San Antonio Spurs Look to Improve Defense

"I don't think we've changed anything specifically. We just come out, good focus, good game plans and just execute them. That's the kind of team we're going to need to be."

--Tim Duncan, discussing the San Antonio Spurs' concern about their defense despite having started 29-4 this season.

The Spurs' start is one of the 10 best in NBA history. However, it is a long season and many challenges await.

Is your team focused? Do you strive to improve even when enjoying success? How well do you plan? How closely and precisely do you execute your plans?

The Spurs have four NBA championships by using their system and refining it for years. Can you show the same commitment or success?

Excerpt taken from espn.com (January 2, 2011).

Location:Decatur, GA

New Orleans Saints' Mindset Brings Them Into Playoffs

“Honestly we expect and plan on playing in the postseason. That expectation is something to where it would have been disappointing had we not had this opportunity. I would say that once you’ve had a chance to win a championship, your thirst for more of that type of success only grows stronger. You never take for granted these seasons or these years because this group isn’t something that’s a permanent thing.

“I don’t view (the playoff berth) as a checkmark in what we’ve wanted to accomplish. We want to accomplish bigger things than just getting into the postseason.”

--Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints' head coach, after New Orleans clinched consecutive playoff berths for the first time since making three straight appearances from 1990-92. 

After winning the Super Bowl last season, Saint regular season wins like the one over the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome this weekend are not a big deal in New Orleans.

A big part of this mindset and high expectations for the New Orleans Saints comes from quarterback Drew Brees.   

"He can put a mistake past him, and the players all feel that with him under center, we are in any game we play," Payton said of Brees, who completed seven consecutive passes on the go-ahead touchdown drive, including a 6-yard touchdown to tight end Jimmy Graham on third-and-3.

"I was just telling myself, give ourselves a chance," Brees said. "The defense did a great job of stopping them ... and I've seen this team come back and win in a lot of different ways. So despite everything that had happened previous to that last drive, we could go 90 yards just one play at a time, convert some first downs and find a way to take the lead back."

The Saints fought their way back in Monday night's game, marching 90 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 3:24 remaining.  

"It's very rewarding, because you're going to have things happen like that. It's not always going to be rosy. There's going to be some mistakes made and potentially mistakes made by you," Brees said of the clinching drive. "So you just have to find a way to respond. At the quarterback position everyone is looking to you for confidence. They want poise, composure. If you get rattled, they get rattled. If you stay poised, they stay poised. And you just try to show that for them."

Brees completed 35 of 49 passes for 302 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in another winning effort.

Excerpts from NOLA.com (December 28, 2010) and 2theadvocate.com (December 29, 2010). 

For more information on performance psychology and mental conditioning, click on Peak Performance eCoach, and request access.

Atlanta Falcons' Mindset Puts Them In the NFC South Driver's Seat

The Atlanta Falcons have won another tough NFL game with playoff implications.  They maintained the lead in the NFC South and continue to have the best record in the NFC.  They are also tied for the best record in the NFL.  In another late comeback win, The Atlanta Falcons were able to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28-24 on Sunday for their sixth straight win. 

Matt Ryan, the Atlanta Falcons' third-year quarterback was interviewed after the game.  He said, 

“We felt like we were moving the ball all day. We didn’t feel like we were moving it as well as we’d like. We were in some tough spots and we had to overcome. We had some penalties that kind of got us off schedule. We felt like if we cleaned some things up, we could move the football. Again, we had some penalties, but we overcame them on the last drive. The mindset was the same. We felt we could go down the field and score. We’ve been in those situations a number of times this year. We made the plays when we needed to.”

ON NOT PANICKING: “I think it says a lot about our resolve. We’ve been in these situations a number of times this year and we’ve been successful in a lot of those situations because we understand that we can make plays when we need to. We did that today.”

ON EARLIER COMEBACKS: “Absolutely, every time that you’re in different situation. And you have that experience to draw from; it helps to boost your confidence. We were a very confident team at the start of the year, but having played through a lot of different situations, I think our confidence has grown.”

Ryan, threw a 9-yard touchdown to receiver Michael Jenkins with a little over four and a half minutes remaining in the game.  

