turn make you feel confident. Your body moving around confidently will remind your mind to feel CONFIDENT.

*Add a gesture (or cue) every time you practice ACTING CONFIDENTLY. This will strengthen the connection between you mind and body so you will feel maximally confident when you need it most.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 10/4/10- Building Confidence

2010-10-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

There is no factor more crucial to your Success than our Self-Confidence.

To be successful, you must truly believe that you are capable of achieving that which you are attempting. Technique and skills are important, but they are nothing if you perform them half heartedly. The main reason people do not perform technique and skills at 100% is because they deep down do not believe that it will work. They have some doubt that they will achieve what they are trying. When you take a shot in wrestling, expect to get the leg. When you swing a bat, expect to hit the ball. When you throw a block, expect the other guy to go down.

We have all heard these little pieces of advice. But as always, do not say to yourself, "I already know this.” Instead, ask yourself, “how well do I apply this?”

Here is how you build Unstoppable Confidence:
*Make a long list of your successes and positive attributes both on and off the field of play. On one side of the paper, write your sport and everything you have ever accomplished, great performances, and positive attributes you possess. They key here is to pick out every little thing. Do not hold back. Write even little things. On the other side of the paper write Life and make another list of accomplishments, achievements, and positive attributes. Stock pile even small successes. Read this paper once a day for a few months, then continue to revisit it once or twice a week. You want to ingrain this list in your mind, so when you step into a situation where you have doubts, you can very easily call to mind reasons why you can succeed and overcome the doubt. It will be difficult to overcome doubt in the moment without a plan. So it is important you hammer this list into your mind so you will be well equipped to handle doubt.

*Write out reasons why you will succeed in your goal. Or imagine that you already accomplished your goal. Write out reasons why you accomplished it. This type of thinking gives your mind a shift in focus. You go from looking at your goal as a dream, to now looking at your goal as a real possibility. Why are your skills good enough to win? Has anyone very successful used the same skills to win? Are their people who are similar to you who have achieved the same thing you want? These are all reasons why you can succeed.

*Forget about being realistic. Most psychologists and philosophers dispute what realism even means and how perspective is very subjective (see post-modernism). I think most people use it as a cop out- an excuse if you lose. Live in your own reality. The 90/10 rule in economics and success is that 10% of the people control 90% of the money. This is sad but true about success too. Think like the 10% of the people who succeed, not like the 90% of people who do not. Read biographies of success stories. Talk to these people when you are making decisions. Take successful people out to lunch and pick their brains. I guarantee you they do not think like the 90% of the people you hang out with. Would you rather a safety in numbers being with the 90% so you have a good excuse if you lose? Or do you want to join the company of champions? The choice is yours. Throw “realism” out the window. Make a list of what you believe or what you would need to believe to be a success and read this list everyday along with your accomplishment list. Live in your own reality.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 9/27/10 - Sleep Like a Baby the Night Before Competitions

2010-09-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

One major issue performers claim to have is a severely impaired, if not, complete inability to sleep the night before a competition. I have not seen too many experts address this very important issue. We all know the importance of rest for our bodies and minds to perform at their optimal. Here are some tips to help you sleep like a baby the night before competition, so you can be at your best when you need it most. As with any good performance advice, they include both mind and body.

(1) Avoid sugar and caffeine the night before competition. This may not pose a problem for athletes who need to make weight the next day, but this is important for everyone to remember. A wrestler who can have a few ounces to drink the night before should probably choose something other than soda. This will give your body a biological edge in getting to sleep soon.

(2) Have a routine you perform every night before you go to sleep. This could include washing up, prayers, cleaning your room, deep breathing, or whatever (try to avoid physical activity which can wake your body up). Perform this every night, so the night before competition you have a set routine and you will not be pacing around endlessly thinking of competition. The more you do this routine, the better it will work for you when you need it. Do not make the night before competition the first time you do this.

(3) Include deep breathing as one of the final parts of your pre-sleep routine. Deep breathing is known to lower heart rate and improve relaxation. Remember: all breathing is done in your stomach (your chest and arms should not move) inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth for 3x as long as you inhaled. Think about nothing more than breathing.

(4) Use visualization and symbols to your advantage. As you lay in bed, picture yourself as a bear getting ready to hibernate (or use any symbol or idea you can relate to). The point is to see yourself as the symbol and put you in a relaxed state of mind. You can also imagine yourself stepping into a very comfortable environment (happy place, worlds most comfortable room,etc. etc. use your imagination) and see yourself at ease and slowly but surely drifting away into a completely blissful sleep. Incorporate this into your pre-sleep routine every night. The more times you pair this image to a peaceful sleep, the better it will serve you the night before a competition.

(5) Plan Ahead. Find out a week in advance what time you will need to be awake for your competition and what time you will need to go to sleep to be awake for that time. Start going to bed at that time a week ahead. This will get your body adjusted to feeling sleepy at the right time. Why do we always wait until the night before competition to go to sleep at a decent hour? Do you expect your body to be able to make such an adjustment in one night (especially while you have other hings on your mind). Your body has a rhythm you can use to your advantage.

(6) Accept. Accept that your mind may wander and you may feel some nervousness the night before you compete. This is natural. It is nothing to get into a panic over. We all get nervous, the trick is to stop worrying there. Do not worry about getting worried. We all do this from time to time. Remind yourself that your mind will often play tricks on you the night before to get you to over think things. Have a sense of humor with it. Be able to laugh at yourself and your mind's games. Accept that this is natural and you will gain control over your mind. When you do not accept yourself and your mind, you allow your body and mind to engage in a civil war against one another. Resistance causes tension and discord, acceptance causes peace and tranquility. Remember, it takes no effort to relax. Relaxation is the state of being your body and mind naturally want to be in. You have all the best drugs and tranquilizers already inside your body.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 9/20/10 - 3 Purposes of Sport Psychology

2010-09-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

The 3 Purposes of Sport/Performance Psychology
1. Help you determine what you want- Your Goal.
2. Help you create a plan of action to get to your goal.
3. Help you to get out of your own way.

Step 1 is to determine what it is you want to accomplish. Lou Holtz always says everyone needs 4 things in this world (1) something to do (2) someone to love (3) something to believe in (4) something to hope for. He was talking about goals. Determine what you love. What is your passion? Or, what is an area of your life you wish to get control over?

Step 2. Many people, and most athletes have step 1 completed. (If you don’t, that’s ok, just work on step 1 first then). They know what they love and what they want to accomplish. The next step is to write out a full and comprehensive plan of action that will take you from point A (where you are now) to point B (your goal). You must determine all the important aspects of your sport or activity- mental and physical. There should be several physical areas you must work on ie. technique, strength, conditioning, etc. as well as several mental areas you must improve ie. Confidence, staying relaxed, positive self-talk, etc. Then once you have all the areas of your field down, you must write out a very specific way in which you will improve them. You cannot just say “my conditioning needs to get better, so I will work harder.” This is a great goal, but the plan to get in better shape must be specific- I will run 10 sprints after every practice or I will make sure I am the hardest worker in the room- first one in, last one out.

Step 3 is a lifelong journey- stepping out of your own way. Believe it or not, we are the major obstacle between ourselves and our own success. We often think negatively, doubt our abilities, try to impress others, over think things, get distracted, lose focus, etc. etc. If we can overcome ourselves, we can accomplish anything. There are proven ways to help you succeed in Step 3, but they must be practiced and lived on a regular basis. We all battle demons in our own way. I always tell my athletes not to worry about beating their opponents. If they can win the battle within, they can beat anyone. Sport Psychology Experts main job is this step. Make sure you know how to master this area, or get someone who can assist you in doing so-

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 9/13/10- The 4 Rules of Sport Psychology

2010-09-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

I created a simple set of 4 basic rules of Sport Psychology to make things as easy for people as possible.

(1) One thing at a time
(2) Keep it simple
(3) Write it down
(4) When in doubt, don't think, ACT.

(1) One thing at a time: There is usually alot going on in our minds at once (both consciously and unconsciously). When trying to correct your mindset, there is a tendency to come up with many things we wish to improve. This will only overwhelm you. Make a list of a few things you wish to improve mentally, and then try to prioritize your most important 3 things. Then, spend time on ONE of these at a time.

(2) Keep it simple: "Rome was not built in a day." Do not overwhelm yourself by trying to do too much right away. Notice in #1 I did not say "make sure you pick the most important 3 things." I said TRY. Do not beat yourself up if you later realize there is something else you would like to work on. Just move forward with what you have for now. Take it slow. If you are persistent and consistent, little modifications will change your life.

(3) Write it down: The mind is abstract, you must make it concrete. Did you ever notice you will have a good idea or insight and later forget it after you get distracted by something small? This is how the mind works. We could have great ideas and flashes of insight, but soon forget them. So it is important to write down your thoughts and ideas as soon as you can after having them. For an athlete, this means right after competition (not before or during) writing down your pre-competition and/or during competition mindset. Whether you perform well or poorly, you want to remember what was going on in your mind so you can work on it by making necessary corrections and also reminding yourself of good thoughts you had. This also goes for writing down your goals and your action plan to reach them. Have it written down- this has been shown to increase compliance and effort.

(4) When in doubt, don't think, ACT: How many times did you ever think you should get a work out in, only to sit around and eventually talk yourself out of it? Sometimes we talk to ourselves so much about the annoyance or misery of a task for so long, by the time we finish these thoughts, we would have already been halfway done with the workout or task. Don't over think or over analyze tasks, training, or actions, just do them. Get them done with (not going through the motions), but get them done. Many people find this interesting advice from a Sport Psychology Expert, but the mastery of Performance Mentality lies in action, often analysis paralyzes us. Like Nike says, just do it.

(5!) Consult with a Sport Psychology Expert: even people with great knowledge of this material could still benefit from an experts point of view. I was very familiar with these concepts as a competitor, but still benefited greatly from meeting with my teams Sport Psychologist. This is because we are often blinded by some of our own flaws and it is difficult to assess ourselves without being a little bias. Bottom line- take advantage of the experts around you.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 9/6/10- Attitude

2010-09-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

Attitude
Success is not determined by your motivation before the game, but by your attitude throughout the game.

Many coaches and players give big pep talks before the game to increase the teams motivation to win a game. This usually leads to bursts of energy on the first few plays or minutes of the game. John Wooden, the greatest coach of all time, did not believe in pep talks for this very reason. He wanted players attitudes consistent throughout the game, not just in the beginning. Wooden maintained that a pep talk causes a spike in energy. Life is full of peaks and valleys. After one peaks, one soon crashes. Therefore it is not good to raise and lower the players level. Instead, have a consistently intense attitude throughout the game.

It is necessary to raise ones intensity at different points of the game when the situation calls for it. But we let the game dictate this spike in intensity. I am not saying that pep talks are bogus and that we should never use them. I am saying that motivation is something that should be instilled in athletes well before games. Athletes should be already approaching each game with a burning desire to win. A team that needs a big rah rah talk before competing probably does not already have the will to win instilled in them.

