Raising the bar

I once a had a client, a bank trainer, who was so excited about all the possibilities to excel that she was a joy to coach. Though she had large obstacles in her life, she greeted every day with a big smile. She seemed always to have a new idea, a new inspiration driving her and often had several projects on the table at a time whenever we talked. There was never enough time in the day for this champion so she stretched time to accommodate her needs. What I loved about this client was that she kept asking me to raise the bar. When I would suggest a shift in perspective or gave her a tool for success, she always said Yes. She wanted to reach higher every day, polish herself more every chance she got. And she really stood out to her superiors. She was heading straight ahead to manifest the dream she held for herself and for the people she served. She was flexible and willing. It was awe-inspiring to watch the trajectory of her career.

I once worked with a pro athlete who was on the verge of stellar success, right in that window where the dream was visible and within reach. Yet this person would frequently say no, find an excuse not to reach outside their comfort zone, not to try something different and new in order to get a step closer to what they identified as their dream goal. You could say the person was rigid, preferred being comfortable with the known, or simply fearful. Whatever your observation, the boat was tied to the pier.

Discomfort comes when we reach beyond our grasp and enter unknown territory on the way to reaching a dream goal. When you think about it, a champion is alone when he stretches out ahead of the pack. Others run behind, some increasing their pace to keep up, some cheering, some wishing him defeat. The champion is alone with his/her dream and the will to push their limits to make the dream come true. This individual does not mind being uncomfortable because he/she is willing do whatever it takes, raise the bar no matter the discomfort. And if you look closely, you will find the champion often smiling.

Are you client number one or client number two?

Dana Nellen. Coaching for Champions: The Nellen Method for Peak Performance. Copyright 2011. All rights reserved.

Thoughts for spring: Attaining peak sports performance

I watch sports from a yoga perspective. That is because I have been an elite athlete as a dancer and I have been practicing yoga for nearly 35 years. I know athletes can benefit from these time proven tools because the true science of yoga is infallible and will benefit sports performance.

The ancient yoga texts tell us that to attain a goal, uninterrupted, one-pointed, regular practice over a long period of time is essential. This is because it works. Serious athletes know this ethic very well, from youth sports on through to the active roster on a pro or Olympic team – at every level of play – it is the uninterrupted self-effort, day after day, year after year, that leads to championship performance at the highest level.

Athletes, what I want to bring to your attention here is another quality that is an essential ingredient that yoga gives us for reaching a lofty goal:  Detachment. Detachment is doing what it takes without expecting rewards for efforts. When I talk to athletes, I sometimes ask, How many of you are playing because you want a scholarship or because you want to be in a pro league or the Olympics? How many of you are playing for the sheer love of the game? The reason I ask this is because it is doing something because you love it and it is this love that drives you to strive for peak performance, that keeps a player buoyant over the long run.

Being detached is challenging when we have a burning desire to achieve. Yet, when we can become immersed in the daily doing, the joy and thrill of daily self-mastery, the thrill of growing into a unified team, without expectation of a particular outcome on a particular day, the result is that we enter a space of enjoying the process. This is really important –  When we can keep a degree of detachment, we remain buoyant and this detachment leads to better performance.

As we move into spring sports and the winter players enter a different phase, I want to salute all elite athletes, and by elite I mean those of you who have a big goal and are going for it, whether you are youth, collegiate, minor league, pro or you are preparing to compete for the 2012 Olympics. The big chance will come when you persevere every day, over a long time. With detachment, you will also partake in the joy of the journey.

May your dreams come true!

Dana Nellen assists athletes, high school through pro to achieve peak performance without drugs, supplements or expensive equipment. E-mail dana@dananellen.com.

Dana Nellen. Coaching for Champions: The Nellen Method for Sports Performance. Copyright 2011. All rights reserved.

Athletes: Get on track for success in 2011!

SET YOUR GOALS FOR SUCCESS IN 2011

SPORTS PERFORMANCE COACHING TELECONFERENCE CALL

Tuesday January 11, 2011

9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. Central/ 6 p.m. PT

As an athlete: If you wait until you are thirsty to re-hydrate – you’ve waited too long. Similarly, if you aren’t pro-active, but re-active to working in this powerful group coaching environment – you’ve waited too long.  Don’t wait, take action today! Get on track to reach your goals in 2011.

What are your performance goals for 2011? Do you want to become a better player?  If so, what does that mean?