This was Ryan’s sixth fourth quarter, game winning effort of year.  He kept a 10-play, 67-yard drive alive with a 25-yarder to receiver Roddy White on a third-and-20.

Ryan finished the day 18-for-36, 205 yards and two touchdowns.

“We didn’t play our best game. It wasn’t one of our better games, but we are a very resilient group. Guys can put bad plays behind them and we have to do that in this league. There are going to be plays that don’t go your way. Our guys did a good job of staying composed. They never blinked. That’s what this team is all about. They are not going to blink whenever things go the other team’s way.”

ON RUNNING OUT OF MIRACLE FINISHES: “I know this, most of the games in this league come down to a touchdown or less. Between 25 and 30 percent of them are decided by a field goal. We’ve just been in a situation where we’ve played in a lot of those. We know that this team is a talented team and that they have a lot of resolve. No matter what the situation is, they are going to play to the end. When you do that, you have the opportunity to win games. That’s what we’ve been able to do. We’ve been very fortunate.”

--Mike Smith, head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Excerpts taken from ajc.com (December 6, 2010) and www.sportsgurus.com (December 6, 2010).

For more on performance psychology, mindset, and mental conditioning, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.  Also, download the smartphone app, Mindfuel Lite, to learn about the Peak Performance System.  

Blake Griffin's Top 10 Dunks

Navy Seals Understand and Use Mental Conditioning and Sports Psychology

Until the 1990s the United States Navy had physically trained the SEALs for mission success and survival, but mental training was only a byproduct of the physical training, an afterthought.  However, since the 1990s the Navy realized that they must be more purposeful in their mental conditioning to ensure greater success. To this end, the SEALs have met with sports psychologists and other experts to determine the most essential elements of mental conditioning and have determined that the following four principles greatly improve the likelihood of mission success and survival:

• Set manageable goals. There is much danger in setting too many goals or setting unrealistic goals that impede progress or success. Navy SEAL candidates are trained to have laser focus on successfully completing each training drill and to avoid focusing on completing the entire program.

• Visualize your success. The SEALs are trained to visualize their success even in their darkest hour. Creating the success in your mind first allows you to convince your other faculties that it is not only possible but probable.

• Focus on positive self-talk. We each have the power to choose the voice to which we listen. He teaches the SEALs that they can talk themselves into victory or defeat by focusing on opportunities and strengths instead of telling themselves how dire a situation is.

• Manage stress. Stress limits our success and threatens our health. The SEAL commanders understand that it is difficult to convince "tough guys" to meditate so they teach their men to manage stress via 4x4x4 breathing. Quite simply they inhale for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, and repeat for four minutes.

Excerpts from MorganHillTimes.com (November 29, 2010).

For more on mental conditioning and performance psychology, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.   For additional mental conditioning tools and resources, click on and request access to The Peak Performance eCoach.  

Cam Newton Displays Mental Toughness

"Cameron Newton is physically and mentally as tough as I've ever seen," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. "Period."

Despite allegations surrounding his eligibility and an NCAA investigation related to alleged irregularity in his recruitment, Auburn

 quarterback Cam Newton led the Tigers to a victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday.  

The Crimson Tide already had a 21-0 lead by the time the Tigers got their initial first down in the game.  Ultimately, coming from 24 points down to end Alabama's 20-game win streak in Tuscaloosa,

the #2 national ranked team beat the defending national champions.  

Pressure is nothing new to the Tigers.  Trailing in eight games this season, coming back is no problem for Cam Newton and the 12-0 Tigers.

Also, Newton retained his lead in the USA Today Heisman Trophy poll for the fifth straight week.  He earned 48 points and eight out of a possible 10 first-place votes from those who participated in USA Today’s survey.

Newton finally got Auburn on the board with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Emory Blake, cutting the deficit to 24-7. On the second play of the second half, Newton lofted a 70-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Zachery.  He later scored from the 1-yard line to cut Alabama's lead to 24-21.