Save your pep talks for practice. The day of a game you should be doing the same thing you always do- being intense, smart, and under control. Game day is just another day at the office. Everything is important, but nothing is special. Don’t make games special by delivering heroic Hollywood pep talks (this is inspiring in movies, but does not usually pan out so well in reality). Once we make a competition special, we start trying too hard which almost always takes away from the natural fluidity of our movements. Trying too hard, which often stems from pep talks, is usually contrary to living in the moment because it hypes up an event. To achieve the Flow State or that can’t miss feeling of being in the zone, have your attitude consistent from the start of the game until the final whistle sounds.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 8/30/10- Optimal Point

2010-08-30T17:02:00.001-07:00

For many people, including myself, the new school year begins today. Many people, myself included, have big goals for this coming year- academically, athletically, socially, spiritually, mentally, and/or emotionally. Whatever your goals may be, the time is now to start firing on all cylinders.
Start doing things right early in the year. Set up a schedule. Make sure you have a plan for how and when you will train and study. Make a commitment to proper eating and sleeping patterns. Having an idea in your head is okay, but putting it down on paper is even better. When you write something down, it becomes a commitment. You become accountable to that piece of paper; that’s a good thing.
First we form habits, then they form us. Make sure you begin good habits, and the rest of the year will be easier. Make sure your plan is challenging. A challenging plan will help you bring out your best and achieve a high level. You want your plan to be attainable. You must make time for fun, recreation, rest, and recovery. You have hear the importance of Balance in your life. Even more important is a concept I call Optimal Point.
Balance would be making sure your work and play have equal amounts of time. Optimal Point is a realistic concept for how your time can be managed. Sometimes you need to work extremely hard, so at these points you do not want balance; you want to empty your tank. Other times it is important to take some time off, and it is not always on the weekend. You need to know what you need to do individually and live your life by that, not by norms. This is Optimal Point.
Many times my schedule would allow a free Tuesday to go to the beach and other times I would be in studying and training all Friday and Saturday night. You need to know your goals and shift your weight accordingly. Give an honest listen to your body, not the crowd and know when you need to turn it on and off. While studying, study 100%; when working out, work out 100%. I have always found a solid 30 minutes on doing anything (mind and body fully committed to the present action and nothing else) gives a greater pay back than 3 hours of doing that same thing half hearted. Save yourself time and be present 100% to whatever you’re doing. Utilize the natural breaks the days give you. This is Optimal Point.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 8/23/10- Preparation quotes and thoughts

2010-08-23T17:05:00.001-07:00

“Failing to plan, is planning to fail.”
*Studies show that the magic number is 10,000. To be a master at something you need to put around 10,000 hours into it or do it 10,000 times, so get started immediately.
“The will to win is great, the will to prepare to win is even more important.”
“If you don’t practice, you don’t deserve to dream.”
“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
“When you’re not practicing, someone else is, and when you meet that person he is going to beat you.”
“Luck is what happens when Preparation meets opportunity.”
“You can’t practice a move once and expect to get it, you need to do it thousands and thousands of times.”
“The best wrestlers wrestle more than anyone else. The best singers sing more than anyone else. The best painters paint more than anyone else. Etc. etc.”
“Good things happen to those who get to work.”
“There’s a difference in being in practice and being into practice. There’s a difference between being in class and being into class. etc. etc. Get into it!”
“Success is simple, it’s not easy though- out work your opponent.”
“Prepare for 90% of all possible circumstances, and the 10% you cannot prepare for, you will be ready for.”

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 8/16/10 - Goal Setting

2010-08-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

Goal Setting
Most people think of goal setting in terms of what they want to have- an end result. While this end result is important, this is only one part of what comprises goal setting, much like the transmission is only one part of a car. It is important, but not everything.

The main tip I always give in goal setting is BEHAVE. If you can correctly spell this word you understand goal setting. BE must come before the word HAVE. Focus on the type of person you need to BE, not on what you want to HAVE. You must first BE the kind of person who will HAVE what you want to HAVE. Focus on Being disciplined, motivated, resilient, and tough. Once you BE this way, you will HAVE the things you want to HAVE.

There are two types of goals- Outcome goals and Process goals. Outcome goals consist of Long-Term Goals (ie. State championship), and Short Term goals (win the next competition). Outcome goals are only indirectly under your control. You cannot control an outcome because there are far too many variables. So you control the outcome the best you can by controlling the things that are within your control. This is where Process goals come in.

Process goals include Practice goals (things you wish to learn and master in this practice) and an Action Plan which is a specific and comprehensive plan you commit to carry out which covers all areas of your sport- ie. technique/skills, strength, conditioning, mindset, nutrition, rest/recovery.

You should set a big Long-term goal if you are committed to your sport. Your primary focus however, should be on your Process Goals and who you have to BE. This is thorough goal setting.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 8/9/10 - Mental Quiet

2010-08-09T18:37:00.001-07:00

Pop Quiz: If you took three athletes of similar skill level and lined them up in a row: one athlete has all positive thoughts, the other athlete has all negative thoughts, and the last athlete has no thoughts (in essence, lights are on, no one’s home), who would win? If you are like most people, you would assume the positive thinker would win. You fail the pop quiz! Don’t worry, everybody fails the first pop quiz, all the time. We know the negative thinker wouldn’t win. But the positive thinker would lose to the non thinker.

If you think back to your best performance in competition and think what was going on in your mind during the competition…go ahead, think back…If you are like most people, you are probably saying, “I don’t know, I just__” In other words, you probably did not have much going on in your mind. While, you want to be the positive thinker walking around every day, to fill your head with empowering confident thoughts, during a performance you do not want to have any thoughts in your head. You should just be acting and reacting to the present moment.

OK, so how do you compete with a clear head? One of the best things you can do to clear your mind is putting together a specific pre-competition routine. Great performers do this instinctively. Jason Kidd blows a kiss to the basket before taking a free throw, many pitchers do the same thing before each pitch, many golfers do a certain number of practice swings each time before hitting the ball. You can modify this to your sport. Comprise a specific and detailed pre-competition routine, and practice it several times a week on your own (apart from competition). You will find that the more you do this, the more of a home feeling you will get as you perform it. When you concentrate on your pre competition routine, you will phase out all distractions including the crowd, expectations, pressure, and self conscious thoughts.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 8/2/10- Power of Symbols

2010-08-02T10:33:00.000-07:00

The Power of Symbols
Psychologists have long known the importance of the Unconscious Mind in goal directed behavior. The mind contains a Conscious and Unconscious component. The conscious mind are the thoughts we choose to have, or deliberate thoughts we think. It responds to words, phrases, and sentences. The unconscious mind contains thoughts that occur below our awareness. It responded to repeat exposure of a particular stimuli, music, and feelings. For example, when we see a few McDonalds commercials on TV and then later that day we wonder why we are having an unbearable craving for McDonalds. While we thought we were not paying attention to TV, and we could not recall consciously what commercials were going on in between our favorite show, the REPEATED MESSAGE was detected and registered in our Unconscious Mind. Our goal directed behavior (deciding to go to Mickey D’s) was heavily influenced by our unconscious mind, and we didn’t even realize it.

Our Unconscious Mind is responsible for our goal directed behavior because it registers all of our imagination, dreams, fears, and insecurities even if we consciously try to suppress them. This is the reason self-sabotaging occurs- we come close to a goal that we feel we deep down do not deserve to achieve, so we do something to blow it for ourselves at the very last minute. This is not uncommon, it happens to all of us sometimes. It is first necessary to recognize this self-sabotaging which is synonymous with approach-avoidance, that goes on inside ourselves, And step 2 is to take control of our Unconscious Mind.

We take control of our Unconscious Mind by using the Repeat Exposure of Symbols- a person, super hero, animal, symbol, object, or created image. We need to know what task we wish to perform ie. throwing a ball as fast as you can, and then choose some symbol that we can personally relate to (everyone’s will probably be a little different). Perhaps one person would envision the Human Torch throwing a ball of fire right before performing the throw. Maybe a sprinter would picture a Gazelle running fast and smooth immediately before a competition. A wrestler in the bottom position may picture a bull seeing red right before the whistle blows. The symbol would then take control of the mind as opposed to a thought or self-criticism.
You can maximize the use of symbols by repeat exposure- thinking of your symbol EVERY TIME, including practice, before you perform the desired action. Also, be sure to see my previous blog on ANCHORING. Your best bet would be to choose a symbol and then an accompanied ANCHOR or PROCESS CUE. Pairing your Symbol and Process Cue would be a double whammy for your mind and would be extremely helpful in making the mental connection. Your Anchor should go with your symbol. An example of this would be a sprinter, before a race, imagining a Gazelle (Symbol) and then doing a Gazelle like hop in the air (Process Cue). Do this every time before you sprint, and you will see both mental clarity and supreme confidence. If you are not a sprinter, apply this concept to your sport.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 7/26/10- How to Relax Part 2

2010-08-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

How to Relax Part 2

It is easy to train your brain to relax. We use Anchors (aka Cues) to relax, energize, and create almost any mindset we would like to have. Choose one or two words you can say to yourself (ie. Easy, Relaxed, Calm, etc etc.) and have an accompanied body movement or gesture (ie. placing your hands palms down on your upper leg or whatever you choose), this is your Cue. Every time you feel very relaxed simply do your Cue. You could also create a relaxed mindset by doing the deep breathing exercise I described last Monday, then performing your Cue. The more times you pair your Cue with a Relaxed state, the stronger this Mental Muscle will become- Just like the more times you do a bicep curl, the bigger your arms will grow. So make sure to do your Cue every time you feel relaxed. After enough repetitions, you will be able to simply perform your Cue and you will begin to feel more relaxed.

The biggest mistake you can make is deciding on a Cue and never practicing it and then expect it to work right before a competition. This is the equivalent of a bodybuilder not exercising until the day of the competition and expecting results. Pair the Cue and the Relaxed state enough and you will be able to relax at will, including right before the big competitions.

Gene Zannetti

Peak Performance Specialist

One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking

(908) 337-6143 (908) 337-6143

genezannetti@gmail.com

Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 7/19/10- How to Relax Before Competition (Part 1)

2010-07-19T12:52:00.000-07:00

Studies show that too much anxiety will kill a performance (not that you needed any studies to prove this point to you). Many coaches tell their athletes not to worry. They say to, “just relax.” Few coaches however tell their athletes exactly how to do this. The coaches are not holding anything back from their athletes, they simply may not know how to do this themselves. You can teach someone how to relax.

Step 1 is realizing that it takes no effort at all to relax. You have all natures most powerful sedatives flowing through your body at every moment. First and foremost, you must realize this.

Step 2: Breathing properly. Deep breaths in through your nose, out through your mouth. Feel your stomach expand and contract. Your chest should not move. All breathing is done in your abdomen. For every 1 second you breath in, you should breath out for 3 seconds.

Step 3 is realizing at this moment, there is nothing else in the world except your breath. You breath in, and you breath out. There is no upcoming competition, there are no other objects, there are no people, there is even no you. The only thing that exists is your breath. You breath in, you breath out, and everything else fades out of existence. (This concept is similar to Zen Buddhists- allowing oneself to regain oneness with the universe). Allow your mind to go blank. If thoughts should arise, do not react to them, do not judge them. Your mind is a reflex organ, it reacts to everything. Realize this. Realize that your mind will wander, your mind will judge, your mind will worry. Do not fight your mind. This is the equivalent of a Civil War taking place inside yourself. Allow your mind to have doubts, fears, and worries, and recognize this is a natural thing the mind does. You do not have to respond to it. You do not need to live according to your minds automatic thoughts. You have a choice. You can persist through doubts, fears, and worries.

