Archive: Success

50 for 50 Idea #5: Listen to an audiobook in the car

February 12, 2018

What do you listen to when you are in the car or commuting to work/school? Spotify? The morning show on a local radio station? Talk radio? NPR? Perhaps nothing at all! I used to listen to music and various sports radio shows while driving, and I more or less did that without even thinking. At […]

50 for 50 Idea #3: Stretch More!

January 25, 2018

In my last blog post, I wrote about the value and benefits of beginning a yoga practice. This idea resonated with a lot of people, but perhaps you’re like me and you need to pay even more attention to your joint mobility and flexibility. Many people don’t focus on daily stretching, but as I have […]

What’s the deal with emotions in college tennis?

June 13, 2017

This post has been on my mind for awhile and I’m writing it for all of those young tennis players who aspire to play college tennis. I want you to be prepared for what you are going to experience, and at the same time, I want you to apply the actions and principles of mental […]

Feeling Pressure? Get Excited!

May 25, 2017

As a competitor, it’s a near certainty that you get nervous from time to time, both before you play and during competition. Fear is the emotion that drives your nerves. Why is this? What are you afraid of? I was at a tennis academy recently and I asked the players these questions, and their answers […]

Tennis player serving

What to do when you’re not playing well

October 27, 2016

A short story from a practice match I played recently… The wind was in my face and I was getting ready to serve for the first time in the match. I don’t have a very big serve and even a little bit of wind against me can make it more ordinary than usual. My opponent […]

The 3 Components of Mental Toughness

October 21, 2016

In recent days, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to Mental Toughness and what it is and why we struggle with it. I have concluded that there are 3 high level components to Mental Toughness, and athletes need to be proficient in all 3 if they are to realize their best performances on a […]

6 skills you need to be the best college athlete

August 27, 2016

This summer, Hayden Steward of St. Michael’s College in Vermont was an intern for PerformanceXtra. As part of his internship, he wrote the following blog post to assist those athletes who are entering their first year of college sports, with some of the challenges they will inevitably face. If you’d like to ask Hayden for […]

10 Competitive Skills Observations from USTA NE Sectionals

July 1, 2016

I recently attended the New England Summer Sectionals tennis event at Yale University to support players from various academies as well as students of PerformanceXtra. Over the course of two days, I watched 20+ hours of tennis and I observed several things from a mental and competitive skills perspective. Each of the 10 items below are […]

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. […]

2 podcasts to make your mind and body stronger

June 12, 2016

I had a few hours of driving to do over the weekend, so I downloaded a couple of Tim Ferriss podcasts onto my phone to occupy my mind on something productive for the ride. I thoroughly enjoyed each episode and wanted to share some insights with you. Both topics are important in the context of […]

Are you a perfectionist?

June 3, 2016

In my work with athletes, I encounter a lot of perfectionists. I don’t know if this is more prevalent in today’s society than in the past, but it seems as if there is now a romantic ideal associated with being a perfectionist. Like it is a good thing. Like being a perfectionist is a badge […]

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 […]

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 […]

Sign Up & Receive Tips On How To Be Mentally Tough

Blog Categories

Archives