Affirmations

An affirmation is a personal and present statement of what you would like to happen in your game. It is as if you are bringing the future into the present moment. Your mind does not know the difference between a self-created statement and reality, so it sends triggers to your body as if it is a reality now. The beauty of the mind is that you really can control so many aspects of the way it works and how it affects your everyday life.

The law of attraction states that whatever we desire and truly believe in the goodness of our hearts, we can achieve. Our strongest desire starts out as a seed thought, and then we pay attention to the desire and decide whether it is within our realm of possibilities. If we think we have a 50 percent chance of accomplishing it, then our minds start to figure out ways to make it happen. Next we create an image (visualization) in our minds of the end result that we want, and we make it as clear and colorful and real as possible. Then we add a feeling of pleasure and decide what price we are truly willing to pay to achieve this goal. For example, if you want to nail your pass or kill shot, then add a great feeling. Once you have nailed this shot or stroke or game strategy, you will be playing at a higher level, which gets you excited about your future possibilities—and then there is no stopping you. Each time you hit the perfect shot, it just deepens your desire and imprints the technique deeper into your muscle memory until all your body remembers is the good feeling, and it will strive for it every time.

Once you have decided on what you truly want and you are able to see the end result, it is time to add an affirmation, or a statement about its truth, such as “I am now a champion racquetball player…a winner…or a quick, powerful, and an intelligent player!” Whatever you repeat over and over becomes your mental truth. First comes the desire, then the image, then the thought, and finally your actions. Once you do that, it gets imprinted into your gut (sports brain), and you literally start to create what you want.

So think of anything you want to achieve in your racquetball game and see the perfect end result, whether it is a new shot, strategy, or outcome. Then add the affirmation of exactly how you want it to turn out (e.g., I have a perfect pass shot). Then go to the court and take action by practicing, practicing, and practicing some more until it is a consistent and dynamic part of your game. By hitting the shot, using the cue word, and feeling the rush from the perfect technique, you will imprint it into your muscle memory forever, so look, listen, and trust.

It all sounds so simple, but here is the catch. You have to believe in your heart and gut that this is exactly what you want to achieve. You need to have a strong enough desire that no matter what, this is the destiny you want.

There are many topics of “Affirmations” in my book, “Championship Racquetball” in Chapter 9, P. 227-228.

All my athletes from Rocky Carson and Paola Longoria who are presently playing the pro tour, to my junior champions Jordan Cooperrider, Wayne Antone and Mitchell Turner and legends Jason Mannino and Sudsy Monchik, when they were playing the pro tour, all have/had “affirmations” of what they would like to happen as they KNEW THE POWER of that personal statement.

Here’s how my Championship Team PROVES that “Affirmations” is a critical part of performing at their best:

Rocky Carson:

At the USA National Championships in Denver, CO May 25-28, 2016 and at the National Outdoor Championships in Huntington Beach, CA July 7-10, 2016 Rocky used his “Affirmations” he created at the beginning of the season and used them throughout the whole year to win Back to Back Nationals in the indoor and outdoor games. All I kept telling Rocky was BELIEVE in the process of playing aggressive and owning the middle…and I said that over and over again week in and week out. But he did the work physically and mentally to make it happen. The POWER OF THE MIND.

I am so proud of Rocky for having another GREAT winning season on the courts as we have been working really hard on his “AFFIRMATIONS” and making the necessary adjustments when needed.

Paola Longoria:

Paola, the most dominant player on the LPRT, finished #1 for the fifth consecutive season and seventh over all also using the techniques of creating “AFFIRMATIONS”. She always tells me, “It’s time to focus and play hard”. And she NEVER wavers from that.

Wayne Antone & Jordan Cooperrider both won the 2016 Junior National Championships in Minneapolis, MN in the Boys 18 and Girls 18. They know they could have not done it without the power of “AFFIRMATIONS”. I told them to BELIEVE in all their hard work and in themselves and DO NOT for one minute second guess themselves…. BELIEVE! BELIEVE! BELIEVE! And they did just that.

Affirmations are yet another required skill set on the road to championship racquetball. ALL of the players I coach, from the professionals led by Rocky and Paola to the amateurs, know just how important it is to be create “affirmations”. Their records speak for themselves…Rocky and Paola are BOTH 2 of the most decorated athletes in racquetball. Paola finished ranked #1 for the 6th time on the LPRT, 6X US Open Champions, 4X World Champion and 4X Pan American Champion. Rocky finished ranked #2 for the 8th time on the IRT, 4X World Champion, 2X Pan American Champion and US Open Champion.

In the next post, I will continue offer pro tips to building your Championship Racquetball Game one level at a time so you too can be ready to become the champion you always dreamed of becoming, by giving you the tools to make it a reality. Rocky and all my athletes “Championship Racquetball Games” stem from their focus on ALL 3 sides of the triangle working together so they can develop into top competitors. Without a shadow of a doubt, they KNOW just how important it is to do the work. They are living proof it works and their titles substantiate it.

For details on more personalized instruction, a weekend camp, instructional DVD’s and our book, Championship Racquetball) ALL which covers all aspects of the Sports Racquetball Triangle and more, please visit www.FranDavisRacquetball.com. Fran Davis is a 2004 racquetball Hall of Fame inductee; Racquetball Woman of the Year 2009; Coaches #2 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Pro Player / 1X US Open Champion / 4X and present World Champion, 2X Pan American Champion, Rocky Carson; Coaches #1 Women’s LPRT Pro Player / 6X and present US Open Champion & 4X World Champion, 2X Pan American Champion, Paola Longoria; Coaches Jr. World & National Champions, Jordan Cooperrider, Wayne Antone & Mitchell Turner; Master Professional Instructor/Coach USAR-IP.