Tiger Woods has one. So does Andre Agassi. Almost every college pro team, major league pro sports team and Olympic team has one. Virtually every pro golfer and pro tennis player has one.

What do they have?

A Mental Game Coach.

These top sports stars are smart. They’re good already. Even great. Some are all-stars and superstars. Why do “they” have a mind coach? They want to maintain their excellence. And, they want to get better. They want every edge they can get, because they know their opponents have this mental advantage.

I coach top corporate America executives, and you can turn on the TV and see the top college sports stars and major-league pro sports stars I coach. This article will help you learn what a Mental Game Coach does for these peak performers, and about how you can choose the right mind game coach.

Did you know there are at least 25 types of mind practitioners? The term mind practitioner itself is a very broad one. Maybe you’re looking for a mental health professional. Perhaps someone to help you in business. Maybe you want to reduce stress, stop a bad habit and overcome a fear or phobia. Maybe you need to perform better on the presentation platform or in the competitive sports arena and avoid the dreaded choke. Maybe you want to learn how to get in the zone more often, on command. Whatever your reason for seeking a coach, they all, to one degree or another, help you train your brain. Find your mind. Get your motivation in motion.

The mental game encompasses every mind issue you can imagine in business, sports and life.

A mental game coach can help you in these arenas:

1. Awareness

2. Learning

3. Development

4. Change

5. Habit Formation

6. Performance

7. Coaching, Mentoring, Managing and Leading

Mental Game Coaches are particularly skilled at helping you with these critical performance issues:

1. Anxiety

2. Choking

3. Focus

4. Sales Rejection Issues

5. Telephone Call Reluctance

6. Goal-Setting and Achievement

7. Perfectionism

8. Procrastination

9. Mental Preparation

10. Mental Practice

11. Self-Discipline

12. Getting In The Zone

13. Slumps and Confidence

14. Hecklers And Psych-Outs

15. Performing Under Pressure

16. The Fear Of Success

17. The Fear Of Failure

18. The Imposter Syndrome

FIVE SPECIFIC MIND TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES COACHES USE

The public is usually aware of these five major mind coaching tools. These techniques are not tied to any one particular school of coaching or therapy. Practitioners from virtually every discipline utilize these.

1. Positive Thinking

2. Mental Practice

3. Visualization

4. Self-Hypnosis

5. Cognitive Restructuring

MAKE YOUR MIND COACH SELECTION CAREFULLY AND WISELY

When selecting your mind coach, take your time. One size does not fit all. Each coach has different limitations and plusses, and not all coach background and training is equal. Not all coaches trained the same have the same abilities and capabilities. As an MD friend is fond of telling people who ask, “Even the last person to graduate in the medical school class is called “Doctor”.

Some coach training is narrow and deep and some coach training is broad and general. The field is a wide one, so make sure you select someone who has had successful experience in helping people with your specific issues, desires and goals. Choose a practitioner on background, reputation and results, not merely degrees. Chemistry and trust are the two final vital issues on which to measure your potential coach.

Good luck in your coach-hunting!

This article covers only one small part of the mental game. A complete mental training program includes motivation and goal-setting, pre-event mental preparation, post-event review and analysis, mental strengthening, self-regulation training, breath control training, motor skill training, mental rehearsal, concentration training, pressure-proofing, communication training, confidence-building, breaking through mental barriers, slump prevention, mental toughness training, flow training, relaxation training, momentum training, psych-out proofing and media training.

For a comprehensive overview of your mental abilities you need an assessment instrument that identifies your complete mental strengths and weaknesses. For a free, easy-to-take 65-item sport psychology assessment tool you can score right on the spot, visit http://www.mentalgamecoach.com/Assessments/MentalGameOfSports.html This assessment gives you a quick snapshot of your strengths and weaknesses in your mental game. You can use this as a guide in creating your own mental training program, or as the basis for a program you undertake with Bill Cole, MS, MA to improve your mental game. This assessment would be an excellent first step to help you get the big picture about your mental game.

Bill Cole, MS, MA
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/do-you-need-a-mental-game-coach-87534.html

Is spanking acceptable for you?
How about those who believe in the bible saying "spare the rod spoil the child"? If kids is your responsibility, what is the best way to make them follow your rules when they know you are limited by law in managing their behavior?

