The underrated weapon of champions
The categories we are working through over the coming weeks are:
- Mindset
- Injuries
- Energy
- Specificity
Last week I covered course correcting and refocusing your level of gratitude. Now let’s talk about becoming a precision thinker. In today’s blog we’ll cover:
- Precision mindset
- D.O.S.E. your system
- Prevent, Recover, Perform
Precision mindset
Roger Federer, Tom Brady, Lebron James, Christiano Ronaldo, Virat Kolli, Lew Hamilton, Chris Froome, among many other sports titans use one of the most fascinating subjects in sports to crush their competition. This secret of elite performers can boost your performance and it can improve your health. Yet, few of us are paying close attention to this important topic.
Headlines are made when sports giants push through to victory time and again – sometimes against the odds and sometimes at the last second. Although it may seem like chance or fate shines on these superstars, their performances are strategically developed through a highly specialized form of training called Neural Cultivating. One win could be part luck. Winning twice shows skill. An enduring champion requires a specialized refinement – a subtlety that few athletes nurture.
Neural Cultivating has been used by the “greatest-of-all-time” athletes since before the time of Gladiators. This weapon of champions is underrated, which makes it even more of a secret sauce. Titans of any sport can out-think their field of competitors. These sports ‘geniuses’ have unraveled the mystery of mindset. They know that working smarter – before working harder – is the catalyst for amazing performance. Becoming a sports legend involves many factors, yet the secret sauce of Neural Cultivating is mandatory.
The dedication needed to be able to ‘out-train’ your competition is definitely key in moving into elite status; however, the foundational requisite of peak performance is Neural Cultivating. This is the act of precise, focused thought processes. It is a mindset that is sharp in awareness, elegant in detail and shrewd in practice. It is continually honed – throughout a lifetime. In sports, as in life, the greats practice Neural Cultivation regularly. Interestingly, the training buzzwords like work ethic, effort, motivation, inspiration, and tenacity are by-products of Neural Cultivation or “precision thinking”.
Sports camps never advertise programs like “Training to out-think the competition!”. (Okay, maybe chess camp does.) Slogans like “Hard work equals success!” translates in my mind to “We will train you to be a hard-working robot without a thought in your head.” Okay, maybe that’s a bit harsh. Those who are not able to out-think the competition, regardless of how hard they work, will likely continue to be bested. The hard worker will have moments of victory.
However, lasting champions continually cultivate the right mindset. And, even when champions are toppled (and they are), they walk away with the mindset of evaluation and improvement. Watch out next time – the champion will return smarter and will appear more prepared and proficient with new skills.
Sports giants endure because they put in the work – all the work in every aspect, all the time. Champions fiercely compete, but win or lose, they absorb, adapt, and adjust. A lasting champion is a constantly evolving and moving target. Champions continually work their secret magic of Neural Cultivating. They pay close attention to details and study every aspect of their sport. Titans leave nothing to chance. In fact, the highest performing athletes are pouring hours into their Neural Cultivation.
D.O.S.E. your system
To train like the elites doesn’t mean simply doing the volume of work they’re doing. It means all systems and processes are specialized and developed, with a large emphasis on Neural-Cultivation training. You may be wondering about practical ways to introduce Neural-Cultivating into your daily training habits. It’s about training your brain to perform at its highest level, which has an amplifying effect on all other physical training. Neglecting this aspect of training may lead to stagnation of progress. Without mindset coaching, you run the risk of burnt out, lack of motivation and, in fact, more injuries.
Did you know there is a free chemical cocktail afforded to elite athletes that is 100x stronger than cocaine? Elite athletes use these legal performance-enhancing drugs along with a growth mindset to escalate their performance. Brain chemicals!
Four primary chemicals drive the positive emotions needed for competing: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins (sometimes referred to as D.O.S.E.). These chemicals work together every second of your day to regulate mood, perception and overall happiness in life. These magic elements produce legendary athletic careers. When you improve your mindset by clarifying and internalizing your “why”, your brain automatically produces this powerful cocktail for you. Conversely, a deficiency in these brain substances can lead to fatigue, lack of motivation and low self-esteem. Disproportionate levels of D.O.S.E can bring about an inability to focus, anxiety and even physical aches and pains.
