The Nine Mental Skills of Successful Athletes

Well, when it comes to trying to be successful in life and action sports, I always look at the different ways to gain a mental edge over my competition  Clearly, successful athletes have mental clarity but more importantly have developed ways to constantly improve that mental edge needed to step outside of their comfort zone. Take a look at these suggestions by Jack Lesyk and see what you think. 

1. Attitude

Successful athletes:

• Realize that attitude is a choice.
• Choose an attitude that is predominately positive.
• View their sport as an opportunity to compete against themselves and learn from their successes and failures.
• Pursue excellence, not perfection, and realize that they, as well as their coaches, teammates, officials, and others are not perfect.
• Maintain balance and perspective between their sport and the rest of their lives.
• Respect their sport, other participants, coaches, officials, and themselves.

2. Motivation

Successful athletes:

• Are aware of the rewards and benefits that they expect to experience through their sports participation.
• Are able to persist through difficult tasks and difficult times, even when these rewards and benefits are not immediately forthcoming.
• Realize that many of the benefits come from their participation, not the outcome.

3. Goals and Commitment

Successful athletes:

• Set long-term and short-term goals that are realistic, measurable, and time-oriented.
• Are aware of their current performance levels and are able to develop specific, detailed plans for attaining their goals.
• Are highly committed to their goals and to carrying out the daily demands of their training programs.

4. People Skills

Successful athletes:

• Realize that they are part of a larger system that includes their families, friends, teammates, coaches, and others.
• When appropriate, communicate their thoughts, feelings, and needs to these people and listen to them as well.
• Have learned effective skills for dealing with conflict, difficult opponents, and other people when they are negative or oppositional.

5. Self-Talk

Successful athletes:

• Maintain their self-confidence during difficult times with realistic, positive self-talk.
• Talk to themselves the way they would talk to their own best friend
• Use self-talk to regulate thoughts, feelings and behaviors during competition.

6. Mental Imagery

Successful athletes:

• Prepare themselves for competition by imagining themselves performing well in competition.
• Create and use mental images that are detailed, specific, and realistic.
• Use imagery during competition to prepare for action and recover from errors and poor performances.

7. Dealing Effectively with Anxiety

Successful athletes:

• Accept anxiety as part of sport.
• Realize that some degree of anxiety can help them perform well.
• Know how to reduce anxiety when it becomes too strong, without losing their intensity.

8. Dealing Effectively with Emotions

Successful athletes:

• Accept strong emotions such as excitement, anger, and disappointment as part of the sport experience.
• Are able to use these emotions to improve, rather than interfere with high level performance

9. Concentration

Successful athletes:

• Know what they must pay attention to during each game or sport situation.
• Have learned how to maintain focus and resist distractions, whether they come from the environment or from within themselves.
• Are able to regain their focus when concentration is lost during competition.
• Have learned how to play in the “here-and-now”, without regard to either past or anticipated future events.

For the full article visit: http://www.sportpsych.org/nine-mental-skills-overview

Strengthening Your "Want To" as an Extreme Sports Athlete

Make Simple Tricks Look Cool

I really like this recommended ingredient for success which is referred to as strengthening your "want to." Everyone has a want-to list. If you are an extreme sports athlete your "want to's" probably include "I want to land that new trick" or "Win my first competition." Most times people's "want to's" are just lip service. They just say they want something but they don't work as hard as they can to get it. Plus, when they encounter a obstacle, they don't have the right attitude to view this setback or failure as feedback! I'm sure that we can all relate to this feeling or attitude at some point in time.

So do you think your "want to" is strong? Let's say your goal is to land a Tantrum to Blind on your wakeboard over the summer. One way to gauge the strength of your "want to" is by seeing how many times you give in to the little voice in your head. The voice that says, "I am too tired to hit the lake today. I don't want to get up early. My legs and arms are too sore to land such an advanced trick." If you let that little voice win, your "want to" is not strong enough. I know that this concept of mental toughness almost sounds too easy, but trust me it's not at first. But once your "want to" becomes part of your every day routine, you're just turned a huge mental road block that most never overcome and thus never truly reach their goals as amateur or professional action sports athletes.

