Speed and Quickness Webinar
Posted on 22. Aug, 2011 by Todd Herman in Athletes
Speed And Quickness Training With Q & A
I found some great quotes from recent ESPN interviews and other comments coaches/players have made over the years about speed and quickness. Enjoy the webinar!
If you would like to take advantage of Alex’s Discount simply go here >>> Truth About Quickness
Quotes and Comments About Speed and Quickness
“Quickness under control is the most valuable physical aspect of any sport, … I wanted more strengthening of the long, supple muscles. I wasn’t just looking for strength.” ~ John Wooden, Basketball Legend
“We know those guys aren’t going to struggle forever. The biggest thing with them is they are so quick. We need the quickness to stay with those guys.” ~ Coach Avery Johnson NBA
“A lot of these young guys are going to be expected to work on things that will make them better next year. (Horton) is a strong kid, but he needs to work on his flexibility, on developing his quickness.” ~ Coach Jacques Martin NHL
“It’s all about my quickness. I get shots others don’t because I’m quick. Not fast—quick.” ~ Derrick Rose, NBA
“They’ve probably set the (school) record for double plays. These guys both have quickness and really work hard … they make the extra catch. The routine plays are there, but they also get the little something extra out because of their quickness.” ~ Coach Mike Pirtle, Baseball
“Speed is a great asset; but it’s greater when it’s combined with quickness – and there’s a big difference.” ~ Ty Cobb, Hall of Fame Baseball Player
“CJ is really smart, and he always puts himself in the right position. And he is quick and we were able to utilize that quickness tonight when we moved him to the other side.” ~ Coach John Lowery
“He’s a terrific athlete who makes up for a lot of things with his quickness. He was probably the best athlete in the State Tournament.” ~ Ray Rodriguez
“I think it’s been hard for any team to match up with us in the post as far as speed and quickness and all that kind of stuff.” ~ Chris Richard
“I think he has Division I potential. I really do. And I’ve only seen him for a few days. I know he has good quickness, but I’m not sure about his overall speed. We’ll find that out in the next week or so.” ~ John Benedetto
“She’s a really good player. Watching her from the stands and watching her on game films, her quickness is deceptive when you get down on the court. I had a couple of players that I thought would hang with her, but they weren’t able to.” ~ Mike Buckholz
“Actually, I was looking forward to playing against a team that played like us. They had more quickness than I anticipated. They got to every loose ball.” ~ Paul Rozak
“It’s definitely to our advantage. Our team is fast, and having more space gives us advantage with our quickness and speed.” ~ Gabe Taboada
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If you would like to take advantage of Alex’s Discount simply go here >>> Truth About Quickness
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(If you click the link during the webinar. This page will remain open so it won’t disrupt the presentation.)
Yoga for athletes
Posted on 29. Jul, 2011 by Todd Herman in Athletes
Yoga For Athletes: Prevent Injuries,
Rebound from Injuries Faster &
Reap the Benefits of More Power.
Click the image to get your discount.
Some of the key physical and mental benefits of Yuri Elkaim’s Yoga for Athletes:
CORE STRENGTH – This program will improve core strength, which is essential to sports performance and injury preventions. A variety of yoga poses such as plank, chaturanga, and chair pose increase strength overall, including core strength. It adds a new form of resistance training to one’s typical machine-based workouts.
FLEXIBILITY OF RANGE AND MOTION – Engaging in this yoga praogram will make your spine more flexible and muscles more elastic. Yuri’s Yoga for Athletes routine offers you a steady increase in flexibility and range in motion that is perfect for you if you want to drastically decrease any risk to injuries. It lengthens your entire body and releases joints, thus adding to the overall improvement of one’s game. (I actually added close to 1 inch to my height when I started practicing yoga, because my spine was no longer compressed and my posture was improved. A very good thing! 
)
BALANCE – Balance exercises are often overlooked by athletes, but it’s actually one of the most effective ways to correct muscle imbalances and mechanical problems in the body. Athletes often tend to perform repetitive motion exercises that focus on a group of muscles while the others are ignored. Yuri’s Yoga for Athletes helps to fix these imbalances. Remember: If your car has one tire flatter than the others, the car won’t perform properly and eventually that tire will blow out. Ever had a hamstring tear or pulled ligament? 9 times out of 10 it’s because of a training imbalance.
RELIEVING CHRONIC PAIN – The regular training your doing is often accompanied by chronic aches and pain. Practicing Yuri’s yoga helps the muscles to release chronic pain and allows players with mobility and agility to play more effectively.
