Soccer Players Learn to Use Their Head

The Mental Strength Training Center announced today the release of a Sport Psychology and mental skills training program for Soccer players and coaches. 

To help soccer players, coaches and parents of soccer athletes become better teammates, leaders and athletes, the Mental Strength Training Center, working with world class Mental Skills coach and Indiana University Professor Dr. Gary Sailes, created the MENTAL STRENGTH TRAINING PROGRAM FOR SOCCER, a 2-phase training program contained on two CD’s. 

Dr. Gary Sailes is an accomplished professor, having worked with dozens of professional athletes, universities, and other high profile individuals. Topics of the program include; Why mentally fit soccer athletes perform better, How to play to your potential, How to increase your speed, agility, and footwork through mental strength, How to be more confident, What to focus on while playing, How to stay relaxed in the stressful situations, and How to visualize success.

The MENTAL STRENGTH TRAINING PROGRAM FOR SOCCER features The Mental Strength Training Center CEO, Samuel F. Hirschberg in an interview format with Dr. Gary Sailes. The sports psychology for soccer program is easy to listen to and easy to learn from. The program features a 42-item self-inventory checklist, and a 10-question true/false exam to ensure maximum retention and understanding of the core principles. The MENTAL STRENGTH TRAINING PROGRAM FOR SOCCER, 2 CD’s, 42-item Mental Strength Inventory, and exam, $99, can be purchased online at www.mentalstrength.com for digital download, or the 2-CD’s are shipped priority mail through the United States Postal Service (USPS).

About Mental Strength.com
Mental Strength.com has served over 10,000 highly productive people, including business owners, athletes and coaches since 1999. A cutting edge interactive website, packed with discussion boards, valuable downloads, books, resources and rich multi-media tools, MentalStrength.com helps its members maintain a great attitude, network with other productive people and obtain life-long mental strength. Memberships start at just $14.75 and we have lots of great products to help you gain confidence and change your life for the better. The tip of the week is always complimentary for non-members and available for enrollment at www.mentalstrength.com. You can also get Mental Strength.com updates by following us on Twitter @MindStrength.

Real-life fast-moving concentration

Ok, last week we built upon your concentration skills.

Static concentration that is.

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Now, let's move it.
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Literally.

You developed your concentration skills while totally focused on every contour, color, shape, size and detail of the object in question, i.e., baseball bat, tennis ball, golf ball, football, basketball, and so forth.

Now, go onto the playing field.

Throw a perfect pass.

Hit a serve.

Swing the bat.

Run a perfect sprint.

Perform the perfect stroke.

Whatever you do, simply relax, and perform it exactly as you want.  No pressure.

As you do it, imagine you are up in the clouds, looking down, watching yourself -- slowing your performance.

When you are done, replay every detail in your mind.

If you can't do it yet, that's ok, keep performing and realizing more detail each time you do. Smell the grass, feel the air in your face, listen to the kids playing on the basketball court... every detail.

Continue to practice this motion picture in your mind.

Every time you do you'll notice more and more details.  You'll begin to train your mind to train your body to perform the way you want under real-life, balls flying, water splashing, fast-moving circumstances.

Keep trying.

'til next week,

Sam

About Mental Strength.com
Mental Strength.com has served over 10,000 highly productive people, including business owners, athletes and coaches since 1999. A cutting edge interactive website, packed with discussion boards, valuable downloads, books, resources and rich multi-media tools, MentalStrength.com helps its members maintain a great attitude, network with other productive people and obtain life-long mental strength. Memberships start at just $14.95. The tip of the week is always complimentary for non-members and available for enrollment at www.mentalstrength.com. You can also get Mental Strength.com updates by following us on Twitter @MindStrength.

Handling Distractions, Part 2

You should now have a list of your responses to some of the common distractions affecting your play.

Such as...

Your violent outburst to the baby crying ...
or...
You spending the next four points wondering why you double faulted on game point.

And if you have no idea what I am talking about, please read the tip from last week, so that you get caught up:
http://www.mentalstrength.com/article.php?varset=s:121-pm:p-se:4078-e:9573-a:7252

The bottom line is this:
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You need to get back on track...
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and get over whatever caused your distraction. 

How do you do that?

Simple.

Focus on something in the here-n-now.

So, let's focus on your breathing.

What I like to do is concentrate on the breath coming into my lungs, and then, the exhaling of the breath going out my lungs.

And while I am breathing, I go about my task at hand.

Give it a try.  I am confident this will help you to get relaxed, re-focus on what you are doing, and stop dwelling on things you no longer have any control over.