So let me leave you with this.... "How strong is your "want to?" Do you really want something or just say you do?"

Quick mental tricks to keep you from burning out.

Let's face it, he all get burnt of from time to time, even in the awesome world of action sports. Check out these tips to help you to stay motivated an ulitmately help you to avoid burning out out which would significantly diminish my day to day progression whether it be skateboarding, wakeboarding, snowboarding or whatever action sport you participate in on a regular basis. Upping your skills to the next level drop dramatically the minute that you let burn out set in for too long.

Don't Let Burnout Take You Off Your Game!

Sometimes, you’re tired after work. Or you want to hang out with your buddies instead of team practice. All athletes—from the weekend soccer player to the pro action sports athelete—need motivation to remain engaged when it comes to training, practice and a full season of competition. Try these tips to keep yourself in the right frame of mind:

1) Set up a schedule: It’s simple physics—objects in motion tend to stay in motion. If you have a routine, the momentum of that routine is bound to keep you going. “In advance, set up a schedule for what you’re going to do that week. And check in with yourself, honestly, to see what you've accomplished,” says clinical health psychologist Dr. Jayme Albin. Commitment and motivation will come from holding yourself accountable. It’s that whole you-have-to-look-at-yourself-in-the mirror thing. 

2) Keep your eye on the prize: If you want to run a five-minute mile, it’s not going to magically happen after a few sessions. “You’ll need to remind yourself of the overall goal so you don’t get discouraged,” says sports psychologist Dr. William Wiener. Some professional athletes post motivating statements in their shower wall. Try writing down your ultimate goal and keep it in your wallet so you’re reminded of it every time you pay for something (like donuts). “You also want to make smaller goals so you can reach them and measure them in a timely manner.” So, make a smaller goal to run every day after work this week. Then, when you've done that, make another smaller goal that will help you reach that five-minute mile. 

3) Recognize you’re not perfect: “It’s hard to maintain perfect motivation,” says Dr. John F. Murray, a clinical and sports psychologist and author the Mental Performance Index. You may miss practice or skate sesh due to something out of your control but don’t let that stop you from getting back into it. “Most people do things to avoid failure or achieve success,” Murray points out. Recognizing that falling out of your sport could be a failure and getting back into it could bring you success. 

4) Make sure you’re happy: “You have to enjoy the sport, if you don’t then why are you in it?” challenges Dr. Michael Fraser, a clinical psychologist and chief of staff at Behavioral Associates in New York City. “If you’re doing it to meet someone, that’s fine, but make sure you’re being social. If you’re doing it for athletic reasons, measure the league and make sure the team’s ability matches yours.” You’ll be more likely to blow off practice if you’re in the wrong sport or league. 

(Portions of article courtesy of Lisa Freedman)

Face Your Fears... It's Good for You!

What almost kills you makes you stronger.Extreme sports and dangerous physical challenges boost your mental makeup, finds a new study in the Journal of Health Psychology.

Australian researchers defined extreme sports as those activities that involve “the potential destruction of the physical self”—basically, your ass is on the line. (Think BASE jumping, waterfall kayaking, and big-wave surfing.)

Travis Rice during the Art of Flight

Here’s the good news: You don’t have to jump off a building or surf Mavericks in order to experience the fulfillment outlined in the research. Whether you’re quitting your job to start a new business or simply signing up for a Tough Mudder, if the activity scares the hell out of you, fighting through that fear will provide psychological benefits similar to those observed in the study, Brymer says. Just don’t be reckless. “Do your homework, and make sure you’re physically and mentally prepared.” 

After a series of interviews with 15 experienced extreme athletes—that is, not dead—the study authors found that overcoming intense fear leads to “transformational” changes in confidence and sense of self. Put simply, overcoming physical terror increases life-fulfillment and psychological well-being, the study shows.