After Alabama kicked its second field goal, Newton drove the Tigers for the winning score. He completed a crucial fourth-down pass to Darvin Adams along the sideline to keep the possession alive. Finally, he rolled to his right and threw back across the field to a wide-open Philip Lutzenkirchen for a 7-yard TD with 11:55 remaining in the game.

Newton finished the game 13-of-20 passing for 216 yards and three TDs; 22 rushes for 39 yards and one TD in 28-27 win over Alabama.  

No player has meant more to his team's success than Newton, who has kept the Tigers unbeaten throwing for 2,254 with only 6 interceptions and rushing for another 1,336 yards while accounting for an incredible 40 touchdowns. He’s the leading rusher in the SEC and has the second-best quarterback rating in the country next to Kellen Moore of Boise State., 

In four games vs. Top 25 teams, Newton has been responsible for nearly 70 percent of the Tigers' total yards and has thrown for five TDs and run for nine more. This week he gets a second crack at South Carolina in the SEC Championship Game against whom he amassed 334 yards and five TDs on Sept. 25.

The 250-pound Newton was at his best when the Tigers defeated South Carolina, 35-27, as three-point home favorites. Newton rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns, while also passing for two more additional touchdowns.   In a recent game against the University of Georgia, Newton scored four total touchdowns – two passing and two rushing – in a 49-31 victory.. 

“That type of focus will go a long way in convincing NFL scouts that he ... has the mental toughness to thrive under the microscope.” 

--CBS Sports’ Rob Rang praising Newton’s ability to overcome the off-field scrutiny that has surrounded him in recent weeks, following Newton’s performance against Georgia.

A win by the Tigers against South Carolina would surely put them in the national championship game, possibly against the University of Oregon (who have one more game against Oregon State).

Excerpts from www.thecelebritycafe.com (November 17, 2010), www.nbcsports.com (November 27, 2010), www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com (November 29, 2010), www.donbest.com (November 29, 2010).

For more on performance psychology and the Peak Performance System, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance and, the smartphone app, Mindfuel.

New York Jets Drive to a Victory vs. The Houston Texans

Danilo Gallinari of the New York Knicks Avoids Superstar Expectations and Just Wants to Win

“I know you expect a lot from me, and people expect a lot from me,” Gallinari said late Wednesday night, “but I’m not a superstar, I’m not an All-Star, I’m not LeBron, I’m not those great players. I’m an important player of the Knicks. And that’s what I’m trying to do, to help the team every time. Sometimes, can be these type of games, sometimes not. But as long as we win, it’s all good.”

--Danilo Gallinari, The NBA's New York Knicks' emerging star, discussing his emergence as a key player.

Gallinari just posted consecutive 20-point games for the first time this season — 21 in Denver and a season-high 27 in Sacramento — and was simply asked if he needed a performance like this for his confidence.  Danilo showed some flashes of brilliance last season including a 28-point performance, also against Denver and Carmelo Anthony.


This season, Gallinari also put up 24 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the floor (including 4-for-4 on 3s) against the Chicago Bulls on November 4.    


“He’s very secure in who he is and he’s very confident,” his coach, Mike D’Antoni said. “He can tell you one thing, but he may think another. But I think he knows he has a lot of work to do to get where those guys are. He’s not up there. I don’t think that says he can’t get there, he’s just not them yet."


D'Antoni once called Gallinari the best shooter he had ever seen.  But, Gallinari does not focus on stardom.  

“It’s not my goal,” he said. “You know me, so I never say that. It’s not in my mind. It’s not in my mind. My mind is to win with this franchise. I’ve been selected and picked by this franchise three years ago. I want to stay here. I want to win with this franchise. That’s all that is in my mind. I’ve been working with the coaches; the coaches know what I can do and I’m just trying to be the best player I can.”

What about you?  Is your mindset to be the star or to help your team be successful?  


Excerpts from the New York Times (November 16 & 19, 2010) and ESPN.com (November 5, 2010).


For more on mental conditioning, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.  

Inside the Mind of a New NFL Coach: Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys

"Be great today.  That's what it's about.  You have to be good each and every day in everything that you do, and if you continue to do that, the right habits will develop and hopefully the results will come.

