Archive: Mental Toughness

The Art of Unlearning

June 20, 2016

Would you be surprised to learn that a major part of the process of becoming excellent is unlearning? Sure, learning new techniques is important, but the unlearning process addresses the habits and beliefs that we have that limit our ability to reach true excellence. It is in this space that you can become truly elite. […]

Did you know competing is a skill?

May 4, 2016

If you are a tennis player who has ever had to come back from an injury, you realize that the hardest part is getting back to your level of play in a tournament or competitive environment. After practicing for a while, your strokes may feel like they used to, but the first time you decide […]

Video – Emotions in Sports: Good or Bad?

January 18, 2016

In today’s video blog, I discuss emotions in sports and their effect on performance. Many coaches and athletes believe in the necessity of showing emotions while you compete, but does that actually help you to perform more consistently? Watch the video for my take on this and learn why I agree with former UCLA men’s […]

Video – Being coachable and your path to greatness

January 6, 2016

How coachable are you? In today’s video, I discuss the importance of being coachable, the behaviors that demonstrate you are coachable, and some of the difficulties with choosing this path. Achieving mastery of your sport isn’t easy and it requires some tough choices. Put aside your fear and dare to be great! Also in this video, […]

Video Blog – Taking Control in 2016!

January 1, 2016

On our journey to be great competitors, it is so important that we take control of our reactions and channel them into productive responses. Today’s video is all about “The Warrior Mindset” (aka, The Great Competitor) and how we can apply that in 2016 so that we are in control. Let me know your thoughts […]

10 Bits of Mental Toughness Wisdom for the Tennis Player

November 23, 2015

Even though the title of this post refers to tennis players, I believe any athlete can gain perspective from these ten points. Apply them and reap the benefits. When your opponents make excuses for why they lost to you, take it as a compliment. You broke them mentally and now they’re desperate to protect their […]

Do you want to win?

September 23, 2015

Do you like to win? Of course you do, right? Perhaps you think that’s a silly question for me to pose, but what if I told you that while most athletes say they want to win, their behavior often says something entirely different. It says that mistakes and being perfect are more important to them […]

Where Mental Toughness Lives

September 3, 2015

I recently finished reading George Mumford’s “The Mindful Athlete,” and it reminded me of the importance of committing to a meditation practice on a daily basis so that I can be at my best more often. One of the benefits of such practice that I have come to appreciate is the ability to suspend judgment […]

“Be Quiet!!!” – Develop a Mindset to Deal with Noise

June 2, 2015

Ever find yourself wishing that someone would just be quiet while you’re performing? Recently, several people have asked me about how tennis players can deal more effectively with crowds or an unruly spectator so that performance is not affected in a negative way. In most sports, crowd noise tends to be less of a distraction […]

4 reasons not to get angry when you compete

April 10, 2015

As a young tennis player, I had a bad temper. I didn’t like making mistakes. I didn’t like losing points. The root of my anger wasn’t a lack of emotional control, but rather because my thoughts were fixated on those mistakes and lost points, and that frustrated me greatly. If only I could be perfect […]

3 Things To Do To Be A Better Fighter

March 23, 2015

When all else is going wrong in your performance, there is one facet of the mental game that can salvage the day: your fighting spirit. If you continue to fight for your best performance, even on your worst day, you still have a chance of succeeding in the end. The persistence and intensity that you […]

Working on You Equals Success

February 16, 2015

Last week, this audio reminded me of the philosophy that you have to work on yourself first before you can achieve the results that you want. You have to grow into the person that can achieve greatness. As I listened to this message, I realized that the same thing is true in competition. While you are […]

The New pX Online Mental Toughness Training Program is Here!

January 27, 2015

Brian here, with a big announcement! Back in October, I posted that I had created an Online Mental Toughness training program that is designed to help an athlete become a great competitor. Today, I would like to announce that the online program is now available via the PerformanceXtra website: Online pX Training System. I’m excited to […]

Building Sportsmanship

January 12, 2015

If you watched the College Football Playoff game between Oregon and Florida State on New Year’s Day, you may have noticed that a large number of the players from FSU walked off the field at the end of the game without shaking hands and congratulating their opponents. The announcers observed this and commented on it. […]

The 2 Types of Belief You Need to Be Mentally Tough

December 30, 2014

If I were to tell you that confidence and self-belief were major components of mental toughness, you’d probably say something like “yeah, no kidding!” And you’d be right to say that. It’s obvious that’s the case, but let’s dive a little deeper into self-belief because it may not be as obvious that there are two […]

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