When you get down to it, fear stems from a lack of faith in yourself and your ability, explains study coauthor Eric Brymer, Ph.D., a psychologist at Queensland University of Technology. And so when you defeat your fears, you’re proving to yourself that you’re capable—an experience that has major psychological advantages that will ripple throughout your life, he adds.

(Courtesy of Markham Heid http://news.menshealth.com/why-extreme-sports-make-you-a-better-man/2013/04/14/) 

The 3 D's to Sports Motivation

Prime motivation means putting 100% of your time, effort, energy, and focus into all aspects of your sport. It involves doing everything possible to become the best athlete you can be.

Prime motivation begins with what I call the three D’s. The first D stands for direction. Before you can attain prime motivation, you must first consider the different directions you can go in your sport. You have three choices: stop participating completely, continue at your current level, or strive to be the best athlete you can be.

The second D represents decision. With these three choices of direction, you must select one direction in which to go. None of these directions are necessarily right or wrong, better or worse, they’re simply your options. Your choice will dictate the amount of time and effort you will put into your sport and how good an athlete you will ultimately become.

The third D stands for dedication. Once you've made your decision, you must dedicate yourself to it. If your decision is to become the best athlete you can be, then this last step, dedication, will determine whether you have prime motivation. Your decision to be your best and your dedication to your sport must be a top priority. Only by being completely dedicated to your direction and decision will you ensure that you have prime motivation.

To read the full article check out: http://drjimtaylor.com/2.0/sports/sports-motivation-to-succeed/

Keeping in Shape During the Summer for Snowboarding

Well with summer just around the corner, I thought that this might help all us snowboarders out there to keep in shape during the off season. Check it out!

Nowadays it's really hard to lump snowboarders into a group of "athletes" that spend their days training hard and staying in shape for competition. There are probably hundreds of different kinds of snowboarders from the kids who can't ride with out being intoxicated to the kids who go snowboarding and then straight to the gym to hit the heavy iron. This article is for those of you who want to stay in some sort of shape for snowboarding this summer, and I'm happy to report that it really IS a thirty minute workout at most!

Lose the Iron

You can absolutely forget about lifting any weights. I know a guy who was a bodybuilder and once he was hired to a local landscaping crew. You figure that with all that strength he would have no problem digging and lifting all day. By the end of his first day he couldn't really do much work. He could barely even pick up his shovel. Why, with countless hours a day at the gym did this happen? Lifting weights might build muscle, but it is a completely useless kind of muscle… slow twitch. Slow twitch muscles are built due to continuous expansion and contraction of the muscle throughout the day… i.e. slow, controlled, repetitive motions. Slow repetitive movements have no place in landscaping and absolutely no place in snowboarding.

You are a snowboarder… you aren't looking to be moving nice and slow and controlled. You want to build up the fast twitch muscles. Fast twitch muscles contract quickly and explosively. They are there when you make a quick switch from your snowboards heel edge to your toe edge. They are helping out when you get to the lip and do that explosive pop into the sky! They are especially there when you mess up and have to rely on quick reflexes to either fix your situation or brace for impact.

Snowboard Workout Routine

Absolutely no gym membership required folks! Besides, chances are you guys are at this snowboarding site because you snowboard, which also means you are probably broke like me and can't afford a gym membership anyway. So on to the workout. It takes like I said less than thirty minutes and you can do it pretty much anywhere. Do it every day cause it's really not that hard. You won't need rest,

Pushups

I try and go for around about 100 a day. You don't have to do it all at once but shoot for finishing it up in three sets… so if you do three sets of 30 pushups a day then you should be in pretty good shape! 

Pushups serve two purposes in snowboarding. One is to keep your upper body and wrists loose and limber. The other is to brace you for impact. I don't know about you guys but when I fall snowboarding its usually towards my stomach and it's nice to have a little bit of muscle built up to catch yourself.

Sit-ups/Crunches

It's all in the core. Again shoot for around 100 per day. If you been snowboarding a lot before you found this guide, then doing three sets of 30 sit-ups will seem like bitch work.

