Have you ever competed against an opponent that was not as sdedicated
as you or did not work as hard as you do, but some how found a way
to beat you in competition?

Under performing can be super frustrating for most athletes.

At least my personal coaching students think it is frustrating. They
says things such as "I work at my game harder than anyone. Why do
less talented or lazy athletes always beat me? I can't stand it!"

My simple answer is this... Hard work and talent alone is not the
complete formula for success. However the reason behind under
performance is more complex.

Most motivated, perfectionistic athletes, who work their tail end
off everyday in practice, cannot stomach getting beat by hackers or
slackers. Slackers are athletes who don't practice much, appear like
they don't care about their sport, or are unorthodox with their
methods. How frustrating is it to get beat by one?

The ironic part is that dedicated, motivated athletes use their
frustration to work even harder so they can win in the next
competition. However, more work leads to greater emotional
investment. Greater emotional investment leads to high expectations
and even higher frustration after failure.

You can see that it is a vicious cycle. How do you break the cycle?

Perfectionistic, hard-working athletes - a coach's dream - have
trouble breaking the cycle because they believe that it is impossible
to practice or train too much. In their minds, more effort and
practice is the formula for success.

From my experience, success in sports does not always work this way.

What is the first step to breaking the negative cycle of hard work -
lack of success - frustration - and more hard work?

If you are very motivated or perfectionistic, the first step is to
realize that your attitude might not be as effective as you think.
And to recognize that you can work too hard in sports.

Doing more reps, laps, shots, or spending more time in practice
than anyone else does not always translate into effective practice.

If this scenario sounds familiar to you, then you need to recognize
that trying harder does not produce peak performance. I realize that
your emotional investment in "success" is pushing you, driving you,
ultimately causing you to fall short of your potential.

Most highly motivated, perfectionistic athletes have half of the
success formula correct. They have an intense internal drive to
succeed and are willing to put in the time needed to become good.

All great athletes have this mindset down pat such as Larry Bird,
Michael Jordan, and Vijay Singh. However, they possess the other
component to the success formula too. These athletes are able to get
the most from their ability when they compete.

You *must* keep this principle in mind when you train and practice.
Practice and training are only effective if they help you perform
well in competition. This is the real reason why you train or
practice, correct?

This leads me to the other hard-to-grasp variable in the success
formula - a powerful mental game. And the ability to compete under
pressure in crunch-time. Hard working perfectionistic athletes get
in their own way by over-thinking, over-analyzing, trying too hard,
and becoming consumed with tension or anxiety.

Now, this is the important part... The biggest reason you get in your
own way and under perform is that you so badly want to succeed. Fear
of failure is like a thorn in your side not allowing you to focus
fully on your performance.

Do you want to learn how to break the negative cycle, overcome your
fear of failure and master the complete success formula? I highly
suggest you enroll in my spring 2007 Live Teleclasses today.

Don't you think you deserve to master the other half of the success
formula - and learn how to get it done in competition? Reserve your
spot in my new teleclass series today. Space is limited - so sign
up now:

http://www.peaksports.com/mental_toughness_classes.php

However, the best option is to enroll in my online mental training
program and get six live Teleclasses per year and listen to the
recording of over 23 one-hour classes:

http://www.peaksportsnetwork.com/public/490.cfm

Your Mental Game Expert,

Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.,
Master Mental Game Coach

P.S. Do you want me to coach you 365 days/year via email for a
fraction of my personal coaching programs? Become a premium member
of my online training program. Grab your subscription today and
tune into my spring teleclasses and 23 other recorded classes.
Go here for a demo:
http://www.peaksportsnetwork.com

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© 2007 Peak Performance Sports
Instilling Confidence for a Competitive Edge
Mental Game Coaching for Athletes
888-742-7225
407-909-1700 (local)
www.peaksports.com
www.peaksportsnetwork.com
7380 Sand Lake Rd. Orlando, FL 32819