Archive for May, 2013
Relaxation Helps Power and Speed
I was watching a show on ESPN about famed pro football coach, Bill Walsh, who was particularly notable for his success in producing great quarterbacks (Joe Montana, San Francisco 49er Hall of Famer, amongst others). In describing Walsh’s techniques, one young quarterback told of how Walsh stood directly behind him in an early practice session […]
Intelligent Strategy Can Lead to Victory
Intelligent strategies can often overcome stroke deficiencies and enable a player with inferior tennis weapons to defeat a physically superior opponent. In matches where the contestants are closely matched physically, strategy is often the deciding factor. I believe that this was the case in the 2002 US Open final where Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi […]
Believing in Yourself
As competitors we are all told, “It is crucially important to believe in yourself.” Our coaches regale us with tales of how great players believe in themselves and how this belief carries them past obstacles and leads to victory in major championships. We are admonished that unless we believe in ourselves, we can work on […]
Champions Take Responsibility and Try to Control Their Destinies
EXCERPTED FROM “THE WINNER’S MIND” High achievers possess a characteristic termed by psychologists as an “internal locus of control.” If we throw out the big words and translate this into English, it means that champions feel they can personally control the outcome of events. This feeling empowers them. They believe that their own efforts will […]
Thoughts on Cliff Richey’s New Book “Acing Depression”
Richey is honest, open, and smart. I thought Andre Agassi’s book was unusually honest and insightful, but it pales in comparison to Cliff Richey’s new book. Cliff describes his own mental processes as he developed into a tennis champion and later, as he was stricken with debilitation depression in an incredibly lucid, insightful, and vivid […]
