Is Talent Overrated? Checkout this video

How do you handle pressure?

During the past few offseasons working with the NFL Carolina Panthers I have had the opportunity to do a little work with punter Jason Baker. His focus, preparation, and hard work are second to none and is evident yet again in an article in today's Charlotte Observer.

Jason's positive emotional engagement is just one of the many factors that attribute to his success on the field!

Enjoy!


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Punter Jason Baker says there's no pressure being the holder on kicks.

Jason Baker punts. That's obvious to Carolina Panthers fans, and he's one of the best in the NFL at his job. But he also holds. When John Kasay attempts a field goal or extra point, Baker is the guy taking the snap and putting the ball upright on the ground, readying it for Kasay's kick. We often talk about the pressure on kickers, particularly following Carolina's past two games, when Kasay first barely missed a field goal that would have beaten the Giants and then made one to salvage the win at New Orleans.

What if Baker had dropped the snap? Does he ever think about the pressure? “Do you think about brushing your teeth?” he replied Wednesday. “Well, I hold a lot more than I brush my teeth. It's just one of those things; do you think about starting your car? You just sit down and start your car.”

That doesn't mean that Baker is unaware that things can go wrong. But his attitude is probably the equivalent of a primer for dealing with pressure in sports.

“It's common knowledge that the thing you dwell your mind on is the thing you're willing not to happen,” he said. “If I say, ‘I'm going to drop this ball; I know I'm going to drop this ball,' chances are, I have a higher probability of dropping the ball.”

So he simply buries himself in the repetition of the act, letting it become almost automatic. “To be concerned about that thing that has a tenth of a percent of a chance of happening and not be more concerned about the thing that happens 99.9 percent of the time, it's really just kind of a foolish approach, psychologically.”

Often, though, people remember that tenth of a percent. As when Dallas quarterback Tony Romo fumbled a field goal snap, and with it a playoff game against Seattle two seasons ago.

Baker understands how that works, too. He bobbled a snap in the home game with Atlanta earlier this season that led to a blocked punt.
“There's no one here who's not going to have that happen,” he said. “That's what I told everybody (then). I can't tell you the last time I did that, and I can't tell you I won't do that on my next punt.

“But I'm sure as heck not going to go out there thinking that I might.”

'A Purpose Driven Life'

I recently came across this presention by Rick Warren and thought it would be a perfect exercise to analyze his talk axiologically!

Enjoy!

Taking a Break

There is so much information that I have written to post it is crazy!! However, I am in the final stages of getting ready to launch the new site and want to wait until there is better functionality for the viewers before I add any more posts.

Some of you have sent me some fantastic questions regarding intervention strategies with athletes and business staff! I will not make you wait too long I promise!

It will be worth the wait! Thanks for being patient as I go through this exciting growth stage!

New Website soon to come!

Many of you have contacted me about more information on the various targeted profiles offered. The current site www.innertactics.com primarily focuses on sports. However, the new site will be live within the next 10-14 days!

The new site will have specific information on each of the targeted profiles along with many other user friendly features that you will not want to miss!

Stay tuned!!

Anatomy of a Workout

I just got home from presenting at the Merritt Athletic Club in Baltimore, MD. There were over one hundred personal trainers in attendance and my talk was titled '3 Roadblocks to Personal Training Success'.

The following graphic displays the current approach to the workouts of many personal trainers in our industry:

Many trainers tend to focus on feelings first. In other words, it's either a 'feel the pain' focus where the intent is to solely see how long you can last, or, it's a 'how are you feeling' focus where the trainer wants to make sure the client is feeling good and doesn't want to push them hard.

The other focus is on a targeted muscle area. For example, the entire workout involves training the core (abdominals, hips, and low back).

While each of these areas are critical to a successful program, there is little focus on how to best get the result for what the client actually needs. Instead an approach should look like this:

Taking this approach, the two previously mentioned training strategies support the primary goal which is focusing on client results.

In a volatile economy, focusing on feelings and targeted areas will not be enough to retain current training clients and attract potential new clients. The best marketing strategy for Personal Trainers trying to survive the economy is to focus on getting results!

Can You Identify with Any of THESE 5 Case Studies?

Wow has this past week been amazing! There are lots of exciting things happening and I wanted to share with you just a few of the events from this past week. Specifically, pay attention to how the value profiles apply to so many different areas of business and life.

1. Spent time reviewing the profile of one of the top business consultants in the Unites States. This individual is extremely successful, in high demand of Fortune 500 companies, authored an excellent book available at Barnes and Nobles, and is trying to 'juggle a lot of balls in the air' right now. With the Life Profile, we were able to quickly identify how to more efficiently handle all of the 'irons in the fire' and not have them feel like a doormat!
   


2. Worked with a potential high draft pick in the upcoming MLB player draft. After having him take the Sports Profile, I worked with his current coach and revealed to him the best way to help this player improve parts of his swing. Now the coach knows how to get the most out of this player and best help him prepare for the Big Leagues!
   


3. Spent time with the owner of multiple high-end restaurants discussing staffing issues and job selection and hiring. He doesn't want to waste any more money on putting staff through training only to have to let them go. The Hospitality Profile can help him dramatically improve his employee selection process.


4. Reviewed a Golf Profile with one of the top LPGA Players on tour. The profile revealed exactly why she is currently playing so well. Particularly where she is giving most of her attention to in her decision making on the course.
   
5. A personal trainer (and good friend) asked to have one of his new clients take the Fitness Profile. He is designing a training program for his client to follow three days per week on his own. The profile quickly revealed that his client is most likely not going to be compliant and actually complete the training program on his own.
   

These are just five examples of many applications and uses of the various targeted profiles. If you have any specific questions regarding the application of any of these profiles please don't hesitate to contact me at support@innertactics.com.

How's Your Mental Filing Cabinet?

If you are like me, getting organized can sometimes be quite a hassle. No wait...staying organized might be actually harder come to think about it! I don't mean organizing the clutter on your desk. I mean organizing your mental thoughts. And yes it can be scary in there (between our ears) sometimes!

Formal Axiology can be used as a wonderful organizational tool. Below are two examples to give you a clearer idea of what I mean:

1. It can help you gather your thoughts in such a way as to significantly help improve your communication skills...especially when you are experiencing a lot of pressure and emotions. Right now should I be more focused on the person, how they are acting, or what they should be doing?
2. For coaches it can help you structure more effective workouts. Do I have my players work on this individual skill, practice game situations, or have a little fun and just play?

There are endless applications of formal axiology as a tool for organizing good and making people, places, things, ideas, and actions better! For details on how you can apply this powerful science to your life or business shoot me an email at support@innertactics.com and I will be glad to setup a free exploratory session with you!

6 Core Values of Succesful Coaches and Trainers

Coaching today's athletes requires a different approach than it did twenty years ago. In our Sports Axiology Course we discuss your core values in coaching and are they serving your program or are they hindering it?Below are six core values of the top successful coaches and trainers:

1. Babysitting the greatness in athletes OR Challenge the athlete to be great
2. 'Do as I say' OR 'Let me figure out how I can best help you'
3. Coaching for results OR Coaching an athlete how to leverage their strengths
4. Fear-based coaching OR Designing a training environment for the player to take risks
5. Dictating to players how they should act OR Being a model of who you want them to be
6. 'Make it in..' mindset OR 'Beat it by' mindset

What coaching shifts have you made in order to help realize more potential in your players?