Case in point: Recent phenoms in women’s professional tennis have appeared on the tour, won big and seemingly disappeared from the winner’s circle. Enduring as a champion eludes them. Barring injury (likely from lack of training or biomechanical flaws), the reason for these ‘flash in the pan’ performances is a clear lack of Neural Cultivating. Yes. I’m going on record by stating that if these phenoms were smarter, their career would consist of more than a one-hit-wonder.
I believe these athletes’ failures can be distilled down to two simple questions: Do they possess a “growth mindset?” And, do they really comprehend and appreciate “why” they play the game? If these questions cannot be answered, the D.O.S.E. cocktail will not be produced. Neural Cultivating will bring clarity to both of these performance-enhancing thought processes. Hard Stop!
Prevent, Recover, Perform
Working smarter by fostering an improved mindset is key in injury prevention. The body helix multifaceted approach to performance cultivation embraces both training of the mind and training of the body. Body helix’s world-class compression technology helps athletes break barriers and achieve results. Over the past few years, compression has been gaining traction in the sports world as a preventative and recuperative performance enhancer. In addition to cultivating a mindset, the cultivation of other enhancements is important. Compression is becoming the gold standard in injury prevention for outstanding athletes across many sports.
In the past, choosing to wear compression gear during play was seen as a sign of weakness. Now, it is a sign of intelligence. Today’s top athletes use compression during performance as well as after competition. Wearable compression has outstanding benefits for promoting localized recovery, healing damaged muscle tissue, promoting circulation, and relieving nagging pain. The best-in-class performers are recognizing the body helix approach – training smarter and utilizing science-backed compression.
Secret bonus: 3 minutes 38 seconds to help reduce your injuries and up your performance.
There are many experts and authorities across all disciplines of sports performance. It’s about knowing who they are, how to access their information, and how to draw nuggets from their research to amplify your specific performance needs. I have chosen this short video from an expert as a great example of how to cultivate critical information. The information here is astounding and will dramatically improve your performance and reduce injuries. It’s worth a few minutes of your time.
If you don’t have the resources to have your own Life Coach, that’s okay. You are going to have to learn these things on your own. My intent with these blogs is to help you navigate training approaches and offer practical tips. We all need mentors along the way. Experts are all around us. Don’t be shy. Reach out to them.
Having a world-class Life Coach is like having a master Google search team on call just for you. If you are interested, please reach out to me. My coaching strategy requires exposure to a constant flow of information from the experts. I can help you extract relevant intel that will work for you. My paramount goal, while improving your overall performance, is to instill a thirst for knowledge. I want to cultivate a success plan with you and for you. Remember, sports titans are out-thinking you! Let’s go….
Next week, I will discuss more about how Neural Cultivating can give you a jump on the competition.
For more information please visit https://bodyhelixbackup.enclave-digitalworkspace.com/blog/
It is my greatest hope that you will implement some tips from our Bio-Cultivating and Neural-Cultivating blogs. Further, it is my hope you will be inspired to pass these learnings along to family and friends. We all have people in our lives who have the desire but lack the accurate information to improve their health. It is frustrating to sift through the bombardment of data and the misinformation in today’s world. It’s no wonder some give up in frustration. I believe that we deserve the healthiest choices that honest modern science can offer. It is my mission to help as many of us as possible get and stay healthy.
As a tennis coach myself, I found the compression industry to be unacceptable for our needs. I set out on a journey to help you and your students. I know we all get beat up. The harder we compete, the more we get injured. All compression is not created equal! At Body Helix, we start with an unapologetic obsession for exceptional quality. Our design philosophy is to create modern, innovative gear that surpasses that which is offered in the global marketplace. As a privately held, Veteran-owned, North Carolina company we challenge global leaders to elevate their compression game or step aside. It’s compression gear, designed by tennis players, for tennis players.
Be well and stay focused on cultivating your health, your mind, and solitude. If I can help you further never hesitate to reach out to me.
Move Through It.
Coach Fred.