'til next week,

Sam

About Mental Strength.com
Mental Strength.com has served over 10,000 highly productive people, including business owners, athletes and coaches since 1999. A cutting edge interactive website, packed with discussion boards, valuable downloads, books, resources and rich multi-media tools, MentalStrength.com helps its members maintain a great attitude, network with other productive people and obtain life-long mental strength. Memberships start at just $14.95. The tip of the week is always complimentary for non-members and available for enrollment at www.mentalstrength.com. You can also get Mental Strength.com updates by following us on Twitter @MindStrength.

Where NOT to Start

We get dozens of questions everyday. 

Since we can’t get to every single question, this week, I figured I’d address the most frequently asked, which deals with gaining better performance through mental rehearsal. 

So what’s the most asked question?

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"Where do I start?"
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Let’s answer this with where NOT to start. 

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Don’t start with a negative.
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Instead, start with a positive. 

For example, back in the 1988 Olympic games, Greg Louganis hit the back of his head on the diving board in a qualifying round.  You probably remember seeing countless images of this played over and over and over and over again by the ‘not-so-helpful’ news media. 

But, I betcha you didn’t know that Greg absolutely would not watch this video tape.  Can you guess why? 

He feared that if he watched it he would create a powerful subconscious, negative, video-clip-in-his-mind undermining all his hard work. 

So instead, he focused on creating perfect dives in his mind, and then went on to win two Gold medals -- with five stitches in his head! 

Now, I could rant-and-rave about how destructive the TV is, because it constantly overwhelms our minds with negative images, definitely affecting our daily "life" performances.  But I won’t. 

I could get on my "soap box" about how you need to have a positive mental outlook in your life, but you already know this.  So I won’t. 

But I will tell you to carefully monitor the pictures that are being replayed, again and again, in your head.  Because you can either picture what you WANT, or, by default, your mind will picture things you DON’T want (things the media and high-priced advertisers want FOR you). 

(This simple little principle probably has a lot to do with the little maniacs running around shooting people and creating havoc.  But I’m not gonna go there.) 

So chances are pretty darned high that whatever you play in your head, will come true! 

Please... choose what YOU want. 

About Mental Strength.com
Mental Strength.com has served over 10,000 highly productive people, including business owners, athletes and coaches since 1999. A cutting edge interactive website, packed with discussion boards, valuable downloads, books, resources and rich multi-media tools, MentalStrength.com helps its members maintain a great attitude, network with other productive people and obtain life-long mental strength. Memberships start at just $14.95. The tip of the week is always complimentary for non-members and available for enrollment at www.mentalstrength.com. You can also get Mental Strength.com updates by following us on Twitter @MindStrength.

What is Your Definition of Mental Strength?

We have gotten a tremendous response from the definition of MENTAL TOUGHNESSS.

So let's do another.

Again, I am after your own, personal, deep down definition.

Really the only definition that truly makes a difference in your life.

I, and other experts can give you input until we are blue in the face.  But unless and until you believe and internalize the message...

...it will not help your output in the slightest.

That is the reason for working from the inside out.

So, what is your definition of:
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MENTAL STRENGTH
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Here is the dictionary.com definition:

Mental
1. Of or relating to the mind; intellectual: mental powers.
2. Executed or performed by the mind; existing in the mind: mental images of happy times. 

Strength
1. The state, property, or quality of being strong.
2. The power to resist attack; impregnability.
3. The power to resist strain or stress; durability.
4. The ability to maintain a moral or intellectual position firmly.
5. Capacity or potential for effective action: a show of strength. 

So, what does mental strength mean to you?

'till next week,

Sam

About Mental Strength.com

Mental Strength.com has served over 10,000 highly productive people, including business owners, athletes and coaches since 1999. A cutting edge interactive website, packed with discussion boards, valuable downloads, books, resources and rich multi-media tools, MentalStrength.com helps its members maintain a great attitude, network with other productive people and obtain life-long mental strength. Memberships start at just $14.75 and we have lots of great products to help you gain confidence and change your life for the better. The tip of the week is always complimentary for non-members and available for enrollment at www.mentalstrength.com. You can also get Mental Strength.com updates by following us on Twitter @MindStrength.

Being A Good Teammate

World Class Team Building expert and Sport Psychologist Karlene Sugarman revealed some interesting tactics in our most recent Teleseminar.

Karlene related team building strategies of Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots Head Coach, which she says has a lot to do with their massive success. 

So I thought I'd pass it along to you.