One thing I want to say about sit-ups is that this is really about your spins and general movements. Everything you do in snowboarding will be initiated from your core, so strengthening it up may produce a drastic difference in your riding.

If basic sit-ups are lame to you then put a twist in them at the end. Now you are really working the muscles that are going to literally spin you in circles next season!

Standing 360s

Way better than squat jumps although those work too. I would say 4 sets of 10 alternating frontside and backside. You want to stand similar to your stance on your snowboard and concentrate on exploding high and fast. The 360 should be done in the image of what you want them to look like on the snowboard slope. In other words they should be really nice, floaty jumps with the full 360 degrees of rotation completed.

The benefits of this exercise should be pretty obvious. It trains your quads for jumping nice and high and your core for quick, controlled rotations. Not only that, it might help you out if you are having trouble getting yourself oriented during your spins (Where is the board? For that matter where is the landing? Well hopefully after this exercise you'll be able to figure it out better).

Think Snowboarding

Snowboarding is so much more mental though than it is physical. That is why these exercises are for the most part quick and painless. Sure they will get you up to speed physically, but the mental aspects of the sport of snowboarding may still hold you back.

Since it is summer, now is the time to start putting last seasons' hit videos on repeat in your DVD player. Absorb every aspect of the tricks you see pro snowboarders do. From how they prepare, to their drop, the set up, the pop, the rotation… it all matters. Once you can practically replay these tricks in your head just replace that pro snowboarder with an image of you. Really take the time to imagine how you would look making those same movements and trying that same trick.

If you see a nice, high ledge don't be embarrassed to pretend you have a snowboard strapped to you and try a 270 or two. Get on a trampoline and imagine you are staring at the transition to a jump, and then hit it! The more you repeat and attempt these motions the more familiar they will become
The 08/09 season is just around the corner so get to work guys! See you on the slopes.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/extreme-sports-articles/snowboard-workout-for-summer-433122.html
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Big Wave Rider Laird Hamilton's Best Quotes on Surfing and Success

"The world doesn't need more conformists. If you don't fit in, celebrate that, and then get ready to stand your ground."

"Surfing's one of the few sports that you look ahead to see what's behind."

"The biggest sin in the world would be if I lost my love for the ocean."

"Wiping out is an under appreciated skill."

"For those searching for something more than just the norm. We lay it all down, including what others call sanity, for just a few moments on waves larger than life. We do this because we know there is still something greater than all of us. Something that inspires us spiritually. We start going downhill, when we stop taking risks."

"If you cultivate something in your mind, you give it a life. It's really that simple."

"A little adrenaline every day keeps the boredom away."

"Make sure you worst enemy doesn't live between your own two ears."

Read more at: http://www.quoteauthors.com/quotes/laird-hamilton-quotes.html

Dew Tour Announces its 2013 Dates and Locations

DEW TOUR ANNOUNCES 2013 DATES AND LOCATIONS Alli Sports, a division of the NBC Sports Group, today announced the dates and locations for the 2013 Dew Tour. Following a successful 2012 season, Dew Tour continues with three large-scale, premium events that will reach consumers across broadcast, digital and consumer activation platforms.

“The Dew Tour is about celebrating action sports and providing athletes and the industry with a world-class platform for progression and creativity,” said Kenny Mitchell, General Manager of the Dew Tour. “We want all of our fans – whether tuning in through broadcast, online, or on-site at the events – to celebrate with us and be inspired by the sports, the music and the action sports culture.”

The Dew Tour remains committed to working with athletes and industry leaders to drive progressive disciplines and formats while creating groundbreaking courses. This season, Dew Tour will debut The Dew Tour Showcases, a series of events that will recognize key lifestyle elements of action sports, such as art, photography and film, and celebrating progressive and transcendent work in each field. In addition, the Dew Tour’s exclusive Streetstyle discipline for Skate, BMX and Snow will continue in 2013, delivering an unprecedented platform for originality and innovation.

In 2012, the Dew Tour enjoyed the highest per event attendance in its history, while connecting consumers and action sports in an unprecedented way through the Dew Tour Experience. Dew Tour’s best in class brand activation platform will continue to host the event’s roster of blue chip partners and bring their engaging and relevant experiences directly to the fans.

