Cheerleaders with mental blocks soon realize that there is usually no quick fix.  Debbie Love’s 9-step plan called the Breaking Free System can be viewed on her website.  Today’s post reviews step #3 of Debbie’s system. 

Debbie has definite ideas about physical conditioning.  She says, “If you fail to include a conditioning segment into your program you are asking for mediocre performance by your athletes.”  Can’t get much clearer than that!! (more…)

I am recommending you set aside some time to review cheerleading and tumbling expert Debbie Love’s comprehensive website.  Yesterday I began a series of posts dedicated to discussing Debbie’s 9-step Breaking Free (from mental blocks) System. 

Today I will focus on her second step which is: 

 2) Remove all negative input and learn to understand the difference between tense and relaxed tone in your body. You may need to develop a ritual to do before your skills. Practice a relaxation technique by tightening and releasing each body part. (more…)

As I mentioned the other day, my friend and colleague, the highly respected and altogether wonderful cheerleading tumbling expert, Debbie Love and I have created a new Facebook Page dedicated to the topic of mental blocks. (Check it out!!) 

Debbie’s own website is a treasure trove of valuable information about cheerleading mental blocks and I highly recommend you visit it and take the time to read through everything she has on the site. 

One thing Debbie has on her site is a 9-step plan called her Breaking Free System to help athletes resolve mental blocks. It is excellent so be sure to read it.  Because it deserves being read, I plan to dedicate my next several blog posts to commenting on each of her 9 steps.  (more…)

You might recall that a while back I wrote about how to manage conflicts that can arise in cheerleading.  I introduced a format called Transactional Analysis or TA which shows how different parts of your personality, also known as ego states (see diagram below), can get “hooked” in certain situations. (more…)

Is this a busy time of year or what?  Not only are you in the middle of cheerleading competition season, but you’re also getting ready for the holidays! 

It’s easy to feel stressed out and hassled so I’m offering you a little gift.  This is a recording of a lovely little meditation that is designed to calm and relax you. It’s called Self-Calming Meditation and it’s about 10 minutes long.  It begins with the sound of a bell and some soothing music and then my voice.  People really like it and I hope you do, too! (more…)

Some cheerleaders are so engaged in negative thinking that their performance suffers.  

Does this sound like you? 

You tell yourself:

• “I’ll never stick that skill.”
• “I’m not going to do it.”
• “I’m just not good enough.”

 If so, read on!  (more…)

In my last post I wrote about ACE Cheer Company’s Matt McCallum and his kidney transplant.  Apparently Matt and his donor, the wonderfully generous Kelley Zeringue, got through the surgery successfully which is terrific news! 

I’ve been thinking about how else I might help and came up with this idea: As of today, November 13^th, I will donate up to 20 of my Mental Game training programs (digital versions) to people who donate at least $27 to the Matt McCallum Kidney Transplant Fund.  (more…)

Yesterday I wrote about how some cheerleaders over-react to a bad practice.  Let’s take that a bit further today. 

I invite you to think about how you assess a bad day or good day.  Do you tend to allow a rough practice ruin your whole day or even your week?  Do you float on cloud 9 if you have a great practice? What is the conversation you have with yourself about this?  (more…)

Although she was not a cheerleader, Mia Hamm, a star member of the U.S. women’s soccer World Cup 1999 winning team, knows about good days and bad days as an athlete.  Here is a quote from Mia that any cheerleading squad can relate to: 

“As players, when we are having a bad day, we tend to think in melodramatic terms, that we’ve lost it, that everything’s gone wrong, but usually all you have to do is correct one small element of your game and everything else will fall into place.”

Does this happen to you?  If you have a cheerleading practice session where you just aren’t hitting it, do you get discouraged and start thinking that it’s all over?  (more…)

Tomorrow I head off to Toronto for the first annual Spring Coaches Conference.  Many of you know about Spring Tumbling.  Kenny Feeley and Lisa Aucoin,  tumbling and cheerleading experts, are the owners.  Spring Tumbling is based in Canada, the United States and the UK. (more…)