Deep breathing increases blood flow and circulation throughout your body. You will gain physical and mental well being through taking control of your breathing. You breath consciously to regain control of your energy- your body and your mind.
Get into meditation. Read the Miracle of Mindfulness by Ticht Nacht Hahn. Learn how to Center from Aikido. Make deep breathing a part of your regular routine. Use it before you compete. I can say from personal experience that after you take deep breaths before you compete you feel like a new person. You feel energized and relaxed. Do your deep breathing about 10 minutes before you compete and do not stop until your mind is clear (not thinking about anything).

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 7/12/10- Redefining Failure

2010-07-12T10:36:00.001-07:00

Failure is Feedback to Champions, failure is Final to Losers. If you want to succeed you must be willing to persist through failure along the way. You want to adopt a Mastery Mindset- you are in it for the long run; you will not be deterred by the daily ups and downs.

Champions look long-term. In fact, Winners lose more than losers lose. Think about it, they have to. They put themselves on the line more. The success creed goes like this, “ I am not judged by the number of times I failed, but by the number of times I succeed, and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I fail and keep moving forward.”

Now this is not to say that the Champions like losing, in fact, I am sure they hate it even more than losers. The difference is they recognize failures as part of the PROCESS to be a Success. Here are some examples who illustrate what I am talking about:

~Few people would think that the hitter who struck out most times in baseball history would be thought of as a good player, much less a baseball hall of famer, Mr. October REGGIE JACKSON.
~Or that the batter who made the most outs ever would also have the most hits- does PETE ROSE ring a bell?
~ Surely the pitcher with the most all time losses would be sent back to the minors. He wouldn't be the pitcher with the most all time wins would he? Would they name the Most Valuable Pitcher the CY YOUNG award?
~You would think the basketball player who missed over 9,000 shots, lost almost 300 games, missed the game winning shot 26 times, and cut from freshman high school team would be MICHAEL JORDAN.
~Just google the "successes and failures of ABRAHAM LINCOLN" if you want to see real adversity and bouncing back from losses!
~Thomas Edison said he didn’t fail thousand, but rather found thousands of ways NOT to invent the light bulb.

Don’t let the Fear of Failure stop you from going after your dreams. Look at the list above when you feel like quitting.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 6/28/10- Empowering Self-Talk

2010-06-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

Self-Talk
The great wrestling coach Wali Muhamad once said, “All great athletes talk to themselves” and he couldn’t have been more right. We may not be able to hear what people say to themselves, but their behavior gives us a good indicator. While performing, successful people speak to themselves with Self-Talk that is (1) positive (2) empowering (3) rational (4) clear and concise.

Simple changes to improve your Self-Talk:
*Change WHY questions into HOW questions. Instead of asking “WHY can’t I do this” ask instead “HOW can I do this? WHY to HOW moves you from the victim to the victor!
*Change extreme irrational words like MUST, NEED to, HAVE to, SHOULD to less stressful words like WANT to, CHOOSE to. This takes pressure off of you and reminds you that your thoughts and behavior are your choice.
*Eliminate the word CAN’T pretty much altogether. Again, change this word to HOW CAN I do this?
*While performing or competing, eliminate the word “I” and “ME.” This is taken from the Zen Buddhist philosophy of oneness. When the self is lost and all that left is the action, a person loses themselves and becomes one with the experience. This facilitates the coveted FLOW STATE aka THE ZONE aka feeling like you can’t miss.
*As soon you find yourself blaming other people, circumstances, or things outside your control say to yourself “I take responsibility for myself.”
*During competition, give yourself SHORT and PRECISE directives. Avoid long drawn out instructions.
*Be a good coach to yourself. If you were giving advice to someone who looks up to you, you wouldn’t beat them up verbally over mistakes, you would probably talk them down and say motivational things to them- DO THIS FOR YOURSELF.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Mindset Monday 6/21/10- Developing Dominance

2010-06-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

Developing Dominance
Before you have a Dominant performance you must first create a Dominant Self. Most people do not realize that Dominance is something you develop, not something you are born with. Developing a Dominant Self-Image is the first step to Dominating your opponent or event. The appropriate question is: How do I create a Dominant Self-Image for myself?

Answer:

(Step 1) Fire up your Unconscious mind with the help of your imagination.
Who are athletes in your sport or any other sport that are Dominant?
*watch their Dominant performances frequently- watch how they carry themselves (how they walk, talk, stand, and move) START DOING THOSE THINGS THAT THEY DO…this helps your mind and body remember what a Dominant mindset looks like.

(Step 2) Make an ongoing list of ANY time you were Dominant- in your sport GAME or PRACTICE, or anytime you can remember at anything. The goal here is to see yourself as the Dominator. Your confidence is largely related to things you focus on. Focus on time you lost- feel like a loser. Focus on times you Dominated- feel like a Dominator. ALSO- remember how you looked and felt when you Dominated- write it down and repeat your past Dominant Self-Talk and Body Language.

(Step 3) Anchor in Your Success. An Anchor or a Cue is something physical you do (ie. Leg slap, deep breath, hand clap, say an empowering word, etc. etc.) to remind you of a specific mindset. An example of how it works- after I do Step 1, I clap my hands. After I do Step 2, I clap my hands. I repeat Steps 1 and 2 three times this week before my competition this weekend. By the time the competition comes, my CUE or ANCHOR will be strengthened through practice. Before my competition I will clap my hands (my Cue) and my mind will remember that feeling of Dominance that I created.

Note- Like lifting weights, you must train your brain. You cannot expect to do curls one day and see results. You must do them multiple times a week for several weeks. Practice creating and Anchoring your Dominant Self-Image. Start today!
Be a Dominator!

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One- on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Step on their Throat

2010-04-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

Your Success is Your Choice

2010-02-22T23:49:00.000-08:00

Your Success is Your Choice
Our whole system is based on 2 premises-
(1) Your success is your choice
I would assume that most people believe that they have the power to influence their own life to some extent, in either direction. That your choice is a powerful thing. And good choices raise the probability of good outcomes, and vice versa with bad decision.

(2) Your choices are made in your mind.
Your body is a very powerful tool, but it is incapable of higher functioning without the mind. Therefore, your choices are made in your mind.

If you accept these two premises then you must accept the conclusion-

Your mind determines your success (or failure)

Does everyone see the connection?

This is deductive reasoning- it is infallible logic.

Put another way for those of you who like Visuals

You----------------------------------------Success
Your Mind

Your Mind is the Bridge to Your Success.

The job of Mental Mastery as you would probably guess, is to help you master your mind. I’m here to turn you into a mastermind.

Remember the key to any self-help system is not someone helping you, but rather about educating you on the tools you can utilize to help yourself.

One of the first lessons I can teach you is to Consider the Source. When making a decision about the accuracy of a claim, it is a good first step to determine if the person making the claim is reputable.

My wrestling coach, the great Donn Ernst always told me that if you are going to learn something, learn from the BEST IN THE WORLD.

So rather than tell you about how important the mind is to your success, I will turn this topic over to the Best athletes and coaches in sports history and see for yourself how their mentality factored into their success.

Arnold Schwarzenegger
“The Secret is to make your mind work for you, not against you.”
(Arnold’s approach to bodybuilding was more mental than physical)

http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_60/69_fitness_tip.html

Michael Jordan
Michael's biggest strength was his mental game. Jordan held a decisive mental edge over his opponents throughout his entire career. It was his mental toughness... Jeff Janssen, M.S.

http://www.teamarete.com/ificouldbe.html

Wayne Gretzky
…he (Gretzky) was not very strong physically, but he made up for that in the mental edge he held over opponents.

http://www.lycos.com/info/wayne-gretzky-hockey.html

Tiger Woods
Tiger's biggest club is his mental strength –USA Today
His mental game is every bit as good as his physical game. –Bob May

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2004-02-10-tiger-toughest_x.htm

there’s another quality even more important than skill. It’s his mind, and that very well could be his greatest weapon.

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/09/sports/sp-mindgame9

Michael Phelps
His strongest asset is relaxing & focusing in competition. He can take himself mentally to a place. That’s what separates him from his competitors. –Coach Bowman

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/bowman-on-phelps-mental-strength/3003143297

Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali was a master of psychology…his mental toughness played a great factor in many of his fights. There was no one stronger mentally then Muhammad Ali.

http://greatestofalltime.homestead.com/muhammadali.html

Dan Gable
“Mental Toughness is the key of all keys…Mental Toughness is the foundation.”

http://www.briancain.com/articlesbybriancain/Dan%20Gable%20-%20Brian%20Cain%20CBN.pdf

Coach John Wooden
“I am constantly trying to make players realize the mental side.”

Coach Vince Lombardi
“Mental Toughness is essential for success.”
He was always working on both the minds and bodies of his players. The guy was a beautiful psychologist. – Jerry Kramer (former player)

Coach Bobby Knight
“Mental toughness to physical (toughness) is as 4 is to 1.”

Its very clear how the best in the world feel about the importance of their mentality to their success.
And sports here is just a metaphor for life. The success principles are the same in sports, business, sales, school, etc. The specifics may be different but the principles are the same.
YOUR MIND IS CRUCIAL TO YOUR SUCCESS.

So knowing how important your mindset is to your success…how much time do you spend preparing your mind?
You train your body, but most don’t train their brain. That is a serious mistake.

Most people are not aware of the science behind success. Sport-Performance Psychology and Positive Psychology are fields dedicated to Performance Enhancement, Success, and Happiness. Mental Mastery is Sport-Performance Psychology and Positive Psychology made easy for you, in a simple understandable form.

But Mental Mastery is more than just achieving your goals, though that is a major part of it, but also increasing your happiness and overall well-being.

What good is it if a person gains the whole world, but loses their soul? This is not to be take only in the biblical sense, but in the practical sense as well.

What good is it if you accomplish all your goals, but you are not happy?

Because the two do not always go together – success and happiness. Why are so many movie stars, rock stars, and pro athletes depressed or addicted to substances?
We want you to be both very successful and very happy.

At mental mastery, we teach you how to have your cake and eat it too.

That being said, lets get started.

I want you to get excited about life. I want you to wake up in the morning and say, I cant wait to get started today!

We are in probably the greatest time period in the history of the world.

Luxury Age- the average person in the lower middle class has far more luxuries than most of the richest people in the world of previous centuries- basic things we take for granted like efficient lighting, heat and air, equipment, clothing, etc.

Technology/ Information Age- We have more information available at the click of a mouse or a few punches into our phone than anyone had available to them 30 years ago thanks to the internet and its interactive websites like google, Wikipedia, facebook, youtube, etc.

Freedom Age- Democracy is a freedom Americans take for granted because weve had it for over 200 years. But just imagine if you lived in a communist country that told you what to do and how to do it all the time. You would wish you had the opportunity that falls in front of you this very moment. Freedom is something we take for granted until its gone. We take play for granted as a child until were punished. We take walking for granted until we break our leg. We take our daily living for granted until were wrongly accused for murder and sent to jail like Ruben the hurricane Carter (ok, maybe a little extreme, but you get the point), and sadly we often take life for granted until someone close to us dies or until were given 6 months.

