The Peak Performance Expert

The third element of the Mental Preparation for Competitions is Competition Evaluation. 

Competition Evaluation:

• Extract important lessons from every experience
• Integrate this into your plan for the next event Read the rest of this entry »

Today I will continue with describing the second of the four elements associated with the Mental Preparation for Competitions that Olympic athletes use.  The second element is the Competition Focus Plan. 

Competition Focus Plan: 

• Discover what kind of focus works best for you
• Plan to draw upon this focus during the event 

The entire topic of focus deserves an entire book but for now let’s figure out what kind of focus might be of most benefit to you given who you are and what kind of activity you will be engaging in. Read the rest of this entry »

Continuing with the Olympic Mental Readiness Program, we have seen that  Olympic athletes follow certain steps to ensure success.  In addition to Simulation Training (creating an “as-if” experience and using mental imagery) champions rely on a detailed mental preparation for the competition.  This involves 4 steps: Read the rest of this entry »

In my last post, I wrote about Simulation Training. Olympic athletes use this technique with great success.  For the non-athlete, this can require a fairly elaborate set-up but the results make the time spent setting it up well worth it. 

Another way to simulate training is to use imagery or mental rehearsal. In this instance, you use your mind’s eye to “see” yourself  in your performance space.  If you do not know what your performance space is like, do you best to imagine what it will be like.  You can always imagine an audience, a lectern or table, slides, and so forth.

The first step  Read the rest of this entry »

The transformative power of imagery or visualization is well known by sport psychologists and by successful athletes.  It is one of the tools that can enable you to create the brain you want. 

Yes, that’s right.  It is possible to systematically create the kind of brain you want – a brain that will stay focused on what you want to focus on and not get rattled by distraction; a brain that will be reflective and responsive and not impulsively reactive. Sound good?  (You’ll be hearing much more on this topic as time goes on…) Read the rest of this entry »

Mental preparation is often overlooked when people prepare for that big presentation, court date, or interview.   

If you would like to enjoy similar success as Olympic athletes, the first step, as mentioned in my previous post is to establish clear daily goals. 

The second step is to include imagery training in order to: Read the rest of this entry »

As mentioned yesterday, Olympic athletes who are most likely to win medals are those who are mentally ready.  Mental readiness was more important to Olympic success than physical and technical readiness. 

The good news is that mental readiness is something that can be learned and used by everyone.  You don’t need to be an athlete to benefit from mental readiness training; these powerful techniques can help you perform better in your chosen field. Read the rest of this entry »

How do you prepare for a big event like a major presentation, sales call, jury trial, or job interview?  Do you have and use a mental preparation plan?  If you’re like most people, you do not have such a plan which is too bad because you’re missing the opportunity to work on and improve the most important factor in performance success.  Read the rest of this entry »

Because I live in the Boston area (Cambridge), I am rooting for the Bruins to win the Stanley Cup. So far, the Vancouver Canucks have the lead but it’s early in the series. 

What I’m worried about is that the Canucks have a secret weapon – well it’s not secret any more because the Boston Globe ran an article about the Canucks hiring sport psychologist Dr. Len Zaichkowsky to help them gain that winning edge. Read the rest of this entry »

You might think that picturing a Big Mac would lead you to hop in your car and head for the nearest McDonalds.  It turns out that may not be true if you not only picture the hamburger but also visualize yourself consuming it. 

Some call it the “imagination Diet” because the idea is to eat as much of what you want…in your imagination.  Read the rest of this entry »