Our primary role as parents is to teach our children the skills they will need to be happy, productive, and responsible adults.

In the real world, adults have rules (laws) we must obey, and we are well aware of the consequences we will pay if we choose to break the law.

Furthermore, in the real world, adults have to "earn" the priviledge to do certain things. For example, if an adult wants to watch TV, we have to get a job, earn money, and buy one. TV’s don’t just drop out of the sky!

So, to prepare our kids for the real world, our homes must be structured in a similar fashion.

If you drive 60 MPH in a 35 MPH zone, and are pulled over by the police, what happens? Does he smack you? No. You get a ticket, and the fine is based on the number of MPH over the posted speed limit you were driving.

If you are late to work, does your boss tell you to drop your pants? No. (I HOPE not!) The consequences might be a docking of your pay, or, depending upon the companies’ policies, you might lose your job.

The point is, in the real world, the rules and laws are clear, and the consequences for breaking them are known. It should be the same in the home.

Take some time to make a list of the rules and boundaries for your family. If you have a spouse, this is something you should do together. The list should include standards for behavior (No hitting. No talking back. Etc.) It should also include the responsibilities of each family member (chores, when homework should be done, etc.) Additionally, you should list bedtimes for each child, the amount of TV time allowed, etc.

You don’t want the list to have hundreds of items on it. By the same token, you don’t want to omit anything that’s really important. So, once you’ve made your list, set it aside for a couple of days then pull it out and revise it if necessary.

Once your list is finalized, either post it in a place where it can be easily seen, or make copies for each child.

Now, sit down with your spouse and figure out the consequences. Whenever possible, the consequences should relate to the infraction. For certain things, like hitting or talking back, a time out may be the most appropriate. If homework is not begun on time, losing TV priviledges may be best.

I absolutely agree with something Dr. Phil has said – every child has their own "currency". Figure out what that is for each of your children, and you can use that as leverage. For example, one child may be video game crazy. You can use that as a consequence I.E. If chores are not done, no video games OR as a reward I.E. Completing each chore entitles child to 1/2 hour video game play.

Once you’ve worked out the consequences, make sure all your children know up front what they are.

The most important thing is 1) Rules must be clear and easily understood 2) Consequences must be clear and child must be able to predict consequences of their actions with 100% accuracy and 3) You, as the parent, must be 100% consistent with the enforcement of the rules.

One of the things I have done (and has worked very well for me) – I designed coupons and printed them out on the computer, in .25, .50, and 1.00 denominations. My daughter earns these coupons for doing chores. The coupons may be either redeemed for cash, or for TV or computer time (.25 coupon is good for 15 minutes, .50 coupon good for 1/2 hour, 1.00 coupon good for 1 hour). She will be 10 in two weeks, and this has worked great. If she misbehaves, she gets *one* warning I.E. "I don’t like that talking back. If you do it again, you will lose a coupon". If she repeats the behavior, I reach into the jar where her earned coupons are kept, and draw one out. She never knows if she’s going to lose a 25. coupon, a .50 coupon, or a 1.00 coupon. Since we started this about 6 months ago, she has developed much better impulse control. I rarely have to warn her about talking back, which was the problem I was trying to correct when I started the coupon program.

Coupons might work for you, or, perhaps something else. Be willing to try different things until you figure out what your children respond to best. Sometimes a combination of different consequences for different infractions is the best method. Just make sure the rules are clear, the consequences are known, and that you are absolutely consistent.

I use time outs and confiscate things. I also try and praise good behaviour and explain things like when you hit people it makes them feel sad etc to teach her consequences.

The problem is that lately (last couple of months) she seems to have become more badly behaved. For example sometimes hitting and sometimes defiant not wanting to listen and at others complete tantrum break down.

I have persisted with the techniques and tried (not always sucessfully to remain calm) but my Mum is putting me under pressure saying I need to be firmer. By this she means smacking which I just don’t think is right – this is how she disciplined us and I feel quite strongly about it.

That said, I am worried that my daughter is so unruly at times and just wondered how I can get good behaviour and rid of this cheeky/defiant/rude/disruptive etc side..

How do other parents do it?