But, why wait until something drastic happens to live like you were dying? Why not start today?
As the great Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz says, you need to ask yourself- If not me, who? If not here, where? If not now, when?
With all these advantages, success is well within your reach RIGHT NOW.

The first step is to success is to take control of your mind. Once you do this you will be well on your way to living your dreams and enjoying your life.

Welcome to what very well could be the most important journey of your life

GZ Performance Enhancement- Sport Psychology Group

2010-02-22T23:45:00.000-08:00

Join Team Z on the official Gene Zannetti GZ Performance Enhancement- Sport Psychology group with lots of great information!

GZ Facebook Group

Watch me on Video being interviewed by the Home News Tribune on Post-Season Mentality Special

2010-02-22T23:42:00.000-08:00

Gene Interviewed on Post-Season Mental Edge

It Comes Down To Your Mind

2009-12-22T23:26:00.000-08:00

People inspect us, dissect us, reject us, cuss us, and disgust us to no avail (Lou Holtz). Why do we take it personally and get angry and upset? The cycle is the same- we perceive a situation or hear someone say something to or about us, or we see them laugh. We then interpret it as an insult. We take it personally. We react or take it and whine on the inside. Notice our perception and interpretation are mental activities. Often people criticize us about things having nothing to do with our mind (we’re weak, we’re overweight, we’re physically slow) yet our mind takes it personally. Why? Unless someone makes fun of our ideas, aptitude, creativity, or decision making it is our body that should take it personally, not our minds. Why does our mind take possession for our body’s shortcomings? Probably because we realize deep down the truth that “it comes down to your mind.” Our weakness or our fatness comes from our lack of discipline and motivation to exercise regularly. Our mind knows consciously or unconsciously that a weakness in physicality is a reflection of some weakness mentally. This is okay, we all have mental weaknesses, we ALL do. First recognize that our deficiencies either begin or become perpetuated in our mind. We may be naturally genetically predisposed to certain deficiencies, but our choices and habits are largely mental. If you are not achieving your goals or are not living your dream, do NOT look for the physical weaknesses or the piece of equipment you're missing or the pill you need to take- LOOK AT YOUR MIND. You will realize this is where the problem is. This is normal, and it is okay, just get started already on working on your mindset. Control your mind and your body will follow.

Pull the Trigger

2009-11-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

To sum up Sport/Performance Psychology in a 3 word sentence- Pull the trigger!

This is analogous to the Nike slogan of "Just Do It." However, I like "pull the trigger" because it commands the most attention and includes a sense of urgency.

When it comes right down to it, you are faced with one major decision in life- Am I going to go all out OR am I going to hold back? (thank you Dr. Rob Gilbert) Are you going to make it happen or are you going to sit back and hope it happens? I'm sure anyone reading this does not need to be convinced that the difference between champions in sports and life are the ones who make things happen. Champions pull the trigger.

There are many things that could inhibit someone from pulling the trigger- fear, past experience, over analysis, etc etc. Many people have a misconception that champions do not go through similar mental discomforts- they are just different kinds of people than we are, they say. Well guess what? Champions are human just like anyone else- never subhuman or superhuman, but simply human. They have emotions, doubts, fears, nervousness, and past failures just like anyone else, but they act ANYWAY.

A warrior isn't about perfection or victory or invulnerability, but absolute vulnerability- that's the only true courage. (Peaceful Warrior)

Champions do not let doubts, fears, and past failures cripple them from taking action. Typically, a champion uses "failure" to motivate themselves to take more action. Champions will pull the trigger.

Many do not realize this, but Champions lose more than normal people lose. Why? Because they make more attempts than ordinary people. The difference is that they continue to take action no matter what their outcomes. Surely they use their failures as feedback and thus look honestly at themselves and make modifications when necessary, but they continue to act, they continue to pull the trigger.

Take a look at a few examples of Champions losing more than normal people:

~Few people would think that the hitter who struck out most times in baseball history would be thought of as a good player, much less a baseball hall of famer, Mr. October REGGIE JACKSON.
~Or that the batter who made the most outs ever would also have the most hits- does PETE ROSE ring a bell?
~ Surely the pitcher with the most all time losses would be sent back to the minors. He wouldn't be the pitcher with the most all time wins would he? Would they name the Most Valuable Pitcher the CY YOUNG award?
~You would think the basketball player who missed over 9,000 shots, lost almost 300 games, missed the game winning shot 26 times, and cut from freshman high school team would be MICHAEL JORDAN.
~Just google the "successes and failures of ABRAHAM LINCOLN" if you want to see real adversity and bouncing back from losses!

NJ wrestling great Andrew Flanagan once said that in high school he wrestled in higher divisions in the off-season and thus had a lot of losses. But that made him tougher and was a big contributor to his success. He said, "if you're not losing, your not wrestling good enough competition." You can apply this to any area in life. The Champion seeks the best competition. He goes for the challenge, to test himself. We often tend to compete at the level of our competition. So to raise your level, raise your competition. How many people could have been so much better if they would have chosen to join the pack of lions instead of assuming the lead among wolves. Yeah it may feel good, but which will make you better? Ask yourself that honestly. Is your goal to look good in front of people and feel good? Or is it to get as good as you can (which of course will eventually lead to recognition and good self feelings)?

I love to hear the reasoning when I hear great performers call BS on Sport/Performance Psychology. They say "that stuff" is garbage. I don't think about psychology or anything for that matter. I just do it.
When I hear this I always laugh to myself because theirin lies the master of Performance Psychology. If I had to make a brief list of what Performance Psychology in a nutshell it would be (1)Help person find what they want (2)Get person to take action (3)Get person to step out of their own way (get their mind and body to work together). That's it!
The Champions who call a bluff on Performance Psychology do naturally exactly as they are supposed to (they just do not realize it) - they know what they want, they act, they don't get in their own way by over thinking or negative thinking.

True, some people have it naturally. So it's tempting to say, "you either have it or you don't." Well I say, you have it or you can LEARN IT. Remember the strong rule the weak, but the smart rule the strong (for example humans tame lions, not the reverse). As some people are naturally stronger than others, this is not the end of the story. On the contrary, a person who is naturally strong who never lifts weights can and will lose to the unnatural who makes lifting weights a high priority. There are scientific ways to improve your strength, just as there are scientific ways to improve your mindset.

That's right, this is not chat room discussion. This is a SCIENTIFIC FIELD. A lot of people aren't aware of that. Sport Psychology is a SCIENCE. Many coaches tell athletes to be more confident or to relax. But they never tell them quite how to do it. Probably because they themselves are not aware of how to do so. I'm here to tell you there are techniques and systematic ways to help you get more confident and to relax when you get too nervous. Whether you take advantage of them or not is up to you...

Gene Zannetti
Performance Enhancement Specialist
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com

Life is Choice

2009-06-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

FLOW

2009-04-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

"I love flow. I thirst for it, search for it. And when i can, I drink of it and bathe in it."
-Zach Bretz

And now your buddy Gene will serve it to you!

Last night I was having a great conversation with my good friend Zach, who is taking a Positive Psychology class at the University of Pennsylvania, about the coveted Flow state.

Flow is an experience (not exclusive to sports) where a person is immersed in an activity and has their mind focused on the present moment while losing consciousness of ego, self-evaluations, and the audience and audience evaluations. Things seem to fall into place as the unconscious takes over and a self-transcendence is reached.

Many athletes call this experience being "In the Zone." They use the words in the Zone and Flow interchangeably. I do not believe that the Zone and Flow are one and the same. I can differentiate between the two.

I know I have been in the Zone every wrestling match in which I ever competed. But, it was only in rare occasions where I felt Flow. I believe the Zone may be a prerequisite for Flow. But, being in the Zone will not inevitably lead to Flow. This principle became more clear to me today when my friend Nate Wierzbicki, a Physical Education major at Springfield College, hypothesized that there may be several steps necessary to achieving Flow.

I will differentiate between the two now. While in the Zone, one feels as though they are In the Moment. There is a Buddhist word for being in the Here and Now- Satori. I loved to compete because when I was on the mat, I was not thinking about my school work, girl problems, etc. I became focused on the present moment.

To me, being in the Present Moment, here and now, represents the Zone. I'm sure athletes share this common experience with me. This tunnel vision results from a moderate amount of arousal or anxiety. It can be harmful the tunnel vision becomes extreme. This will close your mind to creativity and fluidity, both necessary components of Flow. But in the Zone you can still be self-conscious and aware of other people's evaluations and expectations.

Flow is the Zone, plus the relative absence of self & others consciousness. You and the experience become one and the same. In a sense, you lose yourself. This principle is by no means new. Many cultures all over the world have known about this concept for thousands of years, not the least of which being the Eastern cultures and the principle of Zen.

As stated above, a major prerequisite of Flow is the loss of one's ego. Listen to how Dr. David Lieberman describes this IDEAL STATE as he calls it:

"Your ideal state of mind is to have no ego and this is achieved by focusing solely on your objective. This will allow you to be unconcerned with how you are coming across and help you avoid second-guessing yourself. If you are absorbed with your objective, the "I" or the ego disappears and you can pursue your goal relentlessly. Focus only on the outcome, not on yourself."

Surely when Dr. Lieberman speaks of focusing on your objective, he means focusing on executing your mission, not on how to do it, and certainly not on winning. When you watch McElwain and Jordan below, they are achieving Flow by thinking about making baskets, not on winning the game. The winning is a byproduct of making baskets.

Letting Go and Trusting your instincts is another important part of attaining Flow. A common complaint among athletes is that they perform better in practice than in a match or a game. I believe that this phenomena of a "practice room wrestler" is due to the fact that in practice it is easier to LET GO. In practice, these athletes attain, if not, come closer to attaining Flow. They may experience tunnel vision to an optimal extent, not to the extreme. Fluidity and creativity is maintained as one is loose and relaxed with their muscles. Being too in the Zone would create extreme tunnel vision, and overall narrowing of the vision. This is likely what happens when a "practice room wrestler" competes, due to over arousal.

I do not know if there are different levels of Flow and if exists along a continuum, but I would have to believe this is at least somewhat the case. Either way, it seems the more into Flow one becomes, the better.

So if in practice an athlete can come closer to Flow, they will probably perform better (better not in terms of wins or losses, but rather in terms of competing to their potential). If its easier to Let Go in practice, then it logically follows that the athlete will be more into Flow and thus perform better.

A more technical name for Flow is what Sport Psychologists call Ideal Peak Performance State (IPPS). They say there are 7 characteristics of IPPS.

(1) Total Concentration (focused on the Here and Now. Living in the present moment).

(2) Clear Goals (the clear objective we spoke of earlier)

(3) Lack of Self-Awareness (loss of the ego and audience and audience evaluations).

(4) Unambiguous Feedback (Clearly seeing things as they are. Also includes no value judgements of good or bad associated with actions. Not thinking, yet not dreaming, ready for whatever may come).

(5) Sense of Control (In a sense that the person is competent enough to perform the task, the task must be a challenge, neither over challenging or under utilizing the person's present skills) It is a little bit of a stretch of the persons current skill level, hence it is within their control, and the person is aware of this .