Bring pen and notebook to this conference call and get ready to get on track for magnificent heights this year!

To find out more and to register, visit http://www.dananellen.com

Coaching for Champions: The Nellen Method for Sports Performance. Copyright 2011. All rights reserved.

Avoiding the DL

Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals is on the DL and out for the season. This amazing young pitcher has to take a step back and rest. This brings me to an important discussion for serious, committed athletes: Balance.

The Oxford Dictionary describes balance in multiple areas:

1. An even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.

2. Arranged in good proportions: she assembled a balanced team

3. Taking everything into account; fairly judged or presented: accurate and balanced information

4. Having different elements of food in the correct proportions:a healthy, balanced diet

5. State of mind: having no emotion lacking or too strong; stable:a balanced personality

An elite athlete must maintain balance in order to be a peak performer and also to remain durable for the long run. Maintaining healthy balance allows you to avoid injuries, burnout and distractions that take you off your goals. These are no small concerns! So, it is crucial for you as an elite athlete to examine this important subject. Or you may have to learn about balance the hard way. When a guitar strings are strung too tightly, they break.

How can an athlete who is determined to reach stellar goals achieve balance?

I have listed some categories below so you can begin to examine where you can create greater balance. Write one thing in each category that you can begin to do now to create better balance. Make the actions positive, doable and concrete. If you come up with other areas where you can work on balance, write them in as well.

Self care _______________________________________

Sport specific training ______________________________

Learning and study _______________________________

Recuperation ___________________________________

Down time (“me” time) _____________________________

Sleep _________________________________________

Nutrition ______________________________________

Meal times _____________________________________

Relationships ___________________________________

Social life ______________________________________

Family ________________________________________

Spiritual life ____________________________________

Saving / spending habits ____________________________

Now, go back and see where you may want to adjust and spend a little more energy and where might you do a little less to create better overall balance for yourself. Do your best not to completely avoid any area. As a busy athlete, you may find at any given time that you need to spend more time on some categories than others. You can make up for this temporary imbalance when you have time again.

You can remain a peak performer for the long run when you create and maintain balance.

Dana Nellen is a sports performance coach, addressing physical, mental and philosophical issues all serious commited athletes have challenges with. To find out more on taking your sports performance to the next level, e-mail dana@dananellen.com or visit us at www.dananellen.com.

Dana Nellen. Coaching for Champions: The Nellen Method for Sports Performance. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

Drugs and the serious athlete

It amazes me how we continually sweep this nightmare  that is all-pervasive in sports under the carpet. A coach or athlete breathes a sigh of relief when his cheating and illegal activities are covered over and the media pretends we can all just brush it away as just another incident in an ongoing stream…oh well.

Recent article in the Billings Gazette: O’Neal basks in season outcome. MIKE ZIMMER Sports editor | Posted: Saturday, July 24, 2010 11:17 pm

“This year’s title — Billings defeated the Sioux Falls Storm 43-34 in United Bowl II last Saturday at the Outlaws SportsPlex— put  a happy ending on a season that was littered with obstacles. During the offseason, four former players — two of whom were assistant coaches in 2009 — were arrested on cocaine-trafficking charges. Then in midseason, the cocaine story truly hit home when offensive lineman Nolan Fisher, who had started every game since the beginning of the 2008 season, was arrested on the same charges…”

July 27, 2010, Hardballtalk.nbcsports.com, by Aaron Gleeman: Prentice Redman got suspended while he was suspended.

“Dodgers minor leaguer Prentice Redman is currently serving a 50-game suspension for a positive amphetamine test last month, but that didn’t stop the 30-year-old outfielder from receiving a 100-game suspension yesterday for a second positive test..”

My questions to all of you serious athletes, amateur and pro, football, baseball, olympics and across sports:

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING when you choose to do something illegal while promoting your sports career?

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING when you consciously choose to put your physical and mental health under serious jeopardy?

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING when you take cocaine during an NFL game? Do you really think you are stronger and sharper or are you in deep delusion while others see you as you are, drugged?

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING when you ingest steroids, knowing they ultimately lead to breaking down your body while any mental calm and clarity you had is replaced by a nasty abusive temper. To say nothing of the fact this is cheating?

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING is the true value of 600 home runs in the face of cheating? Do you really believe you are a winner?