Thanks so much for all who reply – as a single Mum sometimes having that extra view is missing.

If you don’t want to spank her, don’t. You’re her mum. If you need to be firmer with her, make sure you are being completely consistent with punishment. One warning, time out for 3 minutes, explanation of why the time out was issued, ask her for an apology. Consistency is key!!!!

A Musician who does not practice cannot really call themselves a musician. Anyone who loves their instrument and wants to make it part of their life should crave time to further master their art. Sometimes, musicians go through a period of non-practice for a number of reasons, but in general, they have passion and look forward to any opportunity to play music.

A musician can always rehearse, prepare, repeat, refine, sharpen and improve constantly towards further precision and ease, aiming for a flawless and faultless performance every time. They should be able to play their instrument as effortlessly as they can blink or breath and constant, regular practice is the only way to achieve this.

Just because you know how to read music and can work out how to play songs with ease does not mean you do not have to put in time and effort. If you are serious about wanting music to be a part of your life, you will have to learn all you can and continue to improve indefinitely.

Musicians who refuse to practice seem arrogant and conceited and often fall behind everyone else in ability and technique. Lack of discipline is a very unattractive quality in a musician and other professionals only give credit to those who work at developing their talent.

Part of practicing is usually being creative and coming up with new material. If you don’t give yourself the time to practice and perfect your instrument, you will never be inspired to master a new tune or write more lyrics. If you are part of a band for example, you don’t want to be the only one who never writes new material or contributes to the group. And you want other band members to see noticeable improvements in your abilities so they will respect and trust you. It also isn’t enough to write music, you need to practice and perfect it so every time you perform you are faultless.

Many people are blessed with natural musical abilities. This does not mean there still isn’t more to be learned about technique and training that has been developed through the ages. Singing is a great example of this and is a musical art form that has been fine-tuned by many exceptional singers from history. Techniques to train the voice and extend the abilities of the vocal chords have been tried and tested and if you don’t know them, you are going to be less than you could be.

Singing lessons go further into teaching you tongue techniques, pronunciation practices and posture positions that can improve your sound and success to no end. Those who believe there natural ability is enough to get by in life more often than not fail and look back with regret.

Someone who really wants to make a career out of music could succeed through their actions, not their words. Talking about music and even listening to it all the time is not going to get you anywhere. You have to practice, practice, practice and then practice some more! If you aren’t doing this, you aren’t serious.

You need to seek out anyone who can give you advice or lessons to further your knowledge and add to your technique. Do not fall into the trap of thinking you know everything just because you have had a few compliments over the years. To truly make it in any part of the music industry, you have to learn from the professionals. Don’t be stubborn and be willing to let go of old habits and learn some new and better ones.

It could be something as simple as your posture. You may play guitar so intently, you have never even realized that some of the positions you hold your body in are making things harder for you. A professional can point this out and give you homework you can practice to change your old habits. Singers especially need to know all about posture and how to hold their neck, jaw and tongue. Breathing is very important and practice and warm-ups are vital to success.

If you love your instrument, but are finding it difficult to practice, there are some things you can do about it. You may be lacking motivation or have possibly reached the peak of what you are able to do by yourself. You should look at getting together with others who play appropriate instruments and have jam sessions. This is a free for all group music practice where you play anything and everything, resulting in inspiration and a fresh lease on your musical life.

Introduce some visualizations or meditation practice into your everyday schedule, where you picture yourself achieving your desired outcome from your music. Make a list of the steps you need to take to get there. If you have reached a point where you are uninspired, go and get lessons. You will be bound to learn many new things you can practice and introduce into your writing. If none of these things seem to work for you, then you need to look at whether you really have a love and passion for the instrument you have learned. It could be time to consider trying something new.

Musicians practice for many reasons, but if you don’t have a natural desire to spend the time doing it, there is no point in dreaming. If you are a musician but you spend little or no time going over what you know, learning new things and writing new songs, you should look seriously at whether the instrument is right for you. If it is just a case of going through a motivation drought, take some steps to get the spark back and have faith it will pass. Be patient on your musical pathway and know that, if you put in the hard work and stay positive, you will be rewarded.

Kevin Sinclair
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/why-do-musicians-practice-86630.html