dr. michelle

So you want to be a 3.5

Written by on October 12, 2011

tennis ball

(How focused are you? What do you seen in this picture?) A few days ago I had two separate conversations with tennis professionals about tennis players who were 3.0’s and 3.5’s. It seems that the 3.0’s always want to be a 3.5 and the 3.5’s want to be a 4.0. In my experience working with tennis players this has been the case. 3.0’s are never happy being 3.0’s and 3.5’s are never happy being 3.5’s. What is it about being a 3.0 and a 3.5 that makes people uncomfortable? Here is what is going on in these situations Tennis players … Continued

Negative internal chatter is rampant in tennis & golf

Written by on October 10, 2011

negative thinking

One of the top challenges for golfers and tennis players that has a HUGE negative impact on performance is negative self talk. Negative self talk is a form of internal distraction and includes should have, what if, over analyzing body mechanics and choking. Negative self talk is critical and self defeating. It is counterproductive and produces anxiety. When a person experiences something they perceive as more demanding than what their capabilities can manage, they are said to have state (situational) anxiety (negative self talk is the cognitive part of anxiety). This anxiety leads to negative thoughts that lead to stress typically … Continued

In golf, practice makes perfect, physically & mentally

Written by on October 7, 2011

Sanity

Physical practice is an easy one right? Hit a few large buckets at the driving range and 100 short shots on the practice green four days a week and play a round or two. Throw in a lesson, continue hitting a few large buckets at the driving range and 100 short shots on the practice green but increase to five days a week and play three or four rounds. You are not at two lessons, continue hitting a few large buckets at the driving range and 100 short shots on the practice green but increase to seven days a week and play a … Continued

Practice the ‘process’ of golf!

Written by on October 3, 2011

broken chain

In my work with golfers I find that they are very outcome oriented. I think in my last blog I made a statement something like ‘golfers are all or nothing people’. In my experience with golfers they feel that they either suck are they are playing great (for many of them the latter is fewer than the former). There is  not a lot of middle ground. It seems that this  holds true in another form: golfers are very outcome driven. When they play golf they either want a great score or why bother playing. Outcome versus process This all or nothing … Continued

How do you approach golf?

Written by on September 30, 2011

Approaching golf

One of my golf clients is also a manager for a large company. Being a manager he works at the macro level. He doesn’t deal with a lot of minutia, he’s very good at what he’s done so he’s been successful and he is not emotionally attached to his work at all. During our conversation this past week we realized that he’s been attacking his personal life and his golf like he does his work. Do you and if so what challenges do you see in that? What are some of the differences There are distinct differences between how one operates at … Continued

Golf challenges all of the mental & emotional things

Written by on September 28, 2011

golfer

Golf is intense and seems to attract an intensity does it? If you take an average, normal person (whatever that means) and you teach them to play golf. It’ll bring out seemingly all of the mental & emotional challenges that one has or that one has left to deal with. There is something inherent about golf that attracts a certain personality and challenges them to their deepest core. When golf starts to spiral down Although there are a variety of ‘situations’ many golfers tend to be very extreme. They are either playing really well or not playing well at all. There is … Continued

Life as a professional athlete in-between times

Written by on September 16, 2011

If you are not yourself

As a professional athlete all you know is how to be an athlete! With the whirlwind speed of your life, training and competing there isn’t really much time to sit and think about a lot of other stuff. It seems that most of you shield yourself  (consciously or unconsciously) from thinking and dealing with emotions while, because you are busy in your daily life. Transitions are difficult for professional athletes When you have down time from your sports career what happens? I’ll bet you are surrounded and confronted with a lot of challenging stuff. It makes sense. You life is generally surrounded with training … Continued

Shifting Gears & finding balance: final case study

Written by on September 15, 2011

Mommy and athlete

The is the last of a three part series. K has realized that being a Mom and being a triathlete are both important to her and that she needs to keep them both in her life. She‟s figured out the balance and feels good about making it all happen. Now the entire family is involved in her triathlon life. She is very pleased that she has figured out how to incorporate her two favorite things together. “So I guess I got through the transition from competitive athlete to pregnant mother ( and back again) by writing my own set of rules and … Continued

Coaches and trainers what motivates your clients

Written by on September 14, 2011

motivation

Motivation is the direction and intensity with which someone does something. If athletes and exercisers don’t have direction and intensity than the intention to follow through won’t be there. Intrinsic versus extrinsic Motivation is broken down into intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Some intrinsic rewards for participation include: having fun and feeling satisfied. Some extrinsic rewards for participation include: trophies, approval and medals. Athletes and exercisers The importance of intrinsic motivation In intrinsic motivation, a person participates for the sheer joy of participating. Experiences that provide fun also provide the motive to continue to participate. People are intrinsically motivated in particular to … Continued

Professional athletes deal with mental struggles too

Written by on September 10, 2011

You struggle with mental performance!I am working with some Olympic athletes right now who are struggling with their mental performance. Just because you are a professional athlete does not mean it’s too late to add a mental game plan to your physical training. What things do you struggle with on and off the court, field or course? What skills do you feel you can improve on? You’ve come a long way in your professional sports career otherwise you wouldn’t be a professional but what gets in the way of you getting even better particularly in the most challenging moments: when … Continued