The Mental Edge Blog

Dive deeper into the world of mental toughness and athletic resilience with Shaun & Kelsey's expert insights.
Myths of Mental Skills Training #3 athlete coach mental skills mental toughness parent sports psychology May 24, 2018

As I shared in past writings, gaining an edge on the competition can take on many points of focus. One can improve their strength, agility, skills, and speed. However, one of the skill sets that often...

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Myths of Mental Skills Training #2 confidence mastery mental toughness sport psychology weakness May 18, 2018

There are many questions athletes ask when they ponder the possibility of working with a Mental Skills Coach. Sometimes, many questions can be answered by simply unpacking some of the most common myth...

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Myths of Mental Skills Training athlete coach mental skills sport psychology struggle Apr 23, 2018

Myths are beliefs that guide our thinking and behavior that may contain partial truth while also containing misguided information.

When I was growing up my mom would tell me I could not go swimming af...

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Silent Screams athlete mental toughness sports Mar 29, 2018

One evening I got a call from a young athlete that had tried out for a specific team, and he was struggling to understand why he did not make the team. With great frustration and anger, he detailed fo...

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Progress is Power athlete mental toughness power sport psychology team Mar 15, 2018

Some months ago I was talking with a young athlete, and I asked him how things were going for him. His response was, “I DONT KNOW.” To most people this response would be a dead end and the conversatio...

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Motivationally Impaired confidence mental toughness motivation sport psychology Mar 06, 2018

I first thought of this concept when I was on the pool deck of a club swimming team working with individuals as they, one by one, jumped out of the pool for a short mental-skills coaching session. (fo...

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Cultures of Care athlete business culture sports team teams Feb 19, 2018

CULTURES OF CARE = WINNING EXPERIENCES

Over the years I have been paying attention! I realize that this statement is quite vague on the surface. One could easily ask, “What have you been paying atten...

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UN PRECEDENTED Nov 11, 2017

While preparing a talk for a team that I have invested in and worked with for the past 7 years, one word kept resonating within me...

UNPRECEDENTED

It was not until after the experience was over tha...

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What is Focus? coaching focus goals high performance Jul 20, 2017

We hear a lot about the importance of focus in discussions about HIGH PERFORMANCE. Rarely is this concept unpacked with clarity and practical application. For this purpose, I offer these thoughts.

Fi...

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Who's Got Your Power? athlete coach parent power May 23, 2017

I often get calls that start off like this, “Shaun my son/daughter is really having a tough time this year. EVERYTHING has changed.” They continue by stating, “Something is off.” They conclude by sayi...

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What is it about Confidence? athlete coach confidence mental toughness parent sports Apr 07, 2017

There isn’t a day in my coaching practice where a question about confidence doesn’t come up.

Confidence is often seen as the CORE DEFICIT when performance is sub par.

I have never heard an athlete s...

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Silent Concussion athlete coach concussion parent sport psychology sports Feb 24, 2017

“The trauma that results when coaches over step the boundaries of human decency and respect.”

We have become INCREASINGLY aware and sensitive to the dangers of concussions over the last couple of yea...

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