(6) Autotelic (Self-Goals) Experience (Intrinsic Motivation, the process becomes its own reward)

(7) Transformation of Time (Which some report, make time seem to slow down during the task, but paradoxically seems fast once the task is over).

How Does it feel to be in Flow? (basically corresponds with the 7 characteristics of Flow):

1. Completely involved in the experience. Focus and concentration.

2. Sense of ecstasy. Greater than normal.

3. Inner clarity. Knowing what needs to be done and how to do it.

4. Sense of Control (we spoke of just above).

5. Sense of Serenity (loss of ego and evaluations)

6. Timelessness (Happens in a flash, things fly by).

7. Intrinsic Motivation (we spoke of before).

My girlfriend Danielle, an Exercise Science and Sport Management major at Rutgers University, made me look at it from a different perspective. Think of an lion tacking a gazelle. Watch any animal attack on youtube and you see a sort of effortlessness that occurs. Animals are instinctive. They are in the present moment, as they have no concept of past or future. There is no higher order thinking going on. No consideration to how they look or how others perceive them. They are single minded in their pursuit of their objective. I wonder what implications this has on people with mental disabilities. Consider Jason's story below. I have heard many stories of people with mental disabilities and how powerful they can be when they get mad. They concentrate all their energy into the present moment and are single minded in their pursuit of an objective without ego or worry of evaluation. I wonder if Jason's story has anything to do with that, I don't know.

So if this is a natural/innate process, why is it so rare for humans to achieve? It's probably a trade-off of the higher order brain we have (which includes self-conscious) combined with our learned social awareness (norms, praise and critique, and modern concepts of success-based on winning and achievements). Indeed it is necessary to have a mind that's counterproductive to Flow at times. We must think about the future, so we know how to act in the present. We must learn from the past, to continue doing the things that led us to success and to not repeat our errors. This adaptive mental process leads our mind to sometimes stray from the Here and Now, as in performance settings, where such a mindset is desirable. We are exposed to value judgements since were born. We're told what is good and what is bad. We are praised and rewarded for doing good, while being ridiculed and punished when we do bad. We learn about value judgements and social desirability early and the rewards and punishments that go along with it. It's no wonder we think in terms of good and bad, right and wrong. It is hammered into our head since birth. This is counterproductive in a performance setting. Thinking of others opinions and judgements of us while performing diverts our minds out of a clear and alert state necessary for staying in the present moment and achieving Flow.

Another thing Flow made me think of is a specific part of the Da Vinci Code. As Professor Langdon asked Sophie is she remembered anything ritualistic in nature that her grandfather partook in. And then the screen shows a flashback of two people having sex in front of a group of people in a ritualistic manner. In the movie, they said women were seen by many as a route to God. Could this be because sex is another act where self-transcendence and the Flow state is possible. What's more is that it's something almost every adult can relate to.

Check out these articles on the coveted state of Flow (click the links)

Also, keep in mind that there is no distinction made between the Zone and Flow. Remember what we talked about as you read.

The Concept of Flow

Shambhala Sun- In the Zone: The Zen of Sports

Scholarly Articles on Flow (Click Links)

If We Are So Rich, Why Aren't We Happy, Relating Cramming and Flow, The Flow Experience, Flow Among Jounalists, Flow at Work, Relationships Among Goal Orientations, Motivational Climate, and Flow, Flow In A Team Setting, Flow and Music Students, Flow & Creativity in Music, Psychological Skils, Performance, & Flow, Team Innovation & Flow, Flow & Recreation, Effects of Hypnosis on Flow, Flow- A Theory, Maximizing Flow in Sports, Flow & Motorcycling, Motivation, Flow, & Personality, Encouraging Creativity: Flow & Motivation, Flow- A General Context, Flow in P.E., Propensity & Flow, Motivation & Flow in P.E., Constructing Challenges to Find Flow, Development of Scales on Flow, Religious Orientation & Flow, Pre-shot Routine & Flow, Psychophysiology of Flow, Playing In the Zone, Flow in Schools, Flow & Computer Games, Measuring Flow of Web Users, Online Behavior: Assessing Flow, Going with the Flow, Flow & Organizational Psychology, Measuring Flow in Online Games, Pre-Competitve Anxiety & Flow, Flow & Consumer Behavior, Flow & Hiking, Locus of Control & Flow, Hypnosis, Flow, & Basketball, Flow & Kata, Flow & Art Making in Cancer Patients, Video Game Flow, Flow & Online Environment, Attentional Strategies, Perceived Exertion, & Flow, Flow Theory & Coaching Psychology, Flow, Family, & Soccer, Potential & Job Complexity and effects on Flow, Frame, Flow, & Reflection as Public Liminality, Flow Theory & Video Games, Flow & Engagement, Creating Flow in Game-Based Learning, Flow of Software Development, Presence & Flow in Virtual Reality, Participation, Engagement, & Flow, Flow & Internet Shopping, Maintaining Concentration to Achieve Task Completion, Triggers of Extraordinary Experiences, Television Addiction, Assessing Mindfulness,

Flow caught on tape! (click the links)

FLOW 1

1992 NBA Finals Game 1. Michael Jordan scored a finals record of 35 points in the 1st half. This included six 3-pointers, another record. Watch Jordan's face throughout the video. He does not get excited, he simply keeps doing his thing. Only after his 6th 3-pointer do we see him finally show emotion and reflection of the situation- he shrugs his shoulders, as if to say I don't know how this is happening. This is Flow:

Michael Jordan

FLOW 2

Autistic student, Jason McElwain was the team manager for his high school basketball team. The last game of the season, his coached allowed his to dress. With two minutes left in the game, the coach gave Jason the signal to go in. After 2 missed shots, Jason McElwain does something extraordinary. He attained Flow. He made the next 6 shots in a row. Watch this clip and see what I'm talking about. He makes 3 in a row and its very exciting. And then it starts to get freaky, as he makes 3 more. It's a little bit scary to watch someone in this Flow state because for a little while, potential is reached and self-transcendence is achieved.

Jason McElwain

Jason illustrates how Flow is not exclusive to anyone, or any group of people.

This video makes me think of a quote I heard a long time ago by Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. 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.”

While it may not be possible to will a Flow state, it is my firm belief that you can facilitate it, and thus make it more likely to happen.

Steps to facilitate Flow-

* Practice Trusting your abilities.

[Know there is a difference between Training and Trusting. Training is analysis of behavior and technical awareness. Trusting is the act of Letting Go and allowing your instincts to take over. Both are necessary to become successful. Remember the timeless wisdom, you need to practice the way you want to play. This means if in a game you want to be in a Trusting mode, you must spend time in practice actually practicing Trusting. Dr. Bob Rotell recommends if you are a golfer you practice 70% of your shots in a Trusting Mindset. You can apply that theory to any sport or trade.]

* Practice Letting Go of Your ego and Value Judgements (good vs. bad, right vs wrong) in Sports...and in Life. Just see things as they are. [Note- This does NOT apply to your morals.]

* Practice staying in the Present Moment and having an alert yet clear mind. [Watch the movie Peaceful Warrior to get a better sense of this.]

Are some people more predisposed to the Flow state based on their personality type?

Based on Myers and Briggs Type Indicator of Personality, there are 4 different personality types, with 4 subgroups of each type, making 16 total personality types.

One of the personality types- The Artisan (SP) seems to have a predisposition for the Flow state since these people by personality definition are Sensing (S) meaning Down to Earth and grounded; and Perceiving (P) meaning more likely to go with the flow. By Dr. David Keirsey's interpretation, these Artisans are, more than other personality types, in the Here and Now, an important component of Flow. The do not need to be taught this. Interestingly enough, these tend to be people who have little use for subjects like psychology that require reflection on their actions. Artisans tend to prefer action to contemplation. Sounds like that would help facilitate Flow doesn't it? Keirsey adds that more than any other type, Artisans are most (1) comfortable in their bodies (less self awareness), (2) most optimistic, (3) live and act in the present (as we already said), (4) masters of timing and graceful movement, (5) best able to respond quickly and flexibly to a changing environment, (6) unlike others, their public performance improve the more excited they get, (7) can spot things that give them an edge, where others can't, at least not with the same accuracy. These Flow facilitators, along with the other natural abilities their personality grants them, make them seem to be predisposed for Flow and in a way built for performances. You be the judge by this brief list of Artisan Athletes: Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Bruce Lee, Lance Armstrong, Hulk Hogan, Mickey Mantle, Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Joe Namath, Stephen Abas, Usain Bolt, Ben Askren, Shaquille O'Neil, Allen Iverson, Jimmy Connors, Greg Louganis, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Mary Lou Retton, Yogi Berra, Matt Valenti, Joe Dubuque, Darrion Caldwell, Dennis Rodman, Michael Phelps, Carly Patterson, John Smith, Terry and Tom Brands, Terrell Ownes, Deion Sanders, Gene Mills, etc.

A Diet to help you get into Flow? I don't know how I feel about this. Either way it's worth posting. Both articles are about Dr. Barry Sears' controversial Zone Diet theory.

Barry Sears' Zone Diet

The Zone Diet

The Importance of Identifying Talent in Sports...and Life (click links)

2009-04-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

Articles:

Study: For Athletes, It's Speed or Endurance-Not Both

Olympic Gold Begins With Good Genes, Experts Say

With a lot of hard work, just about ANYONE can become VERY GOOD at just about ANYTHING.

However, to get to greatness, or to be the BEST in a particular field, a good amount of NATURAL ABILITY is required.

Read the first chapter of the book The Tiger Traits to see this concept well articulated.

This is not sad news by any means, IF you agree with the premise that EVERYONE HAS TALENT.

Theories of MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES (idea that there are many different areas of intelligence, not just IQ) support the idea that EVERYONE HAS TALENT.

I am willing to take this Multiple Intelligence theory one step further, in what I call my Supernatural theory.

Supernatural theory- everyone has something or some natural talent that they possess that is greater naturally than 90% or more of the population.
This means you need to identify your talent, enjoy using your talent, practice it often, and go into a sport/career etc. that allows you to make the most use of your talent.
Again, this is just an idea that I've been throwing around in my head. When you think about it, everyone has something they can just naturally do better than 9 out of 10 people you know. Think about it.

IDENTIFY YOUR TALENT

USE YOUR TALENT

Typically we love to do something that we are exceptional at, so your passion and your talent should probably be very similar, if not the same thing.

Keep an eye out for things you seem to do easily.

Mental Game Videos

2009-04-07T17:44:00.001-07:00

of Great Wrestlers:

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=8033&uid=34608116764

My Favorite Inspirational Stories and Poems

2009-04-07T17:24:00.001-07:00

Because the space it would take up, I decided to just post the links to my facebook group GZ Performance Enhancement- Sport Psychology, which contains all the information. Join the group! Enjoy!

My Favorite Inspirational Poems

My Favorite Inspirational Stories

If there is anything you have that you would like me to add, please let me know and I will have it up as soon as possible. Thank you.

The Best Thing A Coach Could Do Before the Season Starts - Individual Meetings

2009-04-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

The Individual Meetings should be done one on one or with multiple coaches-never multiple athletes.

This will take some time, but I assure you that this meeting will save you A LOT of time in the long run. It is crucial that the coach and athlete are on the same page. This meeting is a great place to set the tempo for the upcoming season. If coaches communicate this message, the athlete will surely feel more involved in the decision making process. This sense of empowerment will increase obedience in athletes and encourage openness when an issue comes up. In short, the coach-athlete relationship will grow.