For the 2013 season, The Dew Tour will return to its distinct Beach – City – Mountain format. The Dew Tour kicks off June 20-23, drawing inspiration from the East Coast beach destination of Ocean City, Md. October 10-13, The Dew Tour will return to the urban action sports heritage of San Francisco, Calif. for the second event of the year. The Dew Tour will wrap up 2013 from Breckenridge Ski Resort, in Breckenridge, Colo., December 12-15. Check out the complete details of the 2013 Dew Tour schedule courtesy of Alli Sports at: http://www.allisports.com/dew-tour/event/ocean-city-beach-championships-2013/news/dew-tour-announces-2013-dates-and-locations

TOP INFLUENCERS IN ACTION SPORTS - WHO DO YOU THINK IS #1

After much debate, the No. 1 spot was awarded to surfer Kelly Slater, the youngest and oldest world champion in ASP history. Though he fell just short of winning a 12th ASP World Tour title when Australian Joel Parkinson earned the coveted award in the second-to-last heat of the season at the Billabong Pipeline Masters in December, Slater still has 11 world titles to his name, which is a full seven more than the next-closest surfer, Mark Richards. Slater has the most event wins in ASP history (51), and in 2012 alone, he notched three tour stop victories. The ASP lists his career winnings at $3,425,705. Not bad for an action sports athlete.

On top of that, Slater is involved with international efforts to conserve ocean ecosystems, and he's donated time and money to help poverty-stricken communities around the world. Slater's list of competitive accolades is innumerable, but perhaps most poignant, at one month shy of his 41st birthday, he shows zero signs of slowing down. He continues to dominate at the highest level of surfing and proves year in and year out that age really is just a couple of digits

Slater may not be world champ this year, and even amid rumors that he's retiring, his influence over surfing and the broader action sports industry is undeniable. Visit a beach, a surf shop or a high school in Southern California, Florida or Brazil, and you'll see hints of Slater's reach. Long after he's done competing -- if that ever happens -- Slater will still be the one people are talking about, the one setting the benchmark for others to follow.

You may not agree with everyone on this list. And certainly, there are names we are missing. But hopefully, we can all agree on this: Action sports would not be the same without the presence of these 50 talented and inspiring people. (Huge shout out to ESPN X Games for creating this list) To check out the full list of action sports athletes visit: http://xgames.espn.go.com/article/8793102/50-most-influential-people-action-sports 

The New 2013 Lineup for Ronix Wakeboards

Check Out Some Sick Deals on 2012 Gear and the Freshness of 2013!

For those of you that may not be too familiar with the Ronix Wakeboard Family, here's a quick history... 

Ronix wakeboards was founded in 2005 with some of the biggest pioneers and riders in the world of wakeboarding. Ronix wakeboards has a Research & Devleopment (aka Shred Crew) with over 100 years of experience in the watersports manufacturing industry and is responsible for much of the cutting edge technology that we see in the sport of wakeboarding, wakesurfing and wakeskating worldwide and most importantly in the Ronix product line. 

We're Back!!!!

Well as most of you know, the Tackle Your Reality Crew has been on hiatus enjoying some of the best action sports adventures over this past six months. Our travels took us to some insane wakeboarding at Lake Powell and Tahoe. Next, we ventured up North to Whistler for the winter for some amazing pow pow and backcountry snowboarding. But now it’s back to the grind.... if you consider talking about actions sports and living your dreams of doing what you want to do when you want to do it!!! Stoked to be back! Looking forward to what the spring and summer of 2013 hold for all of our fellow action sports enthusiasts.

Ronix Wakeboards

Ronix wakeboards was founded in 2005 with some of the biggest pioneers and riders in the world of wakeboarding. Ronix wakeboards has a Research & Devleopment (aka Shred Crew) with over 100 years of experience in the watersports manufacturing industry and is responsible for much of the cutting edge technology that we see in the sport of wakeboarding, wakesurfing and wakeskating worldwide and most importantly in the Ronix product line.

