Sports Psychology Coaching Video – with Sports Psychologist Dr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter, CEO of PerformingEdgeCoach.com

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Dr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter – Sports Psychology Expert and Coach
Author of Your Performing Edge
Website:  http://www.DrJoAnn.com
Telephone:  (650) 654-5500
Email:  info@DrJoAnn.com

Performing Edge Coaching International
3341 Brittan Ave., Suite #10
San Carlos, CA 94070

QUOTE #1: In the first stage of this year’s tour, Lance predicted:
“For the Tour de France, it’s not only the strongest team, but it’s the smartest team that will win.”

LESSON for ATHLETES: You can’t ignore the mental side of your training. You need to be strong and also smart about your training and racing.

I watched this year’s tour and saw Lance on the podium. As I watch him ride and hear his interviews, I reflect on my own interview I had with Lance.

Prior to this year’s Tour de France, I had the opportunity to interview Lance Armstrong when he competed in the San Francisco Grand Prix Bike Race.

Lance Armstrong knows about life’s setbacks; he’s a master at turning them into comebacks. In my interview Lance said: “I owe all my victories to the cancer; this illness enabled me to win The Tour. Had I gotten just an early stage illness, I wouldn’t be the same now. I would not have won the Tour de France. If I had not been through hell, I couldn’t be here now.”

Stay tuned for more of my insights about Lance and the Tour de France and mental toughness lessons for athletes.

Do you have a Passion for Excellence in your Training?

As a sports psychologist, I’m often asked, how do I gain that hunger for progress, for results, for success? To truly excel as an athlete you must have an inner fire, that drive, simply to become the best you can be. As a sports psychology expert, and an elite runner, I’ve worked successfully with many athletes and I’ve developed a step-by-step mental training system so you can ignite your inner fire
and desire.
You start with a vision, then you need to find a way be inspired in order to reach your goal. Without a true love for your training and a burning desire to be the best you can be, you will have difficulty pushing yourself to do what has to be done in the face of obstacles.

It will be too easy to skip a workout now and then. A coach can give you support and guidance on your running, but you have to supply the rest. Only you can push yourself when you’re tired, or make yourself work out when distractions get in the way.

We often read about athletes overcoming physical challenges. Lance Armstrong survived testicular cancer and won the Tour de France three times. Marla Runyan ran in the 1500 meters of the 2000 Olympics while being legally blind.

It is out of these challenges that athletes develop a fierce, burning desire to succeed. They need to prove to themselves that they can achieve their goals. Through these kinds of examples we can begin to understand that desire is sometimes more important than even talent or a healthy body.

So your inner fire, your drive must come from within, regardless of whether you’re a novice, a serious athlete, or competing at the elite level.

The good news is that building and maintaining a high level of self-motivation is a learned skill that anyone can acquire. Motivation is energy, and that sense of self-directedness is one of the most powerful sources of energy available to an athlete.

From internal motivation you gain the willingness to persevere with your training, to endure discomfort and stress, and to make sacrifices with your time and energy as you move closer toward realizing your goal.

HOW DO YOU BUILD YOUR INNER FIRE?

Profile of the Highly Driven Athlete

What are the key characteristics of athletes with an inner fire?
Through my extensive work with numerous athletes over several years, I have developed a constellation of the SEVEN TRAITS that define the champion’s mentality.

Elite athletes do not possess superhuman powers or extraordinary qualifications limited to a selected few. The characteristics that make a champion can be attained and developed by anyone who wants to
excel in a sport.

1. Self-direction and internal motivation: Champions decide early on that they are training and competing for themselves, not for their parents, their coaches, or for the medals. Direction and drive need to come from within. The goals must be ones that you have chosen because that’s exactly what you want to be doing. Ask yourself, what keeps you training? Who are you doing it for?

In part 2 of this series we will go over all seven key characteristics for runners with an inner fire so you can make them part of your training.