Showing talent early in sport or studies is a double-edged sword. On one side, your child learns things quickly, initially feeling confident with new skills and activities. On the flip side, there is a mental dilemma young talent often face in learning to cope with achievement. It’s not uncommon for worried parents to call me…
For the age-group swimmer who has to balance study, swimming, and make improvements in the pool, it is essential that you know how to train hard, but more importantly, how to train smart. In a recent post by swimswam.com, Ryan Lochte describes his commitment to training smarter in this Olympic quad., “I’m not just doing…
In your final moments of preparation for the most anticipated annual event for age group swimmers in Singapore you are most likely starting to experience some stress and nervousness along with thoughts running through your head about how you will perform. You say certain things to yourself or believe certain things about what might happen…
Competition time can be stressful for all swimmers no matter your age or skill level. Recall a typical morning on deck at a major meet and how you generally feel: Following your warm-up nervousness may start to set-in, and you feel your breathing getting faster and a heaviness in your chest. You have been making…
The context for this training might sound unusual in terms of the typical sport and performance zones of my work, but the training is actually very similar with the same goal in mind…To help expecting mums go through the process of their big event with an optimal state of mind and less stress, fear, and…
The final stretch for the school year has begun and it’s the perfect time to knuckle-down in the final block of training before holidays start and then SNAG 2015 will be round the corner for Singaporean elite swimmers. In this article I will present some useful tips for creating fearsome focus in the pool. Working…
The formula for Performance is defined as: Performance = potential – interference. One of the greatest personal dilemmas that interferes with optimal performance and negates an athlete’s true potential in their sport is performance anxiety. Last year, performance anxiety was the number one reason athletes and their parents visited my office. This form of anxiety…
For experienced and novice runners alike, there are many persistent mental challenges to negotiate when running a marathon. For instance, the mind-chatter you go through days before the race that questions how well you have prepared, the doubts that creeps in with 10 kilometers to go, and trying to remain calm when negotiating those unexpected…
Think about your current practice habits. When was the last time you gave your training regime a check-up? As the half way mark in the calendar year approaches, it’s all too common for elite players who practice multiple hours on our daily basis to revert to amateur patterns of practice that prevent them from getting…
SHORT-GAME, SHORT-GAME, AND MORE SHORT-GAME This is not the time to alter your swing. Juniors typically spend most of their tournament preparation time on the range and neglect their short-game. It’s not surprising that those who score poorly tell me their short-game cracked under the pressure, while those who play well talk about making lots…