FOCUS -The key to unleashing your performance is mental focus (I should know… it’s kinda my specialty!). Your ability to focus and concentrate will ultimately determine your success in competition. Yuri’s Yoga for Athletes offers you a complete system to improve focus while getting an exceptional workout for your body—realigning muscles and joints, increasing elasticity so you can generate more power and loosening joints so you can withstand the rigors of your sport.
If you’d like to stay healthy and avoid being sidelined from injury so you don’t lose your spot on the team or miss out on an opportunity to show up for a training camp or tryout injured. Get this program now!
3 Reasons To Get It Now:
- Major Health Benefits! Reduced injuries, Improved confidence & Stronger more Dynamic muscles giving you increased power…
- It’s a great deal that Expires Sunday!
- You can watch it and download it to your computer/iPod in less than 5 minutes!
Click To Grab Your Discount
3 Ways To Conquer Fear
Posted on 28. Jul, 2011 by Todd Herman in Athletes
“You’re never playing an opponent, you’re only really playing against yourself.”~Arthur Ashe
After 9+ years of working with athletes from all over the world on the ‘inner game’, I can tell you that quote is as true as true can be.
Before we go any further I’m going to make a few assumptions:
- You have a love for the sport you play,
- You feel like you have more potential than your results show,
- You battle with worrying about things you can’t control and no matter how hard you practice you can’t seem to shake the negativity.
Well, I’m going to show you a few things today.
First, where doubt and fear come from. This is important because you’ll have a new way of looking at it, so it’s not the big scary beast that stops you from reaching new heights. Second, the mistakes you’re making that cause fear. And, third, some tips you can start using today, so you’ll begin to become the player you’re meant to be.
So let’s get started.
What is Fear?
Fear is actually an emotion that was originally meant to protect us. You see, thousands of years ago it was just us wandering the fields, plains and mountains of the wild, wide-open world. It was us against nature. Man vs. beast.
Fear is also known as “fight or flight”. It’s that automatic response that stops us from doing physical harm to ourselves or helps us fight back when we’re being attacked.
Fear is in the ‘reptilian’ part of our brain. This is the oldest part of our brain and the part that was originally developed tens of thousands of years ago.
Additionally, when you are experiencing fear, or fight or flight mode, all your blood is redirected to the parts that are needed for fight or flight‚ your heart, lungs, muscles, and reptilian brain. The rest of your brain is left with only enough blood to keep it on idle, which means that you have no cabability for rational or creative thought. It’s all
- black or white,
- yes or no,
- fight or flight
- good or evil.
In this state you don’t have the ability to think of alternative solutions to the situation. Only your two choices run or fight.
The problem. We don’t really need it as much as we used to. When was the last time you needed to outrun a sabre-toothed tiger or herd of rumbling mammoths? It’s probably been a while!
But, back in the day, these were things our ancestors were faced with daily. So we needed that ‘fear’ or primitive brain to keep us alive.
Today though‚ you and I enjoy air-conditioned vehicles, stores with everything we’d ever need to survive and recreational activities to enjoy and add pleasure to life.
So, because the reptilian brain isn’t being worked over like it used to‚Ķ it tries to find other ways to be useful, which ends up causing us to fear things we have no need to fear.
Think about it. Should you REALLY fear taking the last second shot in a tight basketball game!? Of course not! It’s not life or death. But that tricky little reptile part of our brain tries to kick in. And, than we justify that feeling of fear by telling ourselves that there must be something wrong with us, so I better not take the shot.
3 Big Mistakes Athletes Make That Cause Fear
- Focusing on negative repercussions.
- This builds the fortress of fear and prevents the creative part of our mind from coming up with solutions. It also causes negative emotions to bubble up which paralyzes our ability to perform… NOT GOOD!
- Talking to people that don’t believe in your goals or are negative.
- Sharing our hopes and dreams with people that aren’t supportive is a fantastic way to crush any positive momentum we’ve built up towards the achievement of our goals. So be very careful who you hang around with.
- Not doing things daily or weekly that continuously push your comfort zone.
- A person that sits around dreaming and wishing for success without ever taking bold daily action to improving themselves, will be left in the dust by people with less talent but the will to improve.
Any of these three things will cause fear and doubt to build up in the mind of anyone… so avoid them at all cost! (Luckily I have a few tips for you, that you can do today to help build your confidence.)
The Secret Key…
The real key to overcoming self-doubt, fear and procrastination is something most people don’t think of—understand ‘meaning’.
What do I mean by ‘meaning’? Meaning is the definition you give to an event, thing or person. Example: If the LA Lakers win. What does that mean to you? Do you love it, hate it or are you completely indifferent and don’t really care?
