GRIT – Is It in You?

By Uncategorized

Listed below are three traits that when put them together describe grit. I think we all admire people that show these traits in whatever they are pursuing. Grit – in sport and life Perseverance Passion Resilience Here are some concise definitions of each trait: Perseverance – your willingness to stick to it no matter the difficulty or the resistance. Passion…

Read More

A Life Well Lived

By Uncategorized

Sometimes it takes loss to teach us hard lessons in life. When the loss is the passing away of someone you love, the lessons can be very pronounced and deep, because of the finality of it. Those of you involved in competitive athletics that care deeply about the outcome, understand this at some level. The loss in sport can be…

Read More

Tough Decisions and Life Changes

By Uncategorized

I’ll admit, I’m not a big fan of change when I like what I’m doing. I’m fine with ordering the same winning combination, at a restaurant, time and time again. I have been contemplating one of the toughest decisions of my life since the end of the high school girl’s tennis season last October. Should I make this next boy’s…

Read More

What Can We Learn from the Movie Inside Out?

By Uncategorized

I went to a college baseball game today (University of Missouri vs Mississippi State) in Columbia, MO. The MU Tigers won in the bottom of the ninth inning creating joy for one team and sadness for the other. Midway through the game they had a sign on the scoreboard between innings that caught my attention. It said, “What are the…

Read More

The “V. A. N.” Approach to Making Dreams Come True

By Uncategorized

I’ve had a 10-year dream come true. I had a vision to create a tennis instructional video to share some of my experience in coaching tennis with other coaches and with tennis players. Not only did I create one video, but instead I created 3 videos. I utilized the V. A. N. Approach which is what I want to encourage…

Read More

Flow: There It Is

By Uncategorized

I inadvertently found myself in a state of flow while hiking on a family reunion trip atop the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.  I stumbled across this feeling while hiking in snow while seeing such amazing views of Palm Springs and the surrounding area.  I was with my wife Sarah, my son Ben, and my two nephews, Michael and David. The…

Read More

Should Fun Be Part of the Process or Just the Result?

By Uncategorized

By Ben Loeb (Nov 2021) with excerpts of this article from Dr. Jim Taylor’s Prime Sports Online Newsletter (Nov 2019) Everyone loves to win. Winning beats the alternative by a long shot. Have you ever seen the team that comes second dog-pile in the middle of the diamond or on the basketball court? Of course not. Winning is certainly the…

Read More

Santa Fe Enlightenment

By Uncategorized

My wife and I were in Santa Fe, NM for a get-away before the start of the next high school girls tennis season. The intent of the trip was for hiking, biking, good food, and some relaxation. We stayed at a place called Ojo Santa Fe. It’s a beautiful, tranquil spa resort. It has areas to sit and read, think,…

Read More

Visualization Training: Don’t Leave Home Without It

By Uncategorized

I am a member of a sport psychologist list serv through Temple University, though I am not a “sport psychologist.” I am a tennis coach that utilizes mental performance strategies with the players I coach and I’ve taught the subject as a course at the high school level. I received a group email yesterday that included opinions on if it…

Read More