WHY DO ELITE ATHLETES CHOOSE A PATH OF CHEATING AND SELF ABUSE? I really want to know from you who are aspiring to be professional athletes and from you who are or have been professionals or Olympians? Please enlighten those of us looking on at a sports scene that is becoming more and more repulsive.

Even if you pass under the wire and the media pretends you are all goodness once again, what about your self-esteem? What about the kids who look up to you? What about your fans who look to you to be that amazing champion who has the gift of lifting us all up just a little bit more in our often challenging lives?

WHY are you playing your sport? Is it because you love it? Is it because you want to best yourself? Is it because you seek to be a champion?

I KNOW without a doubt you can become a peak competitor and win and remain durable without drugs or supplements. You know it also.  So, why would you do this to yourself? To your sport? To your fans? To kids who are watching every move you make? And let us not forget God who loves you so very much that he is crying when he sees what you have done TO YOURSELF.

Think about it. Because there is another way…

Dana Nellen is a sports performance coach in the greater Atlanta area. www.dananellen.com or email dana@dananellen.com

Dana Nellen, Coaching for Champions: The Nellen Method for Sports Performance. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

What can an athlete do with down time?

What can a champion athlete do while they are waiting? Waiting for that college scholarship or for the team to make an offer? Waiting for that first game or the next tour stop? Waiting to meet that most daunting opponent? I am talking outside your daily drills or team practice time? I have a friend who is on the road with an AAA baseball team who said sometimes all that down time is challenging for him.

I find the space between activities very interesting. It is a very powerful time period. Because you can choose to do things that add value to you as an athlete or you can do what decreases your energy and wastes time.

I am intensely goal directed so I can panic that “nothing” is happening for me or succumb to fear of failure or overwhelm or the doldrums that come from boredom. All those things lead to a downward mental spiral that can place you in a season slump.

But there IS ALWAYS a choice. What if, instead, I choose to think, Everything is coming together on my behalf.  I am a powerful winning machine. What if I decide to take care of myself in this time, get plenty of rest, take in the sights, eat right, and converse with my team mates on ways to cope with challenges or talk about some topic we all enjoy.

I can also visualize wonderful results and positive pictures of what I really want to see in my life, in the next game, in the season, in my relationships and my life goals.

A very important aspect of  waiting time is to maintain daily self-discipline. Keep to a schedule that keeps me ready for when the work comes. But this also includes mental discipline. It is about paying attention to what I am choosing to THINK. How do I talk to myself? What words do I use with others?

Regarding this challenge, when I first wake up, I take a minute to consider what to think. How do I think about how I will spend my day. I like to think of one to  three actions I can take that will take me closer to achieving the goals I want, whether personal or professional.

So, I take a deep breath, and, for example, I might say, Today, I plan to feel peaceful and I will do these 3 things that will take me closer to my goal: x, y, z.  After I have done these three things, I plan to think in a way that lets me stay peaceful and I plan to do things that will lead me to feel peaceful all day. In that way, I find my day is pretty true to what I wanted to happen.

I also sit quietly  before I head out to have breakfast and get ready for the day. Because in that pause, I often receive a spark of inspiration from within. A suggestion. A great idea to follow.

I like to make a conscious choice to think the best thoughts I can. Other things that help are counting my blessings. Remembering all I have to be grateful for. Thoughts are all-powerful.

Down time can be extremely productive. How you approach down time might just lead you to have a winning season!

Coaching for Champions, Dana Nellen and the Dana Nellen Method for Sports Performance. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. For more information on increasing your sports performance, go to www.dananellen.com

Champion Athletes: Stay Grounded and Centered on the Playing Field and in Life

There is an art to staying centered during intense situations, on the field or in life. Recently I had to drive 2100 miles in 3 days to calm and help my elderly parents get ready to move to assisted living. It happened on a dime. I packed at 8 pm and left at 2 am, avoiding LA traffic, heading for Indianapolis, Indiana.

When I arrived, panic and depression filled the house and I have to say it was like entering a full-blown hurricane. My elderly mom is losing her ability to walk and her mind all at once. My Dad is older than she is and also frail. Both parents are scared by the immanent changes. With family, this affects all the near and dear. I was faced with this and my own emotional intensity around unresolved issues with them.

The past two weeks have been about calming everyone down, coming to terms with the end of a chapter, and dealing with highly charged emotional exchanges. There were three things that helped me stay centered and effective in the midst of chaos that can also be applied to sports performance.

