When we have a desire to play a sport, whether for fun recreation or competition, we should have an attitude for success. If not, we doom ourselves from the start. Success comes with preparation of attitude as well as body. The attitude portion is as important in the preparation as it is during the sport/game. I'm not talking about just speaking the desired effect and having it happen in some magical realm. I'm talking about the specifics of speaking in positive terms, what we want to accomplish so that as our words are registered back into our brains, through our ears, our brains then take appropriate and positive action to accomplish, both neurologically and physically the things that we have spoken.

It's not as easy  to accomplish as it is to write. Try speaking only in positive, uplifting, success oriented terminology for one entire day. You have to avoid saying things such as: "I was working myself to death", or "I can't stand to do....." or " I hate this part of the workout" or even " I was sweating so hard that I thought I might melt".  You get the picture. Just to comment " how hard" an exercise or part of a sport is, is enough negativity to ruin both your attitude or outcome. I frequently hear young men on the high school soccer team that I coach say things like, " I knew I was going to miss that shot" or " I just can't seem to get motivated". In a very real sense, we must monitor our speach patterns to focus solely on the positive. This requires us to think before opening our mouths and then at times, plan what we are saying , even as we say it, to encourage the outcome that we desire, whether in part or whole. If we desire a better tennis served, then state " I am improving my Tennis serve and I am confident that I will be serving aces soon." If we are working out to perform better at a sport, then be sure to state the fact that you are exercising , stretching and preparing yourself for success in whatever it is that you desire to play.

The physical aspect of preparing for success is just as specific. What I do for people both professionally and through coaching is to take an activity, break it down into a few smaller parts that make up the whole movement and then work specifically on the parts before putting everything back together as a whole function. For example; in karate I have instructed many students in performing a front snap kick. With each kick, there is a preparatory "fold" or preparatory wind-up movement. To instruct the kick properly, the person first has to have the potential for motion and strength. This means that I will break down the whole function of the "front snap kick" into work on flexibility, strengthening of the torso, hip and leg muscles, the movement into the "fold", targeting, and finally the forward kick itself with emphasis on alignment of the torso, hip, knee, ankle and foot for proper striking area application to the target.

It may sound complicated but it really isn't. Let's say that you are going to swing a bat to play softball. Watch yourself in a mirror or film yourself. Break the movement down into a few parts like, stance, wind-up, swing to mid-point or strike-point and then the follow through with the bat. Slow down each movement to a speed that you are able to control every part of the movement without deviations. Be sure to stop any negative parts of the function and go slowly and deliberately through the trouble spot until you achieve the desired function. Then slowly speed up the movement with the corrected form. Once you are able to perform all the smaller parts with proper form, then slow down again and begin putting the parts back together. Be very specific but careful not to be negative when you make a mistake or loose control. If you become too tire to continue, stop and rest. Apply this method to any movement in any sport that you wish to play and you'll be surprised at the positive result. Then put the attitude work together with the physical training and you're in business!