Click Here to Check Out the entire Ronix Wakeboard Product Line

Ronix Pro Riders Include: 

• DANNY HARF
• PARKS BONIFAY
• CHAD SHARPE
• ADAM ERRINGTON
• DEAN SMITH
• REED HANSEN
• HAYLEY SMITH
• ERIK RUCK
• MARC ROSSITER
• DIETER HUMPSCH

Thanks for the Shred Tom!

Wakesurfing Trick List

The following Wakesurf Trick List was compiled by the World WakeSurf Association.

Listed in order of difficulty. Some of these tricks can only be performed on a skim or trick style board, while others can only be performed on a surf or conventional style board. The style of board appropriate for each trick is noted at the end of each line.

Pumping- turning up and down the face of the wake to gain speed. (Both styles)

Stalling- Applying pressure to your back foot to slow down or "stall". (Both styles)

Floater- When a rider and board "floats" on top of the wake. (Both styles)

Lip slide- Just like a floater but the board is sideways. (Both styles)

Spray- gouging into the face of the wake to create the water under you to explode and spray. (Both styles)

Fire Hydrant- Placing one hand on the board and taking your front foot off. (Both styles)

Posing- doing hand and body positions while riding for cool style points. (Both styles)

Hang 5 - Rider extends front foot (toes) over front of board (Both styles). More credit by judges the further forward the rear foot.

Rail Grabs - Grabbing the board's rail while the board is on the wake - one or both hands. (Both styles)

Cutbacks - Bashing off the lip of the wake with the board - the more extreme and risky the better. (Both styles)

Paddle back in - Going to the extreme rear of the wake, throwing down on the board and paddling back in to the power zone. This can also be done by pulling the outside rail of the board to bring it back to the power zone. (Surf style)

Tubing It - Throwing down on the board and sliding back into the tube until covered up - the deeper the better, and then popping out and standing back up on the board. (Surf style)

Switch Stance-Riding with the opposite foot forward. (Both styles)

180 spin - Spinning 180 on the wake - Board and rider spin. (Both styles - more difficult surf style) The video shows first a toeside 180 and then a heelside 180. Both show a regular turn. A blind turn is more difficult.

Airs- Launching off the lip with board into the air and landing back on the wake (toeside or heelside). (Both styles)

One Hand Grab Air - Grabbing one rail of the board while the board is airborne above the wake. (Both styles - more difficult surf style)

Double Grab Air - Grabbing both rails of the board while the board is airborne above the wake. (Both styles -more difficult surf style)

Hang 10 - Rider extends both feet (toes) over end of board (Surf style)

360 spin- Spinning 360 on the face of the wake - Board and rider spin. (Both styles - more difficult surf style)

540 spin - Rider spins continuously 1 1/2 times until he is riding switch stance forward (Both styles - but extremely difficult surf style)

720 spin - Rider spins continuously 2 complete 360's (Both styles - but extremely difficult surf style)

Alley oop air 180- doing an air while spinning 180 the blind direction. (Trick style)

180 air- doing and air and spinning a 180 in the air and landing in with a switch stance. (Trick style)

180 shuv-it - spinning just the board 180 under your feet and landing with the board "backwards". (Trick Style)

900 spin - Rider spins continuously 2 1/2 times until he is riding switch stance forward. (Both styles - but extremely difficult surf style)

360 shuv-it - same as a 180 but you spin the board a full 360 under your feet. NOTE: rider does not spin only the board spins. (Trick style)

Big Spin - Same as a 360 shuv-it only the rider spins a 180 at the same time the board does a 360. (Trick style)

Tricks List Courtesy of:

Shaun Murray - WakeMD

Shaun Breaks it Down for You... Take Your Riding to the Next Level

With on screen graphics and freeze frames you will not miss a point or step. Next to being with Shaun at his camp there is no faster way to immediately improve your wakeboarding skills and deepen your trick list. This App is part of Shaun's Detention 2012 Series. Click Here to Download