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NEW! Instill Confidence in Your Baseball and Softball Players! Learn how to help your team play with full confidence and help them stay confident after mistakes! Learn more about Instilling Confidence in Baseball and Softball Players>>

Mental Preparation for Equestrians program! Learn how to cope with pre-competition jitters and perform your best in the ring! Learn more about Mental Preparation for Equestrians>>

Parents and Youth Coaches: Help Kids Cope with Mistakes! Help your athletes deal better with setbacks and errors with The Composed Sports Kid! See our new sports psychology program for parents, coaches, and their athletes!

Athletes: Improve Your Success with Online Mental Training! Peaksports Network teaches athletes and coaches cutting-edge and simple mental training strategies for a fraction of the cost of personal mental coaching. Learn how to boost your confidence and success...

Parents: Improve Your Kids' Success with Kids' Sports Psychology! Kids' Sports Psychology is a one-stop, exclusive 10-step plan for boosting confidence and cultivating positive mental game skills in young athletes! Download age-specific confidence-boosting mental game e-books for young athletes. Learn how to boost sports kids' sports success...

Free Mental Toughness Reports!

• Golfers and Instructors: Improve Preshot Routines.
• Baseball and Softball Players and Coaches: Improve At-Bat Routines!
• Tennis Players and Coaches: Improve Between Point Mental Toughness!
• Hockey Players and Coaches: Improve your Pregame Mindset!
• Equestrians and trainers: Improve Rider's Preshow Mindset!
• Parents and Youth Coaches: Boost Kids' Confidence and Success!

Locker Room Talk

Feature Mental Game Article

Can You "Predict" the Outcome? Great Athletes Can
By Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.

After working with athletes and performers on the mental game for over 20 years, I've come to the realization that great athletes have a sixth sense, sort of. The top athletes, at any level, can virtually "predict" the outcome of a play, shot, or at-bat. I know this sounds farfetched, but allow me to explain...

Hall of Fame legend Hank Aaron was one of the best hitters in the history of baseball with unmatched consistency. Aaron attributed much of his success in baseball to his mental preparation before and during games. He said his ability to study pitchers and visualize success helped him "predict" (he used the term guess) what pitches pitchers would throw to him.

"I used to play every pitcher in my mind before I went to the ballpark. I started getting ready for every game the minute I woke up,” said Aaron.

Interviewed by Dr. Tom Hanson (1991), Aaron explained just how he prepared mentally. In the dugout, Aaron would reverse his baseball cap, using the eyelets in the back of the cap to narrow his focus on only the pitcher. By reducing distractions from the crowd and the benches, he could concentrate better on the pitcher and visualize getting a hit the next time at bat.

His ability to visualize helped him prepare for the pitcher. "You visualize it. No question about it. You see it in your head, you think about it, and you understand that no matter who you're facing or who you faced the day before, it's not the same, every pitcher is different," said Aaron (Hanson, 1991).

We've been taught by other great athletes about the power of seeing success in one's mind before it happens. Golfing great Jack Nicklaus explained how he would never hit a shot until he had a clear, vivid picture of it in his mind. He wanted to create a picture of success before attempting the shot.

Nolan Ryan said: "Before each start I sit in the clubhouse and analyze the other teams hitters. I concentrate on visualizing what I've done in the past to get hitters out, consider his strengths and weaknesses. I just sort of run through the line up in my mind; it's a pre-game ritual that reinforces the fact that I'm mentally prepared to pitch effectively." (from his book, Pitcher's Bible).

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Just recently, The San Francisco Giants won the World Series. Giants shortstop Edgar Renteria hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning to clinch the win. What's really interesting was that Renteria told a teammate he would hit it deep before he did it!  “I got confidence in me, but I was joking... I'm going to get it out. But it went out," said Renteria."

Can great athletes really "predict" their success? Not in the mystical sense of predict. Wictionary.com defines predict as: "to state, or make something known in advance, especially using inference or special knowledge; to foretell, foresee or prophesy." My point is that supreme levels of confidence combined with the power of mental rehearsal allow you to feel as if you can "predict" or know in advance the outcome of a shot, play, or at-bat.

Have you ever told a teammate or competitor: "This shot is going into the center of the hoop," "this ball is going right at the flag," or "I'm going to nail this routine"? Ok, this might sound like cocky athletes just having fun, but can we agree that many top athletes think this way?

What about the opposite... what happens when you visualize a shot, play, or routine and you see or feel only failure? What does that say about your confidence level? Right. No confidence.