"We don't talk a lot about winning games. We talk about doing things the right way and then being prepared to play the best you can play."

--Jason Garrett.  

Garrett, in his first game as the Dallas Cowboys' head coach, led his team to a 33-20 upset victory over the favored New York Giants.  It was their first win since late September.  The Cowboys entered the game with a 1-7 record, after beginning the season as a Super Bowl favorite.    

Though he encouraged his players to enjoy the win, Garrett was already thinking about the next opponent:  the Detroit Lions.  

"It's hard not to get your mind going on the next one," he said. "You're challenged so much in this league. Detroit is going to be a great challenge for us on Sunday afternoon."

Garrett wants the team prepared as much as possible, because he's a firm believer that each work day incrementally determines the outcome on Sunday.

The Cowboys played inspired, energetic football in beating the NFC East-leading Giants.

"Like Jason said, and it's kind of boring, but you're trying to put good days upon good days," backup quarterback Jon Kitna said. "And hopefully it gives you a chance to win on Sunday and then you perform well on Sunday."  

Kitna was forced into a starting role since a shoulder injury sidelined starter Tony Romo.   Kitna, in his third start, threw for 327 yards off of 13-of-22 passing with three touchdowns. He had six completions of at least 25 yards, including four plays that went for over 40 yards each.

"You have to constantly prove to the players that what you're telling them is the right stuff," Garrett said. "I think a big part of that is having the right kinds of players, players who are receptive to coaching. We have the right coaches here, we have the right kind of players here."

"Certainly winning the ballgame on Sunday is an important part of credibility for coaches," Garrett said. "And that's whether you're a new coach or if you've been coaching a team for a long time. … The business is a bottom line business. You have to win games. You have to perform on Sundays. But I think the best way to go about doing that is taking care of the process along the way. So I think our players understand that."

• One day at a time, one game at a time
• Establish credibility
• Foster positive work habits
• Have players with receptivity to coaching 
• Build on success
• Focus on results  

What is your mindset?  Are your teammates responding?   

Excerpts from www.dallascowboys.com (November 15 &16, 2010) 

For more on the Dallas Cowboys franchise, click on Dallas Cowboys:  Peak Performance Case Study.  

The New England Patriots Get Back on Track

"I thought all of the guys played really hard, stayed focused, and it was an exciting win for all of us, everybody in this locker room. We haven’t been this happy in a long time. We're pretty good when we play and we execute the right way, do the right thing, and when everyone is doing their job."

--New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who completed 30 of 43 passes for 350 yards and had four total touchdownsa in a surprisingly easy 39-26 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

The Patriots (7-2) couldn’t wait to get back onto the field to redeem themselves and remove the memories of an upset lost to the Cleveland Browns the previous Sunday.

"We just wanted this game to hurry up and get here," Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork said. "But at the same time, we had to take care of what we needed to take care of in practice, preparation, game planning and all that stuff. I think everybody did a good job of coming to work."

Does your team come back from adversity with a renewed focus and a sense of urgency and preparation? Does failure motivate or hinder your team?

Excerpts from http://www.nesn.com (November 15, 2010).

For more on the New England Patriots franchise, click on The New England Patriots: Peak Performance Case Study.

Performance Vertical Consulting: Our new video

Enjoy the new marketing video from Performance Vertical Consulting produced by Animoto.com.



Performance Vertical Consulting is a performance and talent acquisition consulting firm located in Atlanta, Georgia.  We install Peak Performance Systems in individuals, teams, and organizations.  We hope you enjoy the video and continue to come to our blog.

All the best, from Performance Vertical Consulting.

NFL Teams: Pass on Randy Moss

Talent, yes; great individual performer, yes; great individual numbers? Yes, but dwindling. Do I like to watch him? Yes, but like a train wreck.

Winner?

It's simple. Randy Moss has great talent, but has never been a winner. He is disruptive, but, more importantly, no team that has had him has been better overall because of him. Even the New England Patriots, as great as they have been, have not been back to the Super Bowl since Randy Moss has been on the team.

If you want headlines and, perhaps, an offensive (no pun intended) jolt, take Randy Moss. If you want to win, pass him by.  

