An Athlete’s Guide to Inner Excellence
By: Gary Mack with David Casstevens
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Welcome to the inner Game
Living the Dream
Mind-Set for Success
In the Zone
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Ninety percent of the game is half mentalYogi Berra
You have to train your mind like you train
your body – Bruce Jenner
How much of your game is mental?
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Relax…close your eyes…Recall the sights,
sounds, and feelings of you performing at
your best
In your minds eye, imagine your best day ever
◦ You feel no fear, no anxieties, and no self-doubts
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Athletes call this, “Playing in the zone”
NOW…let that image fade…in its place recall
your worst performance
Now leave that image and fast forward to
present
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With Yogi’s quote in mind, compare yourself
competing at your best and at your worst
What percentage of the difference in those
performances had to do with your physical skills?
What percentage was mental?
How much time do you spend on the mental
game?
How many books on sports psychology have you
read?
How many lessons have you taken from a head
coach?
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Mind is like a VCR
Studies have proven that mental training will
not only enhance performance and improved
productivity but also add to your enjoyment
Remain focus/deal with adversity
Stay motivated during difficult times & avoid
fatal distractions
Learn to follow your dreams and to live your
life on purpose
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Achieving inner excellence is a process
Building mental muscle, like building physical
muscle, requires time and effort.
The more you work on the inside, the more it
will show on the outside
First you must make a commitment
What you think affects how you feel and
perform. Training your brain is as important
as training your body
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The mind messes up more shots than the
body
Self-conscious and coach-conscious rather
than task-conscious
KEY: learn how to focus on the task and not
let negative thoughts intrude
Mind can focus on thing at a time
◦ Rather than suppress what you don’t want to
happen, you must focus on what you do want or on
some neutral thought
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Brain is like a mega computer that controls
the body
Focus on breathing and repeat the word “one”
lowered their blood pressure and heart rate
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Actions follow our thoughts
Don’t hang your curve ball; don’t walk this
batter; this ump will not give me a call.
If I don’t get a hit this inning the coach is
going to pull me
Personal keys to success
Performance keys to success
◦ What are you doing when you’re really on your
game?
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Or your mind will use you
Actions follow our thoughts and images
Don’t look where you don’t want to go
Power of visualization and mental rehersal
Create your own Mind Gym
◦ Mental practice
◦ Confidence comes from knowing you are mentally
and physically prepared
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Studies show that within a group of athletes
of equal ability, those who receive mental
training outperform those who don’t
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Under pressure you can perform fifteen
percent better or worse – Scott Hamilton
When you have fun, it changes all the
pressure into pleasure. –Ken Griffey Sr.
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A competitor finds a way to win
Take bad breaks and use them to drive
themselves harder
 Quitters take bad breaks and use them as reasons to
give up
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Every time I play, in my own mind I’m the
favorite – Tiger Woods
Can do attitude
Belief they can handle whatever comes their
way
Almost never fall victim to self-defeating
thoughts
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Successful athletes are able to control their emotions
and behavior
They focus on what they can control and don’t allow
things that are out of their control to affect them
Maintain poise, concentration, and emotional control
under the greatest pressure and the most challenging
situations
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Focus time and energy on their goals and
dreams
self directed and highly motivated
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know how to stay focused and deal with
adversity
You can expect bad calls in a game, how you
manage your emoti90ns can determine
whether you win or lose
Phoenix Fire Department
◦ Keep your cool when the heat is on
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Must be willing to take a risk
◦ that is what peak performers do
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Adversity Quotient
◦ by Paul Stoltz
 compares success with a mountain
 Only climbers get to the top
 Campers get part way up and decide to stay where
they are, will never feel as alive or as proud as the
climbers
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It takes courage to grow up and achieve your
full potential
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Mental tough athletes possess an inner
strength
They often play their best when they’re
feeling their worst
They don’t make excuses
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Competition is won or lost on the six-inch
playing field between the ears.