‘Meaning’, is everything in the brain. The brain is constantly asking and answering questions. And most of those questions go something like this - “What does this mean to me?”
You show up for the first day of training camp and your brain immediately starts scanning your surroundings, including the coaches and players, sizing everyone up.
It’s at this moment your brain is asking, ‘what does this mean’, and depending on how you define everyone and everything around you, it could either be a negative or positive experience.
For example, if I were to step out into that environment and immediately start classifying other players as better than me or judging coaches as unfriendly. I’d set off a cascade of fear response in my body which would hinder my ability to focus, relax and ultimately perform. All because I attached ‘meaning’ to the people and environment I was in… not because I was actually a good enough player.
Most of the athletes I coach at the professional level, that are entering a combine or the league for the first time, I train them using a special ‘Performance Protocol’ to ensure they’re best performance comes pouring out of them. [If you're interested in learning more, I go over it in The Champions Challenge Program.]
They perform well because we change the meaning of the experience. It’s allllll about thinking ahead… which I’ll get to in a minute.
Time To Get Excited…
Anytime I’m confronted with something that is going to be putting me in a position of possibly making a mistake, failing or trying something new. I get excited.
And here’s why.
My entire life is centered around 3 things:
- Learning,
- Growing, and
- New Experiences.
And, because I know that the only way I can learn, grow and enjoy new experiences is by trying things that I could fail at, I start to get excited about them.
Let me give you an example.
A few years ago I was approached by the Indonesian Government about coming over to Jakarta to do a workshop on leadership and communication. I’d never been to Indonesia and I love to travel, so I jumped at the opportunity.
The problem. The people that would be attending barely new any English. So I’d have to spend 2 weeks speaking incredibly slowly, so I didn’t go too fast for their comprehension. I was starting to doubt whether I’d be able to deliver the content I needed to, so they would get value out of the workshop.
Because I was going to be speaking sooooo slowly, I wouldn’t be able to get through the amount of material I normally would. Plus I found out, the Indonesians like to take a lot of breaks during workshops. So now I would have even less time.
But I decided that this would be a great chance to strip out all the information that wasn’t going to be the highest impact and only deliver the best of the best.
Result: The government was so thrilled with what I did, they awarded me the Rama Award for Exceptional Leadership and Vision. I received an amazing sculpture from the country, which reminds me every day what can be achieved when you maintain a positive attitude.
3 Things You Can Do Today To Build Confidence
- Write down all of your successes.Grab a notebook, journal or sheets of paper (preferably a fresh new notebook or journal). Split your life up into 3 or 5 year intervals and write out everything you accomplished, achieved or learned how to do in those various 3 to 5 year segments of your life. And, DON’T over-simplify! Think about it‚Ķ in your first 3 years of life you learned how to walk, eat, run, talk and on and on. All of those things take exceptional discipline.Continue to do this for all the years of your life‚Ķ when you get done you should have a nice long list of things you’ve achieved, which should build your confidence and prove to you that when you set your mind to something you can do anything.The CEO of Levi’s, the huge jeans brand, has a journal on his desk with all of his achievements in it. And, when he’s faced with a daunting challenge or tough decision, he takes out his journal, sits back and reads it. After he’s done, he feels like he can do anything and moves on with his decision.
- Visualize Your Success. The mind will always move in the direction of it’s most dominant thought. So, if you’re always visualizing youself being successful at a particular skill or endeavour – the mind is forced to help create that reality for you.So every night before you go to bed, visualize yourself running down the court with 5 seconds remaining, dodging defenders, stopping at the 3-point line and draining a ‘nothin but net’ basket. Than bask in the amazing feeling that event would give you. The more you do this. The more your mind will get the idea that’s the way life is supposed to be.Than if you’re ever in that situation, it will feel completely natural for you to do it. All great players are phenomenal at visualization. So start now, and make it a habit.
- Collect Cheerleaders.I don’t actually mean real Cheerleaders. I mean start to hang around with people that are supportive and want you to succeed. And, the great thing about the web is it’s easier than ever to find coaches, mentors and positive people to learn from.If you had 5 people you surrounded yourself with that were always telling you, ‘you could do it’, or keep working hard because I’m seeing some real improvements- do you think that would help to strip away some of the doubt or fear that creeps into your head? Absolutely!And, the great thing is‚ you’ve already found one with myself!
Just to recap:
- We learned fear comes from a very old primitive part of our brain that we don’t really have much use for today.
- If you change the meaning of how you interpret the events or things around you, you can change the feeling you have about it.
- And, we learned there are things you can do today to help make positive changes in your game and life.
Be Bold. Take Action.
