Take a moment right now and look at the people around you. Where are they? Are they being present, engaged in what is happening right now OR are they in their heads, working some problem they have in life or possibly worrying about something they have no control over? Are they in the future dreaming of the life they want for themselves and their families? As mental coaches, we talk a lot about this idea of being present in practice, competition, and engagement in sport and life as a whole. We talk about being ‘in the now’ and engaging in what is happening moment to moment. We ask our athletes to remind themselves, ’where you at?’ as practice in mindfulness throughout their day to day life. But why? You see, there is something about the present moment that provides a sense of confidence, of passion, of drive that is unlike any other. You could call it ‘the zone’ or ‘on fire’ but I am sure that everyone who reads this article has been present at some point in their lives. Kids in the 21st century know the present moment well through the use of video games where, if [...]

A swimmer approached me a few months ago saying that she did not make any progress in practice over the 3 months leading up to her state meet. She was not seeing her times drop in practices and just didn’t believe that she could do anything substantial at the upcoming state meet. I asked her what she was working on at that point to help her go faster. She started going down the list of technique items for each stroke and a variety of strategy items. I asked her to start writing these down on a LARGE white board and she covered it with everything that she was working on over those 3 months. After she wrote these items she looked at it and I asked her how she felt looking at the whiteboard. She said she felt overwhelmed, sick, and somewhat disappointed. Disappointed, I asked… “Ya, I am disappointed that even though I have been working on all of this stuff, there is not one thing that I can go to my coach with and say that I got it down!”. Have you ever felt like this before? Interestingly enough, you are not alone! As performers, we [...]

Everyone is always wondering about developing and facilitating team cohesion; Always wondering about how to build relationships and team chemistry. Whether it’s at work, at school, in a team, or with their partner, strong and healthy relationships create more productive and positive environments. Do you know how you interact with your team? Gottman’s 5:1 Dr. Gottman, professor emeritus at University of Washington, found that in healthy marriages, the ratio of positive interactions to negative interactions is 5:1. Especially during times of conflict, the interactions between the two individuals was 5:1. On the other hand, it is 5 times easier to break someone down with a negative interaction like blame, anger, aggression or hostility; Which ultimately leads to hurting someone’s feelings. Are you aware of your ratio? If you’re truly interested in developing and facilitating better team cohesion, this strategy is for you. 51 Cents: Keep Track of Your Ratio John Brubaker, a sport psychology consultant and ESPN radio personality, used to coach Division III and NAIA Lacrosse. He came across Gottman’s ratio and knew that if he wanted to take his team chemistry to the next level, he was going to have to start keeping an eye on his [...]

Recently, Mental Grit was awarded the opportunity to interview two of the top sport dietitians in the nation. Toni Tillett (Washington State University) and Kari Oliver (University of Notre Dame) were gracious enough to answer a few questions and divulge some juicy nutritional information. A healthy body and mind are essential to peak performance, which is where mental conditioning and nutrition intersect. The interesting piece about this interview was how basic mental skills principles have such a primary role in the execution of effective nutrition. Get back to basics and keep yourself mentally and physically strong. Back to Basics If I were to ask you to name three healthy foods, could you do it? Of course you can! We all know what healthy and unhealthy food is. The question I presented to these two dietitians was, “If we all know what the healthy foods are, why don’t we eat them?” Kari answered, “It’s because of our habits. Food is a huge part of everything that we do. It’s around families, celebrations, birthdays, births and deaths, and basically everything. For a long time, people have associated healthy with not being as tasty or flavorful. They’re not going to choose the healthier option because if they have [...]