Although I love watching sports…well…at least certain sports like cycling, all Olympic events, swimming, motocross…the downside is that you can easily be lulled into thinking that the athletes experience exciting, heroic moments on a regular basis. Truth be told, amazing performances of any kind are like an iceberg: the visible part is extremely small whereas
In sport (as in life) there is a physical side & a mental side…and the two really should connect. In fact, the more we can connect our physical & mental sides…the more we can get them to interact with each other, the faster we can improve (see my blog on “Making Loud, Obnoxious ‘Juicy Mistakes’!“).
When you ask athletes what the #1 thing is that they want to improve, most answer “Speed”. Seriously…what athlete doesn’t want to get faster?! But how many athletes focus on technique first to improve speed? I’d argue…unfortunately…not many. The tricky part then becomes just exactly how to improve speed. There are many ways: Get stronger
One of the most difficult coaching scenarios is when athletes want to learn something, but they challenge the thought process. In other words, they want the End Result…but they push back against the Why. To me, those two things – the End Result & the Why – can’t be separated. You HAVE to believe the
Asking for help. One of the hardest things for humans to do. I’m guilty just like everyone else. I hesitate…I think “I’ll just keep working on it”…I have this magical thought that “It’ll just get better.” And to be fair, it does get better…but it often takes such an inordinate amount of time! It’s such
Teaching technique for all 4 strokes (Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke & Freestyle) is one of my favorite things to do. Not only do I have to work hard to figure out the best ways to break down complex skill sets, but I also need to figure out 100 different ways to explain a single concept. That
As a coach I am blessed to wear many hats. The Friend hat. The Counselor hat. The Life Coach hat. The Relationship Coach hat. The Let’s-Be-Realistic hat. The We-Need-To-Cut-Back hat. The last 2 are the hardest. Because, let’s face it, we ALL believe we can do EVERYTHING. The easy part is to add. The harder
I just recently celebrated my 23rd year of Performance High coaching! It’s been quite the ride – 23 yrs of change, adjustment, challenge & learning. One of my biggest adjustments has been to my coaching style. Whereas I used to coach in a more top-down way (i.e., Let me tell you how to do X.),
One of the most rewarding experiences I have as a coach is witnessing client transformations. Sometimes that happens in just a few months…but more commonly, it’s a multi-year process. Watching someone transform from a “newbie” into an “athlete”, seeing them gain confidence in their own abilities & helping them shift their goals from broad-based “I
The start of a New Year often brings change, resolutions & pivots. And what better way to kick off 2024 than to highlight a lifestyle transformation story! As 80% of us can attest (that’s the percentage of folks who fall off the New Year’s Resolution wagon after about 6 wks), change is hard. It often