Archive for the 'Motivation' Category

Deliberate Practice Principle: Mental Models to accelerate complex skill acquisition

Deliberate Practice Principles are how World Champions and Olympians consistently out-perform the average elite, competitive player by accelerating their skill acquisition – systematically and predictably. One of the CORE FOUNDATIONAL principles is the use of Mental Models. In table tennis, for LONG/FAST serves The Mental Model is NOT about the intended targets (green and yellow) […]

Squash Vision Training: STOP Watching The Ball?!?!

In a previous post, I addressed the controversial idea of NOT watching the ball, but focusing on your opponent HITTING the ball and LOOKING where and how he/she hits the ball ON HIS/HER STRINGS. Today’s exercise, also based on Deliberate Practice Principles shifts your focus to WHAT SHOT you EXPECT your opponent to hit BEFORE […]

New Year’s Resolution To Get Fit Or Improve Your Sport?

The start of a new year is the perfect time to reflect, set goals, and recommit to your passion(s). For athletes and fitness enthusiasts, the path to excellence isn’t just about showing up — it’s about consistent, deliberate effort to refine every aspect of your game. Here’s some motivation and practical advice to help you […]

Roger Federer 2024 Dartmouth Commencement Speech

Roger Federer, what a class act. First on the tennis court and now as an aspirational role model. This is a must-watch speech for anyone who is committed to self-improvement; personally, professionally, athletically, academically, socially or altruistically.

Overheard in a squash club locker room: Continued…

When we left off in the previous blog post, Jeff and Harry were overheard in the squash club locker room. Just as Jeff and Harry were finishing their conversation, the door to the locker room bursts open and in walks David Frickin Goggins. David: Hold on, I thought I heard my name being thrown around […]

Overheard in a squash club locker room

Jeff: Yo Harry, why you think you lost the match yesterday mate? Harry: I was feeling buggered mate, didn’t get much shut-eye last night. Jeff: Yeah, same here, I was pretty knackered too. But that ain’t no excuse, you know what the best players do? Harry: What’s that? Jeff: They practice deliberately, even when they’re […]

Roger Federer’s Retirement Message

The GOAT, Roger Federer caps off his stellar career with a classy video message that epitomises his class right to the end. We will all miss him for all he brought to the game and sport in general.

Paul Coll World #1 Squash Player

This is an honest, raw account of the psychological obstacles the very best have to overcome to reach the pinnacle of their sport. Whenever you’re faced with adversity, dig deep and back yourself. Are you a Sydney-based squash player? <– Click here to get on court and maybe even a few coaching sessions! Need a […]

Performing Under Pressure – Book Summary Table

Performing Under Pressure by Josephine Perry is a fantastic book for anyone who wants to understand or improve their mental toughness. While I was reading it as a coach and a high performance elite athlete, I thought what it missed was a summary to cross-reference the great advice, in an easy-to-use table format… So I […]

How to Practice Effectively

We’ve all heard the saying “Perfect Practice Makes Perfect“, but until recently, it wasn’t clear WHY it had such a powerful and long-lasting effect on our brains. All competitive athletes understand the concept of Muscle Memory, but the reality is it’s Mental Memory that creates the instantaneous and autonomic reflexes that make champions. This is […]