How to Celebrate Success: Los Angeles Lakers Ring Ceremony

A team is a small number of people interdependent on their complementary skills, who are committed to a common purpose, performance, and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable (Jon Katzenbach)

Forget the excuses.

Forget the nay-sayers.

Forget the yes-people.

Forget the experts.

Forget who's in charge.

Forget the contingency plans.

Forget the media.

Forget the compromises.

Keep your vision at the forefront.

"I've shared with my teammates how I prepare for games. My hope is that my mentality rubs off on them. I want them to see what I see, think about what I think about: Why did you turn the ball over? What was the defense doing? What were your options? If this guy cuts here and the defense does this, who does that free up?

"We've got guys who are gym rats, who want to work hard, who want to win. The trick is to get everybody playing together, trying to accomplish the same goal. If you have the talent and the sacrifice on top of that, you have a championship-caliber team. One player can do only so much. If you haven't gotten to that next level, you haven't figured out how to get everybody on the same page."

--Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers.

Is this how your team celebrates success?

Team Chemistry: The Forgotten Variable in Success

I have never seen the hype machine in higher gear than it has been since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwayne Wade in Miami. Many people have either predicted an 82-0 season record and/or an automatic NBA championship trophy to the Miami Heat even before the regular season had started.

The 88-80 win by the veteran Boston Celtics over the Miami Heat last night in Boston in the season opener is a reminder that talent is never enough. The Celtics, made up of a core unit of Ray Allen (20 points) , Paul Pierce (19 points), Rajon Rondo (who led the Celtics with 17 assists) and Kevin Garnett (10 points and 10 rebounds) and veteran Shaquille O'Neal, beat the Heat because of one thing: team chemistry.  Despite 31 points from LeBron James, the Heat looked disorganized and over-matched.

What we saw was a veteran Celtics team that has been together since 2007. The Celtics own one NBA championship and another finals appearance since that time. Last night, it beat a Miami team of newly acquired "super talent." The Celtic team has kept its core because of its understanding of team chemistry, cohesion, precision passing and team defense. Talent cannot be put together quickly and made to perform flawlessly without much planning, preparation, and practice.  You can expect the Miami Heat to continue to be less than stellar without much more time to come together.  The competition is gunning for them and the Heat may have a harder time than expected early in the season at least. Watch the more experienced NBA teams take advantage for the foreseeable future.

So, remember, when you want top performance and results with any team, consider team chemistry. Keep your team together and be patient. You will be rewarded. Don't assume that talent can perform at a high level without time, togetherness and maturity.

To download the new mobile mental conditioning app from Performance Vertical Consulting, get your smartphone and click on:  Mindfuel Lite.  

For more on performance psychology, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.  

Miles Austin of the Dallas Cowboys Steps Up and Takes Responsibility

When the wheels on the bus start to fall off, do you take responsibility?  Many people do not.  Here is an example of someone who did.  

"I just feel terrible about it.  I just shouldn't even have put the team in a situation like that. As bad as I feel about it I've just got to do whatever I can to make it up to the team and just continue to work as hard as I can."

"And I'm the reason of that message, to be honest with you.  It's a terrible, terrible feeling. The only thing I can do is the most I can do every day to help this team out. And that is going in today, getting a workout in, watching film today, as much as I can, and just trying to make up for it."

--Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys  wide receiver, after a loss to the Minnesota Vikings that put his team's record at 1-4 for the season.  

Austin was called for an excessive celebration penalty after a Cowboy touchdown during the game on Sunday.  This was the second penalty of this type against the Cowboys in the past two weeks.  He was also penalized for a push-off that resulted in a pass interference call in the seond quarter, nullifying a beautiful 68-yard touchdown catch.


  
The Handbook of Peak Performance



Dallas Cowboys: Peak Performance Case Study

The NBA's Top Dunks of 2010

The NBA 2010-2011 Season is not that far away.  I thought I would jump start your day with the Top 10 Dunks of the past season.



Check out the Handbook of Peak Performance for mental conditioning and performance enhancement tools.

