The Real Athlete Blog

Expert Contributor: Gregg Swanson

Biography

Gregg is a leading peak sports performance coach and trainer specializing in sports mental training, as well as physical strength and conditioning. He holds several coaching and training certifications from outstanding organizations. Gregg uses the combination of mental and physical strength training to create a rock-solid sports confidence that results in peak sports performance.

Mental training for peak performance is the development of a mental strength, mental endurance as well as physical strength, power and endurance. Gregg work’s with driven and committed athletes, those individuals that have experienced, or almost experienced their peak potential and strongly desire to have this happen as a regular and reoccurring experience. He has authored several books and over 20 articles on the subjects of mental strength, physical strength and spiritual strength.

Most Recent Articles

Mental Strength in Practice for Peak Performance

by Gregg Swanson 12-16-2010 12:33 AM Sports Psychology | Training

Add a Comment
2612 Views

Do any of these statements sound familiar?

“In practice, I didn’t fumble once. Yet, during a game I fumbled a few times.”

“In practice, I hit 4 out 10 balls. Then during a game, I can only hit 2 of 10.”

“I easily make 8 out of 10 free throws at the end of practice, yet in games I’m shooting 40%. It doesn’t make sense.”

Do you find that at times you perform at a specific level in practice but are unable to perform at this same high level in the competition?

Read more ›
Mental Strength in Sports Performance

by Gregg Swanson 12-09-2010 09:53 PM Sports Psychology

Add a Comment
1629 Views

Mark Spitz once said, “Practice is 90% physical and 10% mental and competition is 10% physical and 90% mental.”

How true!

There is a vicious cycle that occurs without the help of mental strength. There’s a trigger—it could be a missed catch, a dropped pass or a missed putt. Whatever it is, this event gets anchored into the psyche of the athlete. You don’t have to be a professional for this to happen. This can happen to a weekend warrior, amateur or semi-pro athlete.

Read more ›
The “Hidden Secret”

by Gregg Swanson 10-17-2010 06:44 PM Sports Psychology | Athlete Career Development | Training

Add a Comment
1096 Views

“I always stress condition with my basketball players. I don’t mean physical condition only. You cannot attain and maintain physical condition unless you are morally and mentally conditioned.” —John Wooden, college basketball coach

It’s been awhile since the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and they were simply amazing to watch, weren’t they? I had so much awe and respect for these elite athletes as I watched them sled, ski, jump and skate, with speed, precision and grace.

It’s not just the Olympics; I have this same feeling when I see an amazing catch in football, or a precise move in dancing, or even an “invisible” technique in the martial art of Bujinkan.

In observing these elite-level athletes, their physical and technical prowess is glaringly evident, and their endurance and technical precision is obvious to anyone who watches their performances.

Read more ›
How To Keep That Burning Desire Alive

by Gregg Swanson 10-04-2010 11:26 PM Sports Psychology | Training

Add a Comment
4470 Views

Autumn is underway and winter is on the horizon. And with this change of season brings cooler and colder temperatures, inclement weather, and darkness. If you’re like most people, you probably work out in the early morning or late afternoon. This is tough enough now, and then when you throw old, dark, and damp weather on top of it, these conditions can challenge even the most highly motivated athlete.

Motivation—you understand what that implies, correct? Athletes frequently use phrases such as “drive,” “desire,” or even “going after something with intensity” to explain or even define motivation, as well as motivated behavior. Basically, we frequently believe that motivation happens completely from within the person (intrinsic). It is essential to understand that motivation is really a function of both the person (an individual) and the circumstance(s) (extrinsic). Which means that to improve your motivation, you'll want to address both the "you" part of the process (i.e., what motivates you?; why do you exercise/compete/train?; and what else could you perform differently?) and examine the situational elements as well (i.e. your coach, training partner or even the facility where you train).

Read more ›
Boosting Sports Performance – It’s all in the Process

by Gregg Swanson 08-31-2010 12:35 AM Sports Psychology | Training

Add a Comment
3746 Views

Even though as an athlete you already know that technique is essential for performance, many sport performances tend to be evaluated according to the outcome (‘the product’) associated with their performance—things such as place, time, and score.

Consequently, the normal tendency is to focus on the end result…’the product’. In training, as well as competition, numerous athletes pay way too much attention to ‘the product’ associated with performance instead of precisely what is required in order to get there (the process connected with performance).

Read more ›
How to Experience Excellence in Your Training

by Gregg Swanson 07-20-2010 12:40 AM Sports Psychology | Training

Add a Comment
1528 Views

How to develop a powerful mindset for training

Read more ›
The Best Way to Combat Anxiety

by Gregg Swanson 05-28-2010 01:57 AM Sports Psychology

1 Comment
5236 Views

Setting goals, concentration, and imagery are basic mental strength capabilities which are crucial in sports performance.

Read more ›
Visualizing Yourself to Peak Performance

by Gregg Swanson 05-03-2010 11:46 PM Sports Psychology

1 Comment
2164 Views

As with goal setting, visualization and most sport psychology/NLP in sports concepts are fairly easy to understand.

Read more ›
Goal Setting - It’s the “Action” That’s Tough

by Gregg Swanson 04-12-2010 11:54 PM Sports Psychology

Add a Comment
2008 Views

How to set correct goals for peak performance and then act on them

Read more ›
Using the Mind to Achieve Your Peak Potential

by Gregg Swanson 03-22-2010 08:28 PM Sports Psychology

Add a Comment
1190 Views

Our bodies can do the most amazing things, yet very few of us ever realize the full potential of the machine that we have at our disposal.

Read more ›