Remember- A person always tries harder for someone he likes, admires, and knows is out for his best interest.

The Meeting:

The first thing you need to stress is the importance of COMMUNICATION. This will require a partnership between coaches and each individual wrestler. Any problems, issues, or concerns need to be voiced. There's a time and a place to do this (preferably after practice, in private). Coaches need to be aware of what each athletes situation is in order to have a better understanding of the athlete. This will allow the coach to deal more effectively with the athlete.

Assure them that you've been in their shoes before as a high school student-athlete and you are there for them if they need guidance or direction or advice. You realize the challenges they will face and are their to help them along the way. This will gain you more respect in their eyes.

Remind them that SCHOOL is the top priority, not the sport. If the athlete has poor grades, he will be ineligible to compete. We do not only want you to compete, but graduate and go on to college.

Next- Let the athlete's know expectations you have for them as an athlete and as a team.

After that, their are 4 major issues the coach must cover.

(1) Weight Class
Know the athletes current weight and remind them that they are growing boys so the top priority is always health. Also that we expect each athlete to come into the practice room with high and positive energy. You need to be at a weight class that permits you to compete at 100% and enter practices with goals of improving technique and fitness, NOT goals of weight loss. Keep in mind, this weight needs to be maintained for 4 months by a growing boys (a 2lb weight allowance will not always suffice). If these conditions aren't met, the weight loss should not be permitted.

Make sure to take a multi-vitamin everyday.

The weight class of each athlete is determined by the athlete and the coach. Once a commitment is made, the athlete is responsible for this weight class, as this is the team part of the sport. This weight class is the athlete's commitment to his team.

All weight issues should be discussed with the coach, as far in advance as possible, DO Not wait until the last minute.

(2) Handling Critique
Ask each athlete how they like to be addressed after they make a mistake ie. blunt, no sugarcoating; positive but firm; very delicately; etc. etc.
This is important because in order to improve, you will need feedback. We want to provide this feedback in the most constructive way possible for each INDIVIDUAL.
Not everyone deals with criticism the same.
Know the individual.

(3)Pre-Match Mindset
Ask how each athlete likes to be addressed before a match. Do you perform best when fired up, yelled at, slapped in the face etc. OR in a relaxed-have fun, do your thing etc. OR somewhere in between OR something else.
We need to find your optimal point pre-match demeanor and as coaches help you get there.
Again every individual is different. You must get to know each athlete for his preference.

(4) Goal Setting
See my blog on goals.

The Key to Your Success- Your Self-Image

2009-03-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

I was listening to the CD program "Psychology of Winning" by Denis Waitley and I became inspired to write about the importance of Self-Image.

One of the most, if not thee most important element of success is having a positive and empowering Self-Image. Successful people see themselves as winners, go-getters, high achievers, worthy of glory, etc etc. And their mental images of themselves usually manifest themselves in the individuals behaviors.

This is the Heart of Sport Psychology. Everything else is more of a band-aid fix (it helps, but it will not solve the problem). 1st order change.

1st Order Change vs. 2nd Order Change- 2nd order change is systems oriented. Attacking your Self-Image is a 2nd order change (which is always most desirable).

No other factor is as crucial to your success as your Self-Image. -Coach Mike Tulley
Self-Efficacy is an individuals belief that he/she can successfully complete a specific task.

To a high degree, the greater Self-Efficacy (or Confidence) a person has, the more likely a person is to achieve that which they set out for.

A prerequisite for this confidence or self-efficacy is a belief that one is capable of doing big things. This is tied into a person's Self-Image.

In Sport-Performance Psychology, I believe the first step to success is to see exactly how you view yourself.

Successful people know that life is a self-fulfilling prophecy- If you believe something is true, you tend to act in a way to make it exactly so.

This is THE SECRET.

The steps to Sport-Performance Psychology

Step 1: Determine your Self-Image (As detailed and honestly as possible)

Step 2: Determine your Goal(s)

Step 3: Determine the Self-Image you will need to have in order to achieve your Goal(s).
(Ask someone who has achieved those goals already, if your stuck)

Step 4: Determine the all the blocks (both internal & external, but mainly, internal) to getting to the empowering Self-Image.

Step 5: Work daily on instilling the empowering Self-Image, and removing the negative parts of your original Self-Image.

How to improve your Self-Image-

*Make a List of your Empowering Self-Image (Not necessarily how you see yourself, but rather how you WANT to see yourself).

*Make another List next to this list and title it "Evidence." Every time you act in accordance to this new Self-Image, you need to document it on this paper(s). You refer to this list often, to remind yourself that YOU ARE the way you want to be. YOU EMBODY this empowering Self-Image.

I was asked before how do you improve your Self-Image of you really don't feel good about yourself.

The answer may come as a shocker, but you need to begin with BLIND FAITH.

This may be a very difficult thing to have right away, but it is the first step on the ladder of success.

You have to begin believing simply because you choose to.

[This in a sense, mirrors Albert Ellis, father of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy in psychology, and his idea of Unconditionally Accepting yourself, simply because you choose to.

If this is hard, I would recommend turning to a Higher Power. Your religion can be just the catalyst you are looking for because it so well rooted in us since birth and usually just accepted as fact, without question.

It's no surprise that most of the highly successful people have a strong belief in God, and they'll openly thank Him after accomplishing their goals.

These people have TRUE CONFIDENCE that their faith will overcome all. Whether their success is due to the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy or Divine Intervention goes beyond the scope of this blog.

What IS certain is FAITH can help a person compete fearlessly, confidently, and with a sense of serenity unlike any other.

For more information on Spiritual Motivation from Christianity and Judaism (Hebrew Scripture or Old Testament), see my Spiritual Blog: GZ-God and Church, under Motivational words from God.
http://www.gzchristian.blogspot.com/

Question of the day: If your Self-Image is based on your very beliefs about the world at large, how easy will it be to shake it?

Answer: Not easy at all!

More good information...

2009-02-02T15:57:00.001-08:00

It's important to surround yourself with positive people who will keep your mindset optimal. The people we surround ourselves with have a very powerful effect on our minds and thus our lives. Like it or not, the words that you hear program your subconscious mind. This is why I always say to avoid negative people and small time thinkers. You need to get around people who will empower, motivate, and inspire you. If you do not have people like this in your life, you may need to find some. If there aren't any around, here are a few resources you can tap into. I call these phone numbers on a daily basis. They are very informative and an excellent pick-me-up. The first two numbers are other Sport Psychology experts messages of the day. You call the number and it goes straight to the message. My number is my cell phone number, but also contains a quote of the day if I am not available to answer your call. Enjoy! And make use of the information. These are the type of positive people I was talking about before to listen to and have in your head on a daily basis.

Success Hotline - Dr. Rob Gilbert's Daily Message - (973) 743-4690
and his website - http://gilbertsuccesshotline.blogspot.com/

Power Thoughts - Ed Agresta's Daily Message - (609) 660-8156

Quote of the Day - Gene Zannetti (Voicemail) - (908) 337-6143

Don Greene

Coach Tully

7 Principles of Huna - Urban Shamanism

Motivational Sayings

Coach John Wooden's Website - Greatest Coach of All-time

Peaceful Warrior Website

I ALSO STRONGLY RECOMMEND WACHING THE MOVIE "PEACEFUL WARRIOR"
[This is a mandatory Life Perspective and Sport Psychology Movie!]

STATE CHAMPS-BIRTHDAY RESEARCH RESULTS

2009-01-09T22:48:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading an excellent book called "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell (author of The Tipping Point and Blink- Both excellent books). In Chapter 1 he writes about the importance of being a little bit older for your grade. He uses examples of soccer, hockey, and baseball to illustrate this point. I hypothesized that Wrestling State Champs were probably also older for their grade. There are obvious advantages that go along with this. Physical and mental maturity will likely present themselves disguised as talent.A person who is older for their grade will generally be seen by others and themselves as better than those around them. As a result, older children will be seen as having more talent than their peers. The older children will be then treated by coaches and peers differently (as someone with talent). This could lead concrete advantages such as nomination to compete and/or practice in special leagues, tournaments, and divisions. This special treatment would give the older child a special opportunity to improve. As a result of this special treatment, added practice, comparison to younger peers, and praise from peers, coaches, and adults, older children could grow to have higher self-confidence. Notice this success cycle that is in place for such individuals.

MY Study

100 State Champs

I compared everyone as if they were in the same grade-

Graduation Year:Year Born

1997:1979, 1998:1980, 1999:1981, 2000:1982, 2001:1983, 2002:1984, 2003:1985, 2004:1986, 2005:1987, 2006:1988, 2007:1989, 2008:1990, 2009:1991, 2010:1992, 2011:1993

Results:

Month Born - Number of State Champs born in that time period

October or before of previous year - 30

November of previous year - 10

December of previous year - 9

January - 8

February - 8

March - 7

April - 5

May - 5

June - 8

July - 2

August - 4

September - 4

October or After - 0

INTERPRETATION

Do you see the pattern? Most state champs are born in the previous year or in the earlier months of their year. In other words, they tend to be older for their grade. These results are a researchers dream. They are clear cut, with no statistical analysis needed, you can just look at it and see the pattern.

30% of the state champs were born in October or before of the previous year.

57% of the state champs were born before February.

77% of state champs were born before May.

92% were born before August.

The results speak for themselves! An important thing to realize here is that many of the state champions won the title a few times. Though they may have been young (not a senior) that year, they still have been socialized in the above mentioned success cycle of older children, thereby reaping the benefits that are associated with it.

Before entering a state champions pool this year for the NJSIAA Tournament, perhaps you should find the contenders birthdays...

*NOTE- No one is born to become a state champion on ability alone. I have seen and trained with many of the state champs I polled and know personally that they are some of the most dedicated wrestlers out there. Most train all year long, almost exclusively on wrestling. I also know many people who are old for their grade that have not amounted to anything in their wrestling career. This shows that birthdays and age are not everything. But, they may have more to do with success than we may realize.

The 4 Optimal Mindsets (Mandatory to be a Champion)

2009-01-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

Energy Management Workshop

2009-01-09T09:13:00.002-08:00

LOWER ANXIETY BEFORE COMPETITION

Competitions differ from practice primarily because athletes get more nervous.

You want you energy level not to be too high or too low.

Anything you want to accomplish in life will take energy. –Tony Robbins

Inverted U Theory of Anxiety

Arousal will steadily improve your performance until a certain point. Your performance will then just as steadily decline with more anxiety. Draw an upside down U for a visual.

Deep Breathing-

The Antidote for stress and anxiety
- Essential for both physical and mental health
- #1 way to increase your energy
- decreases depression, irritability, muscle tension, and fatigue

When an insufficient amount of fresh air reaches your lungs, your blood isn’t properly purified or oxygenated. Waste products that should have been removed are kept in circulation, slowly poisoning your system. Lack of oxygen and waste products cause poorer complexion, undernourished and deteriorating organs and tissue, anxiety states, depression, fatigue.

