The coronavirus and sports don’t mix. Yes, defeating the coronavirus is more important than winning in sports, but it still does not sit well. Most people do not like a disruption in their life of this magnitude. The prolong postponement or worse yet, the cancellation of the rest of a sports season, is disheartening for athletes, parents, and coaches. There…

I read a book recently entitled, “The Energy Bus” by Jon Gordon (2007). A student in the sport psychology course I teach at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, MO recommended it to me last semester. It’s a great read with a worthy message about how much positive energy can make a difference in personal happiness, productivity, and leadership. Last…

Some how, some way, the magic man and his teammates, coaches and administration did it again. The Kansas City Chiefs, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes & Co., pulled off an unprecedented third consecutive double-digit comeback in the NFL Playoffs to win the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 2, 2020. It reminded me of the first ever accomplishment of the St. Louis…

I heard an interesting term during what seemed like a 12-hour pre-game show before the NCAA National Championship Football game between LSU and Clemson (January 13).  I heard Nick Saban, the legendary football coach at Alabama, describe what both teams have or what it would take to win and that is “competitive character.” I had never heard that term before….

New Year’s Resolution Time! That annual event where many of us figuratively get in a starting position to run the next lap around the track for another year. There are those among us that will set goals for the year ahead. You will see some of those people at a local gym in January. Some of them will vanish by…

The Missouri state high school girl’s tennis season is now over. I plan to make time again for more blog posts. I intended to do a follow-up to the last blog post on team culture in a more-timely manner. The intent of the follow-up blog post is to give you examples of how a team could define its culture. Ultimately…

Team culture is made up of values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors shared by a team. It’s how people work together towards a common goal and how they treat each other. These attributes might be positive or they could be negative. A positive, or good team culture, is one in which team members collaborate, communicate, and support one another. These teams…

Shane Lowry, British Open Champion 2018. I found myself rooting for him as many others did in his quest to win the Open Championship in his home country of Ireland. Lowry had a four-shot lead going into the final round after shooting a 63 in the third round that broke the 54-hole scoring record at the British Open. But how…

How can you go about preparing for the big moments in sports? I subscribe to an email newsletter (free) sent out by Patrick Cohn, a sport psychologist. His company is Peak Performance Sports – Mental Training for a Competitive Edge. Patrick sent out an email on July 4th about Cori Gauff, the 15 year-old girl that had such a great…

“When the Blues go marching in, oh when the Blues go marching in. Oh Lord, I want to me in that number, when the Blues go marching in.” I’ve been singing that song for decades. Actually, I’ve been singing that song for 52 years. Over the past few weeks I’d find myself singing it on bike rides as the Blues…