Striving for Better

[caption id="attachment_6580" align="alignright" width="225"] Rocky Carson (finalist) and Paola Longoria (Champion) pose with Coach Fran Davis after the 2016 UnitedHealthcare US Open Championships. Courtesy of Fran Davis[/caption] As I take time to reflect back and look at my Championship Team, lead by Rocky Carson and Paola Longoria and followed by my Juniors, Wayne Antone, Jordan Cooperrider and Mitchell Turner, there is a definite theme going on explaining why they are so successful, holding numerous championship titles. (more…)

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Won and Lost Record….Does it Matter?

[caption id="attachment_1646" align="alignright" width="150"] Coach Fran Davis[/caption] Does your record matter? Real winners know that when they lose they need to work on specific skills, strategies, techniques, drill more, read more mental toughness books, and sharpen the area that cost them the match. They are not losers in life because they lost a match; they are winners in life because they are willing to go back to the trenches and work even harder on their game. Every obstacle in your life is offering you a lesson to be learned. The courageous athletes say, “Bring it on!” (more…)

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Having a POSITIVE ATTITUDE

  [caption id="attachment_1646" align="alignright" width="150"] Coach Fran Davis[/caption] The ego does not like to live in any gray areas. The ego loves to be right and hates to be wrong. But we as human beings are 100% in control of the thoughts and emotions that we choose to focus on. So whatever we pay attention to and focus on grows. If you are filled with negativity, doubt and fear is what will grow in your mind. If you focus on being positive, happy, and fearless that is what you will create. All of this is up to you. Everyday thoughts are

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Why You Need a Pregame Psych Plan

[caption id="attachment_1322" align="alignright" width="199"] Coach Fran Davis[/caption] A pregame psych plan prepares an athlete’s body, mind, and emotions to be 100 percent in the present moment. The more an athlete is willing to prepare properly, the more that athlete will walk onto the court with total self-confidence, consistency, focus, and concentration. For elite athletes, the pregame psych plan begins 48 hours before their competition. If they prepare before each match by eating properly, warming up their bodies properly, sleeping enough, visualizing their game plan, having routines, saying their affirmations, and staying calm and relaxed, the easier it will be to

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Affirmations

[caption id="attachment_1646" align="alignright" width="150"] Coach Fran Davis[/caption] 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. (more…)

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Your Emotional State Affects Your Game

[caption id="attachment_1646" align="alignright" width="150"] Coach Fran Davis[/caption]The greatest performances come from a state of enjoyment. We take risks, take chances, and are more creative in this state. If it feels great, we continue doing it. If it does not feel good, we stop the pattern. So you have to feel great out on the court all the time. If you are not enjoying racquetball, why are you playing? (more…)

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How Important Are Routines?

We are creatures of habit and perform best when there are no surprises. In order to obtain optimal performance levels, you need a pre-performance routine. All successful athletes thrive on routines that help their mind and body to relax and focus on the essentials of the upcoming competition. Everything in sports is a learned behavior, so each consistent pre-competition routine that an athlete does automatically sets up an ideal performance state. If these routines are performed regularly, then the athlete is on automatic pilot and enters each competition in the ideal performance state. (more…)

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Overcoming Adversity…. a Critical Part of Mental Toughness

Nothing in sport or life is 100 percent predictable—the key is to create and adjust through all kinds of adversity. The first step is to change your attitude about what is happening. The optimist sees obstacles as challenges, and the pessimist sees challenges as obstacles. It is all in your perspective. And as an athlete, you always have a choice about how you view things.  (more…)

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Concentration and Focus….a Critical Part of Mental Toughness

Ideally, you want to get into a state of TOTAL CONCENTRATION and FOCUS on the court because that is when you play your best. Concentration is total awareness, giving your undivided or fixed attention to the game. Focus is the narrowing of concentration onto a specific thought, idea, or object to a central point. In other words, you concentrate on the game and focus on the ball and your opponent. (more…)

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Bouncing Back: Win or Learn

Bouncing back after losing a match is not easy to do, but it is a MUST if you want to be successful and build your championship game. It’s inevitable that we ALL win and lose matches, but it is what we do when we lose a match that counts the most. Losing should be a learning experience, NOT beating yourself up experience. (more…)

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