Kevin Durant and Team USA: Peak Performance Case Study

"I'm not nearly the player that I want to be.  I've got so much more work to do."  

-Kevin Durant, MVP of the FIBA World Championships, after the final game in which he scored 28 points and led Team USA to victory over Turkey, 81-64. 

His final three performances were excellent, including 33, 38 and 28 against Russia, Lithuania and Turkey, respectively.


Failure Is Not An Option


"Our only option was to come out here and get a gold, and it feels really good to bring this back home to the States," Durant said.


Insurmountable Challenge


"Most people didn't think we could win,"  Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said.


"I think that was extra motivation," Durant said.  "It was exciting to come out here and win and also to prove people wrong."  


Invaluable Experience


"We're proud of both.  Both guys will benefit from the experience and mental endurance required to help win an event of this level.  This kind of international experience holds value in terms of the opportunity to compete under difference and unique circumstances while still remaining committed to the core principle of team."  


--Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti, discussing Team USA teammates Durant and Russell Westbrook, who are also teammates with the Thunder. 


The System


"We're going to have a blended roster of players (in 2012). ... There could even be some others. Who knows.  That's all part of having a fluid system.  We've used 30 different players on the men's national roster since the world championship in 2006.  That's a sign of a strong program. That's the kind of program we should have.  Our program is in very good shape, and the pipeline is full.  Players want to represent their country."


--Team USA Chairman, Jerry Colangelo, who is given much credit for the recent success of Team USA.  


"It's the leadership," said Colangelo. "It's the infrastructure that he and I spoke about way back when, when he [Coach Krzyzewski] and I talked about him being the guy I wanted to coach the team. We had to put infrastructure in place and it's there and it's played out every day. With the staff, with the preparation, with the film sessions, with the scouting, with the motivation that is part of this whole thing, the communication. It's the way it should be. It's a real program."



For more on performance psychology, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.  

Visions of Greatness: Larry Fitzgerald

"You can never let anything distract you from your main objective.  My only goal is to be great. That's all I want. That's all I ever aspire to be. Greatness is something nobody can ever take away from you, no matter what happens. So I put all my energy and focus into my craft."

--Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals NFL wide-receiver.

So, what do you need to do to stay focused?  Here are some questions to ask:

• Where am I headed this week? What would I consider to be a successful week?  

• What is likely to get in the way of my success this week?  

• What do I need to anticipate in order to be successful this week? 

• What do I need to do to eliminate the barriers or challenges to my success this week?

• What does my mindset have to be in order to be successful? 

• What is my game plan for success this week? 

• What do I need to practice or rehearse in order to be successful this week? 

• What will I need to execute flawlessly in order to be successful this week? 

• How will I evaluate or review what I have accomplished for the week? 

For more on mental conditioning, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.

For mental conditioning tools and resources, click on Peak Performance eCoach and request access.

Caroline Wozniacki: New Star in Women's Tennis

"Pressure is when you're put on the spot and you don't feel like you belong there, don't think you deserve to be there. I think I deserve to be where I am, and I think that I'm feeling comfortable there."

--Caroline Wozniacki, finalist in last year's U.S. Open and #1 ranked woman in this year's Open.

Wozniacki breezed through the first set in her quarterfinal match with Dominika Cibulkova, as she has in every one of her matches so far in New York, winning 6-2, 7-5. Cilbulkova and Wozniacki had to suffer through a windy evening that affected both of their games. It was the first time in five matches that a player has taken more than four games in a set from Wozniacki in this Open. This was her 13th straight match win and she is 18-1 since Wimbledon.

"It felt like we were playing in a hurricane or something," Wozniacki said. "But it was the same for both players. I'm happy to get through."

The Dane is aggressive and one of the best defensive players. She is known for her "counter-punches." She wins points by forcing opponent errors and energetically running down balls. Her speed and athleticism allow her to retrieve most balls hit by her opponent. On Wednesday, the top-seeded played an aggressive game and controlled many of the points.

Wozniacki was a surprise runner-up to Kim Clijsters at last year's Open. This year she defeated former champion Maria Sharapova 6-3 6-4 Monday to reach the quarter-finals.