Todd Herman
Todd Herman is a Peak Performance Coach to Professional and Olympic athletes. He’s also worked with Hollywood actors and business professionals on the inner game of success. But more importantly he loves Root Beer and probably needs counseling!
Silencing Your Inner Critic
Posted on 02. Jun, 2011 by Todd Herman in Athletes
If you’ve ever stepped onto the field of competition and been distracted by your own thoughts. You’re not alone. Thousands of amateur athletes and pro athletes battle the same thing daily.
That nasty little inner critic in your head that causes you to worry about what other people think of you, stress about making mistakes or feel anxious about impressing other people can spiral out of control and cause you to just plain suck.
(And, Yes. Sucking is a technical sports term )
The confidence-sucking little critic in your head that can seemingly never stop putting you down, is actually there to protect you. Protect you by keeping you in a safe comfort zone where you won’t get hurt. The problem is, people that strive to achieve great things need to constantly be growing and expanding into new and better versions of themselves. And staying in a (more…)
The 2 Biggest Threats To The Career Of An Amateur Athlete
Posted on 12. Apr, 2011 by Todd Herman in Athletes
My phone rang and on the other end was a frantic mom pleading for help. She was pleading because her son was a rising soccer star in the United Kingdom and he had recently begun vomiting before games and practice and was considering quitting soccer. She had no idea where it was coming from, but was convinced her son wasn’t able to handle the pressure of serious competition anymore.
After listening to her worries for a few minutes, I stopped her. She was making a classic mistake I see sports parents make every day. And if she didn’t stop, she was going to contribute even more to his issues and probably cause him to quit.
Her mistake?
She was attributing his problems with something that was wrong with him and passing judgement. Like most parents she was too close to the situation to really see what was going on. After asking a handful of targeted questions, I got to the root of the problem.
To put it bluntly, his new coach was a jerk.
He was verbally abusive and singled out her son constantly and insulting him in front of teammates. All of this occurred despite the fact he was one of the top performers on the team and a positive teammate to others. He was quickly losing his love for the game and getting emotionally worn out.
Before I finish the story, let’s get to the threats…
The Two Biggest Threats…
- Coaches.
- Parents.
In a study we conducted in 2006 of over 1100 top level amateur athletes that had quit their sport, despite promising futures. 82% said they quit because of problems with coaches or parental pressures.
The numbers shocked me. Based on my experience I knew the numbers were high, but I didn’t think they’d be that high. Of all the factors in sport that should threaten an athletes future, coaches and parents should be the last two. They’re the ones that should support and build the confidence of the athlete. Unfortunately, because of poor communication skills and a lack of perspective, parents and coaches destroy the confidence and desire of athletes all over the world.
If you’re dealing with this yourself… than keep reading.
Story Continued…
After talking to the soccer mom for a few more minutes, we scheduled a call with her son. During our first session, I convinced him to continue to play the sport he loved and gave him a ninja communication strategy to use on his coach. (Trust me. It pays to know human behavior and mass psychology.) He was completely against using it, but I reassured him it would work.
Sure enough, the next call, he was excited and back to loving soccer again because our strategy worked and his coach was no longer verbally assaulting him. In fact, his coach ended up apologizing to him and his parents, even though that wasn’t the intent of our strategy.
But there’s one incredibly valuable thing that comes out of these situations if a person doesn’t quit. The skill of overcoming adversity. Just like repetitive arm curls builds the bicep. The adversity muscle is flexed with every challenge. The more challenges you face and overcome… the harder it is for anyone or anything to stop you. <<=== Critical factor to success!
Some final tips…
If you’re a parent or coach, LEAD them to success, don’t manipulate, scream, insult or shame them to success. Because I can promise you your son, daughter or athlete, is a day away from throwing in the towel. And, will resent you for it, for a very long time.
I doubt that’s the legacy you want.
Tips For Parents…
If your son or daughter is dealing with a difficult coach here are a couple of quick tips:
- Find another authority figure to lean on for support. Get them involved with a skill coach that is positive or someone like myself to give them strategies to deal with the problem…
- Get them around other athletes that are positive. Enrolling them in additional programs or camps can be a great way to give them another source of encouragement.
Tips For Athletes…
If you’re the one dealing with a coach like this here are a couple of tips for you:
- Hang around positive teammates or other athletes… Remember, be the person you’d most like to be around. If you’d like other people to be positive and supportive towards you, be positive and supportive towards others. It’s simple, but most people fail to realize it’s benefits. Plus, I’ve seen groups of teammates stick up for one another when a coach is acting like a bully towards someone they know is good to them.