Breathing: Separate yourself from everyone else around you
Start in a comfortable position (off your feet)
In Nose, Out Mouth
Abdominal breathing (not chest)
Long, slow, deep breaths
Focus entirely on your breath (nothing else in the world exists)

Practice- 10 minutes 2x a day
OR
10 deep breaths 3x a day
(practice especially when you feel tense or anxious)
Remember- If you don’t practice it on your own, you will not be able to do it as effectively when under stress. In times of peace, prepare for war.

Exercise 1:
List 3 things drain you (physically, emotionally, or mentally) in practice.
List 3 things that charge you in practice.
List 3 things that drain you in competition.
List 3 things that charge you in competition.

Can you control any of these things? Add as many charges, eliminate as many drains.

Exercise 2:
Remember a performance you were too energized. Describe in detail how you felt.
-Under energized.
-Just right. (That’s the place we want you to get back to)

To increase energy- Use energizing music.
-Have a high energy cue or trigger

To lower your energy or anxiety (much more common for competitions)
Centering (Taken from Aikido)
To go from left brain (thinking) to right brain (feeling)

Proven successful with high stress groups like the SWAT team, Green Berets, Athletes

Learn proper deep breathing first

1st realize that it is effortless to relax. It takes no energy or effort.

Step 1: State your intent.
I’m going to_____
Never use don’t. always frame positively.

Step 2: Pick a focal point
Below eye level, some distance away
Where you will release

Step3: Deep Breathing
Done until that’s your only focus.
Step 4: Release tension
While deep breathing, scan your body for tension top to bottom. Check one area per inhale. On exhale shake it loose and relax that area. Neck, shoulders, arms, midsection, legs.

Step 5: Find your Center of Gravity.
About 2 inches below your navel and 2 inches below the surface
Your Center helps you feel rooted, grounded, stabilized, and in control of your energy.
Take 5 breaths once there.

Step 6: Process Cue of Confidence

Step 7: Release tension at your focal point.
Pull all tension and anxiety from your body to your center.
Bring it straight up your body to your eyes
Shoot it out of your eyes onto your focal point
At this point you release and let it all go and trust your instincts.

Focus Workshop

2009-01-09T09:02:00.000-08:00

Focus-concentrating at the right thing at the right moment.

What we focus on affects the way we feel, how we feel determines how we act.

* What did you think during your best performance? Most people say something like, "I dunno, I just." This means when we focus on the process, we can lose ourselves, and attain the coveted flow state.

You need to get out of your own way. You need to shift from left brain (thinking) to right brain (feeling). Clear your mind of thoughts.

May sound opposite of self-talk. But we use our self-talk mainly outside of competition to program our subconscious for competition. It cannot wait until game day to be learned. Same with technique. Technique is mastered in practice.

Humans by nature are poor multi-taskers.
Concentrate Intensely on ONE THING AT A TIME
You will get more out of studying 30 minutes with full concentration than 3 hours with half attention.

McGuffey’s Primer

Work while you work,
Play while you play;
One thing each time,
That is the way.
All that you do,
Do with your might;
Things done by halves
Are not done right!

Present Moment- Satori (Buddhist philosophy)
-Take out the Trash- The Trash is anything that is keeping you from the only thing that matters- this moment. This is Not saying future or past doesn’t matter. But, we learn from the past to do things right in the present and we do things in the present to improve our future. Either way the only time we have control over is the present. Only time that’s a gift is the present.
NOW IS THE MOMENT OF POWER
There is no power that exists at any other period of time

Use Deep Breathing to clear mind and refocus.

-Where are you? Here
-What time is it? Now
-What are you? This moment

Focus only on what you can control, not what you can’t. Others reactions and outcomes are not directly within your control. You affect the outcome by focusing on the present.
Remember also that the crowd, fans, friends, coaches, and parents are unarmed and they will remain in the stands throughout the entire duration of the competition. They’ll have no impact on the match whatsoever. They are irrelevant and they will mess with your mind if you let them. They aren’t part of the equation. They aren’t to be trusted at all. Let them mess up your opponents. Not you.

After a mistake, refocus. Great athletes forgive themselves and let go of their mistakes much faster than amateurs. And they have much less reason to. Accept your mistakes and move on. Don’t make one mistake cause another. Drop it.
Have an interrupt cue to let it go and move on. ie. You gotta love it etc.

In competition- there’s a time and place for evaluation and it’s NEVER during a competition.

Know at what points you need to focus.
When could you focus better.
Use process cues to narrow your attention focus (make it simple, avoid overwhelming)

Training vs. Trusting
Training- practicing techniques and learning
Trusting- practicing letting go and relying on instincts

Some experts recommend 70% Practice should be Trusting- To practice staying in the moment and trusting your instincts.

Decisiveness
When you do a technique or movement you go all the way with it. Don’t second guess yourself or move halfheartedly.
People with worse technique but greater decisiveness often beat the athlete who has better technique but are less decisive. Technique is only half the equation, decisiveness is the other half.

Directive Focus-
Our subconscious, brain, nervous system, and muscles respond best to the smallest possible target. Don’t aim for the hole, aim for a specific part of the hole. Don't say-I wanna be rich. Instead say- I wanna have 1 million in 5 yrs

Perspective and Focusing-
Close eyes, brown vs green

Controlling our emotions-
Probably the quickest way we can control and direct our mental and emotional state is to control and direct the focus of you mind.
2 things that affect your state (1) how your feeling (2) what you focus on
Headache story, distracted mind altered your focus. Worked like a Tylenol.

There are so many things going on at once so we become forced to choose what we focus on. Focus is a choice. Either you consciously decide what you will focus on or your subconscious will make that decision for you. Since we cant focus on everything we become deletion creatures. Card example. We magnify what we want to see and delete the things we don’t. There are so many things we could choose to focus on, so what we focus on is what we choose to focus on. This is why negative thinking is like a disease. Its contagious to others (especially bad when we spread this to the people closest to us, then they reinforce it back to us, until were surrounded by negative stinking thinking). So, we need to consciously focus on the things that we want.

Life is a self-fulfilling prophesy- we get what we expect. We get back the image that we project to the world.

Focus is a choice!

Ex: Write down things that distract you when you compete.
Write down things that distract you when you train.

Tools- attentional boundaries
Visualize a barrier that separates you from the rest of the world.

Peaks and Valleys graph.
You cant peak if you don’t drop to valleys.
Take advantage of times where there’s a break in the action to unwind and recharge.

Your focus is your future.

Success is no hocus pocus, its focus focus.

Self-Talk Workshop

2009-01-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

What you say to yourself and how you say it will determine how you perform under pressure. – Dr. Don Greene
All great athletes talk to themselves. –Wali Muhhammad
You are what you say to yourself most of the time. – William James

The Power of the Subconscious Mind

Conscious Mind- Judge (conscious level of thinking. takes in information and makes rational? Decisions)
Subconscious Mind- Robot (unconscious level of thinking. Storage of information and automatic reactions like emotions)
Robot autopilot, aircraft, homing torpedo programmed in advance to seek a target making on board corrections along the way (like the brain) .
The human system is goal seeking by design. It uses environmental information to make decisions. You get this environmental information is processed by your mind, usually unconsciously. In fact 95% of what we do or think is automated. So we need to control how we process information

Relationship of judge and robot (taken from Dr. Denis Waitley)
Judge cant make a decision without the robot
Robot checks the memory bank including words, mental images, and self-image and plays available data to judge for action
Judge controls the robot? No, incredibly often the reverse is true. Often the robot controls the judge in a master slave relationship (addictions, cravings, etc) Action often takes place without any consultation of the judge, but no decision is made without reference to the robot.
So your Robot is programmed with or without you. This happens all the time. It’s how your mind makes sense of the environment.
You may have some outdated and negative neuroassociations inside your robot.
These uselessly negative neuroassociations will predictably and continually mess you up when it matters most.
Under stress and anxiety, the body reacts with that which it knows best ie. highlight reels or doomsday videos, positive language or negative language, confidently or timidly. If you do not reprogram yourself you will suffer.
You cannot wait until your under stress to change your neuroassociations and reprogram your robot.
This needs to be done in advance.
You need to reprogram them now.
How?
Change Self-talk, Imagery, and Confidence building. Here we focus on self-talk.

Everything you say to yourself should be framed with positive language. Don’t use don’ts.

Golf example-
Don’t hit the ball into the water---subconscious hears---hit the ball into the water
Instead say- Hit the ball straight

Substitute- Can’t à Can
Try à Will
Need to/ Should/Have to/Must à I want OR I choose to

Change all helpless Why questions to positive empowering How questions
Write 5 examples

Eliminate extreme language which puts unnecessary pressure on yourself, others, and the world- Need, Must (musterbating –Dr. Albert Ellis), Should (don’t should on me –Teacher Ken Himber). You don’t need to do anything but die, you don’t even have to pay taxes, you can go to jail instead. Such strong language puts you in a slave mindset.
A freedom mindset says I want to, I choose to, it will be good for me to.., I will improve if I..
Awfulizing-à We tell ourselves things are awful, terrible, completely bad. Nothing is 100% bad. Don’t deny reality. Just tell it like it is. Instead of telling ourselves things are awful and terrible, tell yourself it’s unpleasant and inconvenient, but that’s tough, that’s life, that’s the way the world works, nothing to get particularly upset or bent out of shape about.

Directly after a mistake just say- you gotta love it or that’s what its all about
(shake it off and move on, stay positive with yourself)

Quickly get over your mistakes by saying à I should have known
Then simply chalk it up to experience and forget about it.
Forget the feeling and experience, simply learn the lesson.

Your subconscious mind (robot) has no sense of humor.
Self-effacing jokes and sarcasm can be deadly, as they too register in the subconscious.

The questions we ask ourselves often determine what we focus on and how.
Our brain will answer ANY question you ask it. “Ask and you shall receive.”
It will make up things if it has to.
If you ask yourself Why am I a Schmuck? Your brain will tell you why you’re a schmuck. If you ask yourself why am I so lucky? Your brain will tell you why you’re lucky.

Turn your Why Questions into How Questions.
Why implies helplessness
How implies power and control
Why asks about the past, while How asks what to do in the present to have a better future.
Ex- Why am I so fat? -à How can I reach my target of losing 20lbs.

Remember that self-talk is a primary cause of low self-esteem, quitting, and reluctance to pursue goals.
If you continue telling yourself something you’ll believe it (hypnosis and subliminal messages)
Negative self-talk will create a life of its own making more negative self-talk.

Be a good coach to yourself.
Would you pay a coach or caddie to talk to you negatively? Of course not!

Would you speak to a kid who really looked up to you negatively? NO!
you would be supportive, encouraging, and positive. Be that way to yourself.

Send yourself emails.
Post positive notes.

Confidence Workshop

2009-01-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

There is no element more critical to your success than your self-image. Build it, reinforce it, and guard it with your life.

Confidence is perhaps thee key ingredient to success.
Confidence is more than believing you are capable of succeeding. Real Confidence is knowing that you WILL succeed. Even knowing you will succeed.

At first don’t worry at all about being over confident, well take care of that when the time comes. Right now it’s not part of the equation.

Psychology studies show (1) Confidence and Anxiety have an inverse relationship. (2) Confidence and success have a direct positive relationship.

Confident athletes-perform more successfully
-spend more time on priorities
-take more calculated risks increasing success chances
-use better game strategy
-are more resilient

Act As If
(Fake it till you make it. Better yet- Fake it till you feel it.)