First: Staying present. Simply be there with what is happening, no matter how intense the desire to run from a situation or unravel. One powerful practice from the science of yoga is deep, slow breathing. Extending the breath both calms the mind and settles nerves.

I also take only 24 hours at a time, doing what is in front of me as it comes up. When I am present with each moment, I can fully assess the situation, applying myself to getting each action completed. A really amazing effect of being present is that it allows solutions to appear when situations arise.

In the moments where no action needs to happen, simply being aware of my surroundings: Stepping back. I pay attention to the birds singing because it brings me back to the simple joy of being alive. Nature has the power to give us a fresh perspective and uplifts us with its teeming vibrancy and possibilities. If we only live for the future, or only remember the past, we get sucked into our own drama. When we fully commit to being involved in what is going on right now, we open up to the power inherent in the moment.

For an athlete on the field, it may be taking in the excitement of the crowd, feeling your own body in space, really hearing the sounds, smelling the air. Maybe your fellow team mates are angry at the play you just made or maybe you are down for the count. But when you take in all the details of the present, you are not in your head. You see what is in front of you and can act effectively in the moment. When I am fully present, I have fewer regrets because I make fewer mistakes and increase my successes. I take right action as the opportunity appears. When I am in my head, I miss what is in front of me.

Second: Detachment in action. To play sports well, to handle any situation effectively, we have to detach from emotions. I don’t mean squashing down feelings, but giving them say, one hour to come up and out when I have time. When I corral my emotions, I stay in control of the situation. With detachment, I step outside the drama like I am watching a movie, without the overlay of my personal drama. Meditation is my method of learning to do this. Detachment lets me get the job done. I save my energy to make the play. This is invaluable during highly charged situations.

Third: Having a support team who root for you no matter what. I am a certified professional coach so I know how valuable a support team is. I coach and I am coached regularly. I call on my team members whenever I need to step back and receive support. People on a support team can be a friend, a spouse or coaches. These people help us keep a healthy perspective. They want to see us succeed. They want us to be our best. They want us to get through our challenges. The first member and head of my team is God. When I put God first, I know he will guide my team to support me for my highest good and the best outcome for all concerned. It happens every time. Success is always there with my team behind me.

In the end, it is our faith and our surrender to what is, not our physical or mental effort, that takes us across the finish line. If we begin with the intention to let God guide us, then stay present and detached, we act with effortless mastery. This is because we are living within the power and joy and omniscience of the present moment.

For more on increasing your sports performance visit www.dananellen.com.

Dana Nellen, Coaching for Champions: The Dana Nellen Method for Sports Performance. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

Peak Performance

My good friend and youth coach Terry Duran sent me a link to a website that said whatever your elite performance challenges, just take my 30 day home study course and you will get to the top of your game. Sounds totally amazing!

I began thinking about the fabulous website. I emailed Terry back with a question: What can anyone attain in 30 days who wants to be elite and outstanding? What has anyone attained without an ongoing coach, or 2 or 3 coaches ( I am talking about elite athletes here.)

To me, discipline is essential over an extended period of time, once the goal is identified, to implement any tool. A coach friend who is also a former NBA player said it best: You have to practice so much that the move is second nature.

Another question I had about that website offering was this: What about all the daily challenges of the athletes that have to be addressed?

My last comment to Terry was this: The zone takes work to get into, stay in, and tap into at will. One needs a teacher who knows how.

Terry wrote back:  I totally agree, I have a friend whom I discuss this stuff with on a daily basis.  The underlying FACT is that is most any sport, repetition in the key.  Huge, huge, huge numbers.  It’s said that it takes 10,000 ‘correct’ swings in baseball to develop muscle memory, same for pitching, same for fielding grounders etc.  So our Little League signs a contract with a training program in order to develop players. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy or that’s not how it works …. What you’re working today will not be seen on the field until 3-4-5 months from now!!!, The high schools (football) start their weight lifting program Jan 1, the game start Sept.1, the kids in the elite programs have tons of sweat invested into football before they even hit the field and it shows … that is how the system works.  Good stuff, thanks for sharing!!

So, how do you attain champion performance? You need regular daily discipline over an extended period of time.  The zone takes work to get into, to stay in, and to tap into at will. You also need a coach for this, someone who has experience in this area and can teach you the drills and run you through them.

Dana Nellen. Coaching for Champions: The Dana Nellen Method for Sports Performance. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.