Practice the seven C’s of mental toughness
Learn to love the competition
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What has benefited me the most is learning I
can’t control what happens outside of my
pitching – Greg Maddux
Sports psychology doesn’t create talent; it
only can help release it.
Future and success depends upon many
things, but mostly they depend upon you.
You have the responsibility to shape your life.
You are the person who pushes yourself
forward or holds yourself back.
The power to succeed or fail is yours alone.
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One of the great powers we have is the power
to choose
It is not the situation but how you respond to
it that makes the difference
INNER EXCELLENCE
◦ Focus on what you can control
◦ Take control of yourself
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This ability to conquer oneself is no doubt
the most precious of all things sports
bestows on us. _Olga Korbut
To achieve anything you want in life you must
first start by getting out of your own way
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fears
doubts
self-condemning nature
If you don’t feel good abut yourself, you tend not to
perform well.
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We act consistent to our self concept…our
self-image
If you don’t see your self successful, than you
chances of succeeding are diminished.
What are your gremlins that prevents you
from performing at your best?
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Fear
Anger
Anxiety
Self-consciousness
Perfectionism
stubbornness
lack of motivation
Distractions (conflicting lifestyles)
Persistence (33% rule)
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Live your life backwards
Create a future and live into it.
Visualization
Begin with the “End in Mind”
◦ “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”
◦ Stephen Covey
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◦ Accept your present state
◦ Understand your strength and weaknesses
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C
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Create your desired state
What’s your dream?
See yourself exactly the way you want to be!
Write down what this desired state would look like
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◦ Take action steps to get you there
◦ Success is a journey of one step at a time, and the
journey begins with the first step
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Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-bound
◦ Accompishment date
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Talent is never enough. With few exceptions
the best players are the hardest workers
 -Magic Johnson
The harder you work the harder it is to
surrender
 -Vince Lombardi
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In sports, as in life, there is no substitute for
commitment
If you believe in yourself and have the
courage, the determination, the dedication,
the competitive drive, and
If you are willing to sacrifice the little things
in life and pay the price for the things that
are worthwhile
IT CAN BE DONE
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Rod Carew
Tony Gwynn
Andre Agassi
Rob Evans
Bjorn Borg
◦ “I remember how I used to take the train to
Stockholm every day after school to play, coming
home late, studying, getting up to go to school,
getting on the train again, all those years. But even
if it hadn’t, even if I wasn’t able to become a
champion, I would still know that I gave it my best
shot. I tried. I got on the train and I tried.”
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Are you on track?
If not, what are you waiting for?
It takes years of hard work to become an
overnight success. Are you willing to make
the commitment and pay the price?
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Obstacles are what you see when you take
your eyes off your goal
-Jim Lefebvre
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In spite of all the distractions, remain focused
on the job
- Reggie Jackson
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Notah Begay
◦ DUI arrest
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drugs, pregnancy, commission of crimes
Set your goals
◦ focus time and energy if you want to become successful
and realize your dreams
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Native American story
◦ poisonous snake
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Carl Lewis (6 time gold medalists)
◦ “This first is that if you take drugs, you’ll never know
your full potential. Second, there is the obvious health
risk. and third, if you do drugs , you’re quitting on
yourself.”
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Follow your goals and not the crowd – Janet
Evans
◦ “Sometimes I feel envious when my friends do to
parties, and I have to go to bed. But my friends
always tell me that the parties really aren't that
much fun anyway. Whatever I’ve missed, I’ve mad
up for. Most kids don’t get to go to the Olympics
and win three gold medals. Its’ definitely been
worth it.”
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Parties won’t take me where I want to go –
Kevin Johnson
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Associate with people who will make you
better
Sometimes you have to let of old friendships
in order to stay on track to reach your goals
You don’t want to be big enough to handle
trouble, but someone who is big enough to
walk away from it.
Take responsibility for your life and your
actions
◦ Too many successful athletes don’t think the rules
of society apply to them
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What you find depends upon where you look.
Stay focused on your goals and avoid the
FATAL DISTRACTIONS.
Say yes to your dreams and no to drugs