- Email me, describe the situation and I’ll give you some advice.
I’d love to get your feedback about any experience you’ve had with difficult coaches or parents. Or, if you’ve had success dealing with a coach that’s been a problem share it with others.
Mike Cammalleri Visualization Routine
Posted on 14. May, 2010 by Todd Herman in Athletes
“Montreal Canadiens Forward, Mike Cammalleri’s Sports Visualization Routine…”
Mike Cammalleri visualizing before Game 7 against Pittsburgh.
Setup & Back-Story:
- If you’re not a hockey fan, Mike Cammalleri is a forward for the Montreal Canadiens.
- It’s playoff time right now (May 14, 2010) and he’s the leading goal-scorer in the playoffs.
- He scores the game-winning, series-winning goal after he’s gone through this visualization routine on this night.
- Throughout the course of The Champions Challenge, I’ve explained the different ways to use sports visualization and this is a fantastic example of one of the principles I talk about. (Using props or your sports equipment to make it more real.)
If you have questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you.
How Great Are You?
Posted on 27. Apr, 2010 by Todd Herman in Athletes, Inspiration
Quotes From The Video:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure.”
~ Nelson Mandela
“I’m gonna show you how great I am!
Last night I cut the light off in the bedroom, hit the switch and was in the bed before the room was dark.”“I’m gonna show you how great I am!
Only last week I murdered a rock.
Injured a stone.
Hospitalized a brick.
I’m so mean I make medicine sick.”“I have wrastled with an alligator.
I done tussled with a whale.
I done handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail.”
~ Muhammad Ali
“This kid’s gonna be the greatest kid in the world. This kid’s gonna be better than anyone I ever knew.”
~Rocky
“But somewhere along the lines you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and try to tell ya – you’re no good. And when things got hard you started looking for someone to blame. Like a big shadow.”
“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place – and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.”
“You, me or nobody’s gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you’re hit – it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward! How much you can take and KEEP MOVING FORWARD! That’s how winning is done! Cuz if you’re willing to go through all the battling you’re gonna go through to get what you wanna get. Who’s got the right to stop you?”
“I mean maybe some of you guys have got something you never finished, something you really want to do, something you never said to someone – SOMETHING! And, you’re told no – even after you’ve paid your dues. WHO’S GOT THE RIGHT TO TELL YOU NO!? NOBODY!”
“It’s your right to listen to your gut and it ain’t nobody’s right to say no after you’ve earned the right to BE WHO YOU WANNA BE AND DO WHAT YOU WANNA DO!”
“Now if you know what your worth than go out and get what your worth – but you gotta be willing to take the hits! And, not point your finger and say you ain’t what you wanna be because of HIM OR HER OR ANYBODY! COWARDS DO THAT AND THAT AIN’T YOU! YOU’RE BETTER THAN THAT!”
~Rocky Balboa
“It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
~ Marianne Williamson (Also quoted by Nelson Mandela)
Tell me what you think below. I love the feedback and comments.
Todd Herman is the Peak Performance coach and Mental Trainer to numerous professional and Olympic athletes around the world. Teams and players use Todd to prepare for major competitions, seasons or to learn some simple techniques to get the most out of their abilities. If you’re struggling with any self-doubt, negative self-talk, or would like to improve your confidence. Contact Us Today Or, you can check out the internet’s largest sports challenge.
Sports Visualization: Does It Work?
Posted on 22. Apr, 2010 by Todd Herman in Athletes
Sports Visualization: Does It Work?
Fred Couples during the 1992 Masters Tournament
With a frown on his face and arms crossed an audience member at a recent speech asked, “Does sports visualization really work?”
Me, “You tell me… Do you believe it works?”
“No.”
“Well, than it doesn’t…For you that is. BUT”, with major emphasis, “for the person in the audience that does believe in it – it’s the most powerful tool they could put in their training regiment. Here let me give you an example…”
And, this is where I went on to tell the story you’re about to see.
This example is just one of hundreds of stories and examples I could share with you on how clients of mine have used sports visualization to create the games, competitions or tournaments they desire the most.
But here’s the trick…
If you decide to add this to your tool-kit; whether or not you believe what you are doing is going to help – WILL determine it’s success.
“Belief is the fuel that will fire up the engines of creation.”
10 Steps To Becoming A Better Athlete
Posted on 06. Apr, 2010 by Todd Herman in Athletes
- Practice.
- Practice more.
- Practice even more.
- Practice even more than that.
- Practice when you don’t want to.
- Practice when you do.
- Practice when it’s sunny.
- Practice when it’s not.
- Practice in your mind.
- Keep practicing.