Athletes with supreme levels of confidence can almost "predict" the outcome of their actions because they do not guess or say "maybe I can be successful" to themselves. They have a deeper level of confidence, such as Hank Aaron, who absolutely knew he would succeed every time at-bat. Did he succeed every time? No, he succeeded one-third of the time, which is success in pro baseball. He failed two-thirds of the time at bat, but he still continued to believe in his preparation, ability to focus, and past consistency.

How can you learn to "know the outcome" in advance?

1. Train and train more until you reach a state of over-learning. Then you'll have full trust in your skills.
2. Study your opponent(s) so you know their tendencies in various situations and you can react to what you see.
3. Mentally rehearse or visualize yourself in many different situations being successful.
4. Have confidence in your execution and ability to react when needed.

Want more confidence-boosting tips and strategies? Check out The Confident Athlete CD and Workbook series.

Sports Specific Mental Training Tip

"Know you can get the job done..."

Although he's not a believer in sports psychology coaching, Clint Bowyer is a believer in the power of confidence. Notice the phrase knowing you can get the job done. That's a lot more powerful than I hope I can or maybe I can... get the job done. The words you use to describe your game can make a big difference in your approach.

"Confidence is definitely a big part of any sport. If you go out there knowing you can get the job done, nine times out of 10 you'll succeed."

Clint Bowyer, NASCAR Driver

Podcasts of the Month

The Tennis Psychology Podcast of the Month!
In this week’s tennis psychology session, Dr. Cohn teaches you how to boost your self-confidence in matches. Many tennis players lose self-confidence after playing poorly or losing matches. Listen to this mental game of tennis podcast to learn how to maintain your self-confidence after losing matches.

• Show me the Tennis Psychology Podcast of the Month!
• Learn more about "Tennis Confidence" CD Program
• Watch the Tennis Confidence Video series!
• Tennis Players & Coaches: Improve your mental game between points with this free report!
• Subscribe to the Tennis Psychology Podcast at iTunes!

The Golf Psychology Podcast of the Month!
In this week's golf psychology session, mental game of golf expert and author of The Mental Game of Golf and The Mental Art of Putting, Dr. Cohn, helps a golfer who is uncomfortable when playing with playing partners. 

Many athletes who strive for social approval have difficulty performing in front of others.

• Show me the Golf Psychology Podcast of the Month!
• Learn more about "The Golfer's Mental Edge" CD program
• Watch the Golf Confidence Video series!
• Golfers and Instructors: Download a golf psychology report to improve your preshot routine overnight
• Subscribe to the Golf Psychology Podcast at iTunes!

Pro Athlete Quote of the Month

Ask Doc Cohn

"How do I overcome intimidation?"

Track Athlete:

I'm thinking about joining the track team in college, however I'm nervous because I haven't ran in so long. I tend to get discouraged when I see girls who even look like they can be faster than me and I psych myself out before a race. How can I overcome this?

Read Dr. Cohn's answer to this question now!

Most Valuable Product (MVP)

Instilling Confidence in Baseball and Softball Players NEW!

How would your team perform if they stepped onto the diamond with complete conviction in their ability, unwavering confidence, and an intimidating presence?

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You'll also receive a simple-to-follow 74-page coaches' manual that guides you through the seven team session you'll conduct.

We've also included the top confidence-building exercises on athletes' worksheets, which help your players understand and apply what they'll learn in the team sessions.

Read more about Instilling Confidence in Baseball and Softball Players CD program at Peaksports.com

Dr. Patrick J. Cohn is the President and founder of Peak Performance Sports of Orlando, Florida. He earned his Ph.D. in Education from the University of Virginia in 1991, and founded Peak Performance Sports in 1994. Dr. Cohn is an author, speaker and one of the nation's leading mental game experts. His coaching programs instill confidence, composure and effective mental strategies that enable athletes and teams to reach their performance goals. Dr. Cohn has helped athletes from a variety of sports backgrounds (both amateurs and professionals) identify and develop the mindset needed to achieve peak performance. World-class golfers, runners, shooters and auto racers, as well as motocross, tennis, baseball, softball, football and hockey players, are among those who have benefited from his mental game coaching and training.

Boost Your Success with The Confident Athlete Series!

The Confident Athlete Series by Peak Performance Sports brings you the latest cutting-edge mental training strategies in a practical step-by-step 14-day achievement plan. Each program consists of 2 Audio CDs and an easy to follow workbook to help you apply the mental strategies. Perfect for any competitive athlete or team coach! Boost your confidence... Buy All 4 Programs and Get "The Relaxed Athlete" FREE! (**Plus Free Shipping!**)

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