- you may think you’re not confident, and that’s ok for now. You just need to act confident.

Can you be happy right now? Maybe, maybe not.
Can you think happy thoughts? Maybe, maybe not.
Can you smile? Yes, of course.
Our thoughts may be difficult to control, but we can almost always control our actions.
Behavior leads to changes in thought. Studies show we smile because we’re happy and we’re happy because we smile. Behavior and thought reinforce each other.

So ACT confident to FEEL confident

What do you look like when you’re most confident?
IF you haven’t been confident, how would you look?
What did you look the last time you were extremely confident?
How did that make you feel?
Don’t you want to feel that again?

Anchoring for success

Behavioral Psychology- Pavlov’s Dog
A neuroassociation is formed. These neuroassociations happen all the time. It’s the mind’s way of putting things together to make sense of the world. Through associations we remember pleasure and pain (our two greatest driving forces). We move toward that which was pleasurable and away from that which was painful. Pleasure breeds desire, pain breeds fear. FEAR is usually False, Evidence, Appears, Real. You're Born with only 2 Fears- heights and loud noises, that’s it! The rest is learned. And if something can be learned-it can be unlearned. Just something to keep in mind.

Come up with an anchor, process cue, or trigger- a word, a symbol, or a song. Example- Brands mat slap. Well use this from now on. Incorporate something from your picture of confidence as a reminder, ie. Ali shuffle.
Note-who cares what it looks like, this is for you

Take your most confidence self and multiply it by 10. That’s your new confident self. (Anchor)
Get a vivid picture of you extremely confident x10 and remember it. Hammer that image into your mind. Revisit it daily, and especially when feeling anxious or doubtful and use your anchor.

BE THE ALPHA MALE

For small guys: think of Cruise, Pacino, and Stallone who command respect and are just as Alpha as anyone.

Know the look!

Alpha Male Qualities-
-Open Body Language (uncrossed, hands out of your pockets)
-Take up space
-Smile when you enter a room
-Speak loud, clear, and deliberate.
-move briskly and with a purpose
-head up looking slightly above the horizon
-When standing still have your hands on your hips

It’s better to be overconfident than under-confident.
Don’t worry about appearing pompous or arrogant at first.
Almost all successful people have big egos.
Can you think of any example?
An ego is a good thing when used to promote self-confidence, resist peer pressure, bouncing back from setbacks, and overcoming the odds.

Exercises to Improve Confidence

*List your 10 greatest accomplishments in the specific area.
If there aren’t 10 in that area, then include life to show yourself you are good at things you put your mind to. You have succeeded before and it will come again.

*Make a highlight reel if you can, and play it twice a week.

*Make a list of your greatest attributes both physical and mental in your area. If none in your area then use everything else.

*Watch video on successful people in your area preferably on your specialization ie. Smith low single, Ted Williams Swing. Use Youtube if you need to. This will remind you that your technique has proven effective, and you will succeed when you execute correctly.

BREAKING A SLUMP
Theory- Stockpile small successes

Application-
(1) Avoid long shots for now. Take on smaller challenges to experience success more.
(2) Take Right Actions. Focus on Fundamentals AND do all the little things you know that you should do but may have gotten lazy about ie. stretch before practice, proper diet and sleep

Reframing-the only way to feel failure is to believe you failed. Change your rules on what success and failure means to you. Make success and failure process oriented rather than outcome oriented. Make it hard to fail and easy to succeed through these new definitions.
Write 3 new ways to measure failure and success.

Another Exercise- Help one person each week become more confident. If you help someone become confident, you will learn how to teach yourself to be confident.

Goal Setting Workshop

2009-01-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

First, A few Quotes:

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. –John Wooden

A person with great dreams can achieve great dreams.
Small dreams confine people to mediocrity and frustration. –Dr. Bob Rotella

If people aren’t laughing at your goals, you aren’t setting them high enough. –Coach Mike Tully

God gave you eyes in the front of your head not in the back so you can see where you’re going, not where you’ve been. –Lou Holtz

The Past does not equal the future. –Tony Robbins

If you turn the steering wheel of your car sharp right, then your car will go in that direction, despite where or how you drove it in the past.
Lesson- What you think and do this very moment determines the direction of your life.

You’re either moving toward or away from your goals, you’re never staying still. If you’re not moving in the right direction, simply stop what you’re doing and turn around.

You’re either growing or you’re dying (business, tree, person, flower, or a team)
To find which you’re doing ask yourself one question- am I trying to get better. – Lou Holtz

"My Wage"

I bargained with Life for a penny,
And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store;
For Life is a just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.
I worked for a menial's hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have gladly paid.

~ Jessie B Rittenhouse

Long term Goals- list one long term goal in sport or each area of life that is important to you.

Goal Setting
- write it down (it’s just a dream until its on paper, then it becomes a goal).
- make it public (you lie most to yourself, not as much to others)
- post your goals in the places you are at most, as a constant reminder (at least 3 places)
- set practice goals

Your Action Plan becomes a priority
Do you know what a priority is?
A priority is when you jump out of a plane and you make sure you pull the chute.
Pulling the chute is a priority.
When you decide to do something, you make sure it gets done.

Outcome Goals and Action Plan
We put our focus on our Action Plan because that is within our control. Outcomes are not usually directly controllable. We control outcome goals by controlling our Action Plan. When times get tough and we feel like giving up we then focus on our Outcome Goals.

Short-term goals should be- CARS
Challenging, Attainable, Realistic, Specific

USOC Guidelines
1. Focus on yourself (not others, outcomes, or rewards)
2. Make goals specific and measurable (get better and win are not goals)
3. Get Feedback (from coach and learn to self-monitor)
4. Keep them positive and framed positively.
5. Have Short-term and Long-term goals
6. Be flexible and adjust when and if necessary.

ACTIVITY

Ultimate Goal: ________________________________________________
ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS
(Take a proud stance)

Goal for 1st Period of time:__________________________________

If I could give you one goal setting piece of advice it would be to BEHAVE. Believe it or not the reason why most people do not achieve great success is because they cannot spell this word correctly. I have a simple spelling test for you. If you can correctly assemble these two words and never forget them, I can assure you that success is yours. The two words: HAVE & BE

Your Answer: ________________

All too often people think the HAVE comes before the BE. This is a major error. People focus on what they want to HAVE. “I want to have a national title,” I want to have a million dollars” etc. What you need to focus on is the person you will have to BE to achieve your goals. What does a person who wants these goals have to DO? Do they go through the motions, go to sleep late, eat garbage foods, slack off, etc.? Or do they live a life of TOTAL COMMITMENT? What kind of person would you have to BE to HAVE your goals? When you put the BE before the HAVE, you realize that more than having a dream, you must BE the type of person who TAKES ACTION CONSTANTLY, INTELLIGENTLY, AND INTENSIVELY.

Physical Goals
Top 3 Strengths (Focus on them the most) –If its already something you’re naturally good at, why not make it freaky -Darren Schulman
1.
2.
3.
It is through Mastery of these Strengths that you will achieve Success.

Top 3 Improvement Areas (Note: we never call them weaknesses)
1.
2.
3.
It is through improving these lesser strengths that you will find balance.

Decide how often you will revisit your goals. I recommend at least once a season. Separate the year into 4 quarters or anyway you like.

Creation of HABITS:
First we form habits, then they form us.

Sow a thought reap an action
Sow an action reap a habit
Sow a habit reap a character
Sow a character reap a destiny

For added success- involve your coach in the process for his modifications and adjustments for your particular area. (remember that you always have the final say)

Life Goals- Make a life list of as many things you want to accomplish in your life. Don’t hold back. List EVERYTHING you would like to do. (Bucket List- Things to do before you kick the bucket)
-If you have no view of the future, you have no sense of risk.
-You gain happiness by producing and doing things(especially things for others or for a higher cause, greater than yourself)

Finally - The difference between a dream and a goal is that you work toward a goal. You take action. Don’t just take action, take immediate action. Get going! Start! Now!

Could it be that the BEST have the Mental Edge?

2009-01-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

Arnold Schwarzenegger
“The Secret is to make your mind work for you, not against you.”
(Arnold’s approach to bodybuilding was more mental than physical)
http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_60/69_fitness_tip.html

Michael Jordan
Michael's biggest strength was his mental game. Jordan held a decisive mental edge over his opponents throughout his entire career. It was his mental toughness... Jeff Janssen, M.S.
http://www.teamarete.com/ificouldbe.html

Wayne Gretzky
…he (Gretzky) was not very strong physically, but he made up for that in the mental edge he held over opponents.
http://www.lycos.com/info/wayne-gretzky-hockey.html

Tiger Woods
Tiger's biggest club is his mental strength –USA Today
His mental game is every bit as good as his physical game. –Bob May
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2004-02-10-tiger-toughest_x.htm

there’s another quality even more important than skill. It’s his mind, and that very well could be his greatest weapon.
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/09/sports/sp-mindgame9

Michael Phelps
His strongest asset is relaxing & focusing in competition. He can take himself mentally to a place. That’s what separates him from his competitors. –Coach Bowman
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/bowman-on-phelps-mental-strength/3003143297

Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali was a master of psychology…his mental toughness played a great factor in many of his fights. There was no one stronger mentally then Muhammad Ali.
http://greatestofalltime.homestead.com/muhammadali.html

Dan Gable
“Mental Toughness is the key of all keys…Mental Toughness is the foundation.”
http://www.briancain.com/articlesbybriancain/Dan%20Gable%20-%20Brian%20Cain%20CBN.pdf

John Wooden
“I am constantly trying to make players realize the mental side.”

Vince Lombardi
“Mental Toughness is essential for success.”
He was always working on both the minds and bodies of his players. The guy was a beautiful psychologist. – Jerry Kramer (former player)

Bobby Knight
“Mental toughness to physical (toughness) is as 4 is to 1.”

Top 10 Biggest Mental Mistakes An Althlete Can Make And Corrections

2009-01-08T20:28:00.000-08:00

1. Getting involved in the hype. Reading the papers and/or forum. Leave this to the spectators, after the season you can read your articles.

2. Associating with negative people and small-time thinkers. These people will only slow you down. Keep your distance from them, especially during the season.

3. Making any particular match or tournament “special.” Every match and practice is important, but nothing is ever special. Special adds pressure. Treat everything the same. Consistency!

4. Believing ANY opponent you face is unbeatable. David and Goliath, Giants and Patriots, Gable and Owings, The Movie Miracle, etc. etc.

5. Focusing on the past or future instead of the present moment. Only worry about the present and how you can do your best at this moment.

6. Under any circumstances using the word CAN’T. Don’t ever say that word!

7. Dwelling on a setback or loss. Learn the lesson, then move on, period. Just let it go and do it better next time.

8. Focusing exclusively on winning or titles. Compete with yourself.

9. Competing not to lose. A coward dies 1,000 deaths before he dies. Always play to win. If you’re already winning: play to dominate.

10. Using extreme self-talk. That puts extra pressure on you: MUST, SHOULD, or NEED TO. Use “I want” and “I choose to” instead.

11! Not taking advantage of a Sport Psychology Expert and being totally mentally prepared to achieve your goals. See Gene Zannetti