Recently, I asked Tory Tolson for a quick breakdown of the phases of training so I could better understand our both out process and our desired outcomes and goals. Here's what he had to say... He said that typically "Phase 1" would be ‘Corrective Exercise’ where we work to improve individual-specific muscular imbalances that are evaluated in movement analysis; [...]
When you set a goal, and the stakes feel high, it can be easy to make excuses after failures to avoid negative feelings such as regret, shame or guilt. Without thinking about why they do it, people sometimes make tasks harder than they need to be so that ready-made excuses “protect” them from feeling badly. The downside is missing [...]
When I moved my practice in with PEAK, I knew we'd have some folks who'd see me after working out and/or meeting with PT's, but I never predicted a recent trend... Some of the parents of my adolescent clients have started working out with Ruthie and other PEAK trainers. Or they manage to take advantage of the opportunity to [...]
Working out with Tory Tolson is fun. He will joke with you that it is “Woozy Wednesday…” (How is that motivating???) He seems generally serious but will quietly rock out to whatever pop song (old or new), or show you pictures of his latest giant snowman creation (see picture above). You won’t catch him ever being boastful, but this [...]
Truth be told, when I first began working out with Ryan Morrissey at PEAK, I think I initially felt like he was "nitpicky." Did it really matter if my feet were perfectly place such that I was standing over the arch of my foot, engaging my glutes and my core? (The answer is "yes"... it actually did matter). I [...]
A World Championship ahead and World Class people helping along the way...
The Reaching Ahead “Dirty Dozen” Mental Training Program is a year-long monthly Webinar series focused on the following skills (as outlined on the US Sailing Blog). It is a flexible, affordable way to gain a sailing-specific mental performance foundation.
I am working with many clients these days on goal-setting. That, by itself, is not a big switch. We still focus on SMART Goals. We focus on setting process goals that are within one's control. The switch is that we're using a really cool tool called "Goalscape." You can see it pictured below. With Goalscape, we're able to prioritize [...]
Surfing and planing a dinghy in waves is exhilarating and fast. High school and college sailors know that to make your boat take off, you must learn the art of the ooch. Ooching serves two basic purposes: Getting the boat surfing or planing and keeping it there. The principle is simple. The crew acts like a spring: when the [...]
We put the question to Tim Herzog, a top sailor and coach who has studied group dynamics, and here is what he told us: It is no surprise that some of the best teams consist of spouses, siblings, or even multiple generations. Good relationships serve as the foundation for a successful team because of solid communication over the team's [...]
Authors: Tim Herzog Reaching Ahead PLLC Kate F. Hays The Performing Edge Abstract: This article addresses the challenging conundrum of when to offer psychotherapy versus mental skills training. To highlight aspects of this dilemma, we describe actual cases that illustrate different ways in which clients present and practitioners may respond: (1) mental skills training shifting to therapy; (2) therapeutic [...]
Fifteen years ago, as Hobart Coach Scott Ikle was launching the US Sailing Level 3 Certification program, he invited me to speak to a group of coaches at Annapolis Yacht Club, who were attending the Advanced Coaching Symposium. I gave a talk that was inspired, in part, by a Sailing World article that Betsy Allison had written describing a pyramid of [...]
To reach the next level in your chosen sport, there is, of course, the old manner of simply "training harder." Clearly this approach works to an extent. But think of the times when you had your best performances. Were you trying hard? Probably not. The media often refers to these peak performances as functioning in "the zone"; physiologists and [...]
You’ve run shuttle and you’re sliding into your boat at the put-in. The water level is about what you expected and you can see the entry to the first rapid, remembering that you need to start left and then cut right after the big hole. You feel confident and quickly get on the water so you can experience some [...]
Downhill mountain bikers have “a higher threshold for adrenaline and fear,” says sports psychologist Julie Emmermann. Other PhDs say mountain bikers should “have their heads checked,” “pray,” and “not fall off.” And some say that fear simply isn’t a factor, only fun. Achieving optimal physiological arousal, the psychologist’s phrase for “getting psyched up,” is a big part of the [...]