Karlene said not only do successful teams have a clear mission which goes much deeper than simply saying:

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We Must Win All the Time
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But that each team member must know exactly what role they play as it relates to the team's mission.

And this is at the core of why Bill Belichick has realized such amazing success.

Every member of the New England Patriots knows exactly how they contribute, down to every last play, every last down, and even in every practice scrimmage.

So, whether you are playing tennis with your doubles partner or blocking for your running back, clearly defining the roles of each team member will not only make you a better teammate, but you'll have a heck of a lot more fun...

And you'll probably win more often.

'till next week,

Sam

About Mental Strength.com

Mental Strength.com has served over 10,000 highly productive people, including business owners, athletes and coaches since 1999. A cutting edge interactive website, packed with discussion boards, valuable downloads, books, resources and rich multi-media tools, MentalStrength.com helps its members maintain a great attitude, network with other productive people and obtain life-long mental strength. Memberships start at just $14.95. The tip of the week is always complimentary for non-members and available for enrollment at www.mentalstrength.com. You can also get Mental Strength.com updates by following us on Twitter @MindStrength.

REVIEW: The Home Depot Olympic Training Center

Name of location: The Home Depot Center
 
City/State/Country: Carson, CA, USA
 
Website:  http://www.homedepotcenter.com

Reason for going: The Home Depot Center was home of the 2005 United States Davis Cup first round play vs. Croatia.  Where the United States tennis team including Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and the doubles team of Mike and Bob Bryan hosted the Croatian team including Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic.

About the Home Depot Center: The Home Depot Center is a 125-acre development in Carson, California, featuring stadiums and facilities for soccer, tennis, track & field, cycling, volleyball, baseball, softball, basketball and other sports. Designated as an “Official U.S. Olympic Training Site,” The Home Depot Center is the nation’s most complete training facility for Olympic, amateur and professional athletes.

Created around a 27,000-seat soccer stadium, 13,000-seat tennis stadium, 20,000-seat track & field facility and indoor velodrome –The ADT Event Center, the complex is located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills. The Home Depot Center is the home of the 2002 MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy, Club Deportivo Chivas USA (MLS expansion team for 2005 season) and the U.S. Soccer Federation (national team training headquarters).  

The complex has also been designated “official” training sites for USA Cycling, United States Track & Field, the AVP and the USTA, as home of the USA Tennis High Performance National Training Center.  The Home Depot Center is also home to Athletes’ Performance Los Angeles, a nationally recognized training center for elite and professional athletes and is the summer training camp site for the San Diego Chargers (NFL).

Rating system: 1-5 stars 
5 stars: absolutely incredible!
1 star: much room for improvement

Service of staff: 3.00
Friendliness of staff: 3.00
Maintenance of grounds, lavatories, and overall cleanliness: 4.50
Quality and cleanliness of food services: 2.00
Surroundings and Environment: 2.00
 
Comments: It was very windy and got very cold, rapidly, as soon as the sun began to go down below the stands around 2:30 pm PST.  Even though all their security equipment was set up, and several security employees stood there, they did not let us out of the facility to get jackets, blankets, etc out of the car.  That was very disappointing.  Granted, we received complimentary tickets, but most people spent in excess of $100 per seat to attend, plus all the other expenses it took to get there. Major downer.

I suppose I should expect the extremely high prices for food, souvenirs and trinkets. But, a simple cup of coffee was about $4.00!  Oh well, it sure tasted good when we couldn’t get back to get warm clothes.

The facility itself was nice, and well kept.  Everything was relatively new, no graffiti, and nice structures.  We do look forward to going to a soccer game as the field looked great, and every seat appeared to be a “good seat.”

Overall average rating: 2.90 out of 5.00

Was it worth the price?
 
We had a lot of fun, and the seats were quite good from almost anywhere in the stadium.  I was very disappointed in the “Nazi” attitude we received when trying to go out and get a jacket.  We did like the facility, and plan on coming back to view a soccer game one day.

The Million Dollar Question:  Would I come back?
Yes.

About Mental Strength.com

Mental Strength.com has served over 10,000 highly productive people, including business owners, athletes and coaches since 1999. A cutting edge interactive website, packed with discussion boards, valuable downloads, books, resources and rich multi-media tools, MentalStrength.com helps its members maintain a great attitude, network with other productive people and obtain life-long mental strength. Memberships start at just $14.95. The tip of the week is always complimentary for non-members and available for enrollment at www.mentalstrength.com. You can also get Mental Strength.com updates by following us on Twitter @MindStrength.