"I definitely think I've improved a lot, not only physically, but also I believe in myself more. I believe I can do it," she said. "Also I think I can mix up my game a little bit more than I could last year."

Boxing is one of Wozniacki's off-court interests and the 20-year-old's training includes boxing for conditioning.

"Boxing, it's just a different way for me to work out," she told reporters after her 6-2 7-5 quarter-final victory. "I'm really competitive. I really don't like losing."

Excerpts taken from www.nypost.com (8/29/2010) and Reuters.com.

For more on performance psychology, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.

The Decision: Did LeBron Do The Right Thing?

“I wanna be a billionaire so fricking bad, buy all of the things I never had!” --Travie McCoy, musician and rapper.

Did it surprise you? I bet, No. Did it disappoint you? I bet, Yes.

Of course, Cleveland wanted him for themselves. So, did all the other teams in the running. Each team wanted a decision that would make their little world better. However, there was more at play here and we knew it, deep in our hearts.

Let's set the stage. After Watergate and Bill Clinton, we wanted someone to step up. We waited to see if George W. Bush was going to do the right thing and show the right leadership "stuff" after 9/11. He didn't take advantage of the tragedy to pull the USA or the world together. He had another chance with Hurricane Katrina and blew it. The Gulf oil spill has been a disappointing opportunity for President Barack Obama to show his mettle. He hasn't. I can keep going but I am sure you can name all the others that have had the opportunity, yet failed to inspire us or show us the way.

So, we weren't waiting for LeBron James to make his decision because he is a basketball player. We weren't really waiting for which of the new teams he was going to play for. We weren't waiting for LeBron to make a good decision. We wanted to see if he was going to make a great decision; a transcendent decision.

Transcendence requires real leadership. We wanted someone to start the process of restoring our faith in ourselves and humanity. We wanted someone to reverse our increasingly understandable cynicism. We were waiting for someone to rise above the mentality of reality TV. We wanted to see what a contemporary role model would do.

Well, LeBron did the exciting thing to do, the new thing, the glamorous thing, maybe even the most financially sound thing. He might have done his "pros" and "cons" analysis and it came up as the "best" thing to do.

Many people consider him a role model and he is, whether he likes it or not. I even heard some people defend his decision as a black man taking what was his. I respect that, too. Some defended it as a carefully thought-out business decision.

I understand that LeBron was tired of chasing the ring with his Cleveland teammates. He felt his biological basketball clock ticking.

In any case, LeBron did what is his individual American prerogative of pursuing life, liberty and happiness. He has the right to choose. You can even say he has earned it. I get that and I don't begrudge him that.

What I would have preferred that LeBron had done (and I defend his right not to) is to model loyalty, and demonstrate and reciprocate affection for a team, a city, a state, and a region that could use a little. I would have preferred him to go old school and stick with one team to the end. He didn't have to and he should do what he wants to do, but I wanted him to be compelled to stay and work for a championship for a team that has tried to surround him with the role players to win.

I wish that he had taken the opportunity to show compassion, value relationships and "connection" over all else. The city of Cleveland embraced him, even without a championship. Cleveland valued his efforts at winning they were willing to keep going.

The worst thing about this is that I hoped that he would return to Cleveland, but I wasn't surprised that he didn't. I know what kind of world we live in and I know that LeBron did not grow up with his father. I also understand that he wanted to be wanted. Everyone wanted him. But, most importantly, I knew that he did not understand, anticipate or care what the consequences of his decision would be. That is the real tragedy. He was oblivious to the aftermath around him.

That is the great disease of our time. What we needed was a decision that made us all a little better.

What did Tiger Woods say after his affairs? "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anyone." If you haven't already, I think that you will soon hear that from LeBron. He made a good decision, he didn't make a great decision.

So, there you have it, plain to see. LeBron made a good decision, but he didn't make a transcendent decision. It wasn't in his emotional DNA. Perhaps that is why he doesn't have a ring. Perhaps he will get a ring. But, it won't mean as much. There will be emotional asterisks surrounding it.


Sports, the NBA, basketball, and we all suffer. He could have made us all a little better. I'm disappointed, but I'm not surprised.