Compete Like a Champion

It's become a common phrase in pop culture: "We have to fail in order to succeed." But are athletes really adapting and growing because of failure, at least as much as we would expect? Coach Johnny and Dr. Larry argue that maybe we are not doing enough to help players cope with failure. We need to reboot how we are thinking about failure. In this episode, we talk about philosophical and practical approaches to planning and preparing for failure, and helping players through it. http://www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/podcasts/? Instagram: @teamusatennis / @johnny_parkes Twitter: @larrylauer / @johnnyparkes3 

Are we inspiring or motivating players? The episode details the relationship between these two actions in sport and tennis. We dive into the power of self-determination and the role coaches and parents play to facilitate this inspiration. We look at the ways rewards and consequences can undermine motivation in place of effort and focus. And finally, we cover how transformational vs. transactional coaching leadership impacts player behavior. http://www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/podcasts/? Instagram: @teamusatennis / @johnny_parkes Twitter: @larrylauer / @johnnyparkes1

The team is back after a tumultuous 2020 with the second episode of the new year, examining the concept of gratitude. Frequently cited as a means to well-being, gratitude is pitched by self-help professionals and therapists as an important skill to engage in. Just how important is gratitude to your well-being? We review several articles and discuss gratitude's 10 benefits and how to exercise gratitude on a more regular basis.

Forbes: Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude (Morin, 2014)

Psychiatry: Gratitude and Well-Being (Sansone and Sansone, 2010) http://www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/podcasts/? Instagram: @teamusatennis / @johnny_parkes Twitter: @larrylauer / @johnnyparkes1

The new year is the perfect time to set new goals. As we enter 2021, Dr. Larry and Coach Johnny are talking about resolutions again. We examine the importance of setting realistic goals that you can live with and discuss how to stick with those goals. http://www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/podcasts/? Instagram: @teamusatennis / @johnny_parkes Twitter: @larrylauer / @johnnyparkes1

Coach Johnny and Dr. L revisit the idea of integration and maximizing player development. We discuss how effort is a choice and that focusing takes effort, how coaches give feedback to enhance the confidence of athletes, and how visualization/imagery is used to enhance training. We also talk about the OPS (Optimal Performance State) and how players can train using the mind (mental skills) and body to achieve their OPS. http://www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/podcasts/? Instagram: @teamusatennis / @johnny_parkes Twitter: @larrylauer / @johnnyparkes1

The Army overhauled how it selects battalion commanders because they felt they had a lack of qualty leadership. They were promoting based on legacy. We review the article and talk about if sport organizations are identifying talent accurately. In addition, we discuss how sport organizations can identify quality coaches. Review HBR article: Reinventing Leadership in the Military: https://hbr.org/2020/11/reinventing-the-leader-selection-process?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=hbr&utm_medium=social http://www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/podcasts/? Instagram: @teamusatennis / @johnny_parkes Twitter: @larrylauer / @johnnyparkes1

A recent ADP research study found that 19% of employees surveyed about their workplace are reporting feeling highly resilient. That is a small percentage and we discuss why that might be the case and review more important results from the study. This episode gets into the importance of leadership, trust, and the most important finding that those that love what they do are four times more likely to be resilient. Review ADP workplace executive summary for discussion: https://www.adpri.org/assets/10-facts-about-resilience/ http://www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/podcasts/? Instagram: @teamusatennis / @johnny_parkes Twitter: @larrylauer / @johnnyparkes1

THE 100th EPISODE SPECIAL! A milestone for the CLC podcast team. In this episode Coach Johnny, Dr. Larry, and Coach Mick take a trip down memory lane to review some of the more poignant moments from the first 100 episodes. We feature clips from past episodes with some fantastic guests, and review the most important themes of the podcast as well as episodes that our listeners should go back and check out! Thank you the listeners and we look forward to learning and sharing more over the next 100! Enjoy and please share with someone who you may feel will benefit from listening.

Here are a few more episodes not mentioned in the podcast that are a great listen:

• Episode: Purposeful practice
• Perform like you practice - Setting the environment, standards, and expectations (00:35-5:31)
• Episode: Visualization
• Episode: Habits
• Episode: How to become a better Problem-solver   2-parter
• Episode: How to be ready for every point using the 4 R’s

http://www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/podcasts/? Instagram: @teamusatennis / @johnny_parkes Twitter: @larrylauer / @johnnyparkes1

Dr. Duncan Simpson, Director of Mental Conditioning at IMG Academy, joins the team to discuss how he integrates mental skills training onto the court to maximize transfer to matches. We examine the importance of collaborating with coaches to enhance the learning of players. In addition, the importance of making practice more match-like and how to do that is detailed. We provide examples of how to train mental skills during practice. www.playerdevelopment.usta.com Instagram: @teamusatennis / @johnny_parkes Twitter: @larrylauer / @johnnyparkes1

How to measure how a player is performing mentally and if they are improving their mental strength? This has been a concern for as long as sport psychology has existed. In this episode, the team dives into a 3-Level System for measuring mental performance created by Dr. L. It is an attempt to give players and coaches more structure to how they think about their mental performances and improve the quality of the feedback gained from matches and practices. We hope it starts a conversation around how to actually measure mental performance beyond outcomes which will inevitably improve the training of mental skills and mental strength. Evaluating Mental Performance PPT File: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kow7iW0DpqpcQhbvyK3W1z0QL3Y8GVtM/view?usp=sharing www.playerdevelopment.usta.com Instagram: @teamusatennis / @johnny_parkes Twitter: @larrylauer / @johnnyparkes1