Episode 050: All basketball players need help finding flow on the court.  When you’re in the zone, the game slows down and you’re able to play at your highest ability.

Dr. Cindra Kamphoff is certified mental performance coach for leaders, businesses and championship teams. She helps them master their mindset so they can gain the high performance edge.  Cindra joins us today to explain what being in the zone means and gives helpful tips with finding flow on the basketball court.  

She has a Ph.D. in sport and performance psychology and has spoken for some of the largest companies including Target, Wal-Mart, and Verizon Wireless.  

Cindra has worked with the Minnesota Vikings for the last four years where she has worked with players one-on-one to train their mind for peak performance. She is also the CEO of Mentally Strong Consulting which provides mental training services to teams, coaches and athletes.   

Cindra published her first book and corresponding workbook titled ‘Beyond Grit: Ten Powerful Practices to Gain the High Performing Edge’ which is an Amazon Bestseller.

Listen today to learn:

• Mental mistakes players can avoid
• Why you need a personalized routine for your mental game
• How to manage anxiety before games
• What you need to do for your mindset after you finish playing
• How to create a morning routine that sets you up for success

If you want to get 50% off Dr. Cindra's Beyond Grit Academy for only $97, go to beyondgrit.com/97

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Episode 049: Do you know how to teach enthusiasm to your basketball players?  Just like shooting, enthusiasm is a skill that needs to be coached and practiced.

In today’s episode, I share exactly how we break down our 18-week leadership system and give specifics on how we teach players to live our program’s core values.

We follow the “Think, Say, Do” system that teaches players how to be leaders by sharing research on enthusiasm, telling them concrete words to say, and providing specific actions for them to do.  This takes the guess work out of leadership.

Think: “Enthusiasm is contagious!”
Say: “Let’s go!”
Do: “Give high-5’s”

Check out this week’s episode and learn:

• the research on enthusiasm done in the NBA with 294 players
• why Geno Auriemma believes its more difficult to recruit enthusiastic kids
• what my players say to be enthusiastic
• team activities that promote enthusiasm
• 10 questions you should ask your players about leadership

If you want access to my free 5-Day Leadership Course, go to hoopcommitment.com

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Episode 048: Ashleigh Beaver is the Head Sports Performance Coach for Duke Women’s Basketball and joined me on the podcast to share her philosophy on building injury and fatigue resistant players. 

She coaches out of the Krzyzewski Center weight room and practice court facilities where her responsibilities encompass all avenues athletic development. Her main duties include overall strength development, first step quickness, change of direction, maximal recovery and individualized programming for each member of the Lady Blue Devils.

Today we cover:

• How Duke structures their mobility program
• When they wear ankle braces
• How she views landing mechanics
• Why nutrition is crucial for recovering from injury

Check out Ashleigh on social media at @ashleighb6

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Episode 047: Recovery Nutrition not only involves replenishing lost nutrients, but also rebuilding tissue to help you become more explosive and durable.  Danny Lennon joined me on the show to make recovery nutrition specific to the game of basketball.

Danny is the founder of Sigma Nutrition and head of content creation for the company. Known for hosting the top-ranked podcast Sigma Nutrition Radio, Danny is also a respected educator in the field. He has spoken at conferences and events all over Europe (including London, Dublin, Amsterdam and Vienna), as well as the United States and Australia.

Danny has a master’s degree (MSc.) in Nutritional Sciences from University College Cork, during which time Danny took classes in biochemistry, clinical nutrition, micronutrient interactions and physiology. Previous to this Danny also completed a BSc. Degree in Biology and Physics Education and spent a year teaching these subjects.

Listen to this week's show on recovery nutrition and find out:

• If athletes should practice intermittent fasting
• How protein, carbohydrates and fat aide in recovery
• Why sports nutrition is different than eating for health or weight loss
• How soon after a workout should you eat
• The best supplements for recovery

Check out SigmaNutrition.com to learn more

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Episode 046: Do you want to know how to improve HRV for hoops?  Heart Rate Variability is the measure of variation between heart beats and is a great marker for recovery.

Understanding recovery is crucial to maximizing performance because you don’t get stronger in the weight room… you actually get weaker.  If you can do 20 pull ups at the start of a workout, you might only be able to do 5 or 10 by the end.  It’s when you go home to eat, sleep and recover that you actually get stronger.

Mike Lombardi from WHOOP comes on the show to talk about the importance of measuring recovery and improving HRV so you can get the most out of your training sessions.  He explains heart rate variability, sleep cycles, and gives simple ways to optimize performance.

Listen to this week’s show to learn the answer these questions:

• Why should basketball players understand their HRV score?
• How does sleep and hydration impact HRV?
• What are key factors in determining how ready your body is to compete?
• What are the different sleep stages and what occurs during each stage?
• What research has been done in the NBA with recovery?

Check out WHOOP.com to learn more

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Episode 045: The ACL recovery journey is full of highs and lows. Unfortunately, injuries are a part of basketball and ACL tears are all too common.  

Laura Stockton was an all-league player at Gonzaga University when she tore her ACL in the first round of the conference tournament.  

She was kind enough to share the intimate details of her injury and recovery process in hopes that it helps someone have the courage and confidence to get back on the court.  Listen to hear Laura's story of:

• Why she chose Gonzaga
• How she finished the game after tearing her ACL
• The most difficult part of the rehab process
• Would she change the past
• What's she's doing now

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Episode 044: Travis Knight is a master at creating learning environments in the weight room.  He’s got a unique perspective on basketball strength & conditioning, combining complex systems and motor learning theory with vision and mindset training.

Travis and I were classmates at Gonzaga back in the 90’s and have worked together professionally since 2006.  He’s currently the strength & conditioning coach for the GU Men’s Basketball team and has done an incredible job working side by side with Mark Few to build strong, intrinsically motivated players.

Travis’ training methods are outside the box but are rooted in the best of science.  Instead of focusing on sets and reps, he pours his energy into creating learning environments in the weight room.  He sat down to explain why:

• Mental toughness is misunderstood
• Play is so important
• You can’t train strength without coordination
• Variability is a core principle in program design
• He trains personal growth every Monday

To learn more about Travis, check him out on social media: @ZagGreatness


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Episode 043: Is there a place for servant leadership in basketball? I actually think it might be the most important part of playing the game.

Today's interview is with one of the nation's leading experts in servant leadership.  Shann Ferch is an author, clinical psychologist and professor in Gonzaga’s doctoral program in leadership studies, serving as a visiting scholar in Asia, South America, Africa and Europe. 

By reading his resume you’d never know that he was a former D1 and professional basketball player with a 40 plus inch vertical.  Even at age 40, he could do a 360 dunk.  

Today he discusses servant leadership in basketball, sharing his thoughts on the best leaders in the NBA and his take the Michael Jordan’s leadership style in the documentary, the Last Dance.

You can learn more about Shann Ferch at ShannRay.com

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Episode 042: Not all professional basketball players have a professional mindset.  People with a basketball mindset take care of their body, consistently train their mind, prioritize their workouts and treat people with respect.

Jake Wiley's mindset helped him make the jump from playing college basketball at a NAIA school, to being Player of The Year at a Division 1 school, to earning a spot on the Brooklyn Nets.

Today, Jake shares how he turned a life of mischief into a life of working hard and helping other people.

Listen to this week's podcast and learn:

• The power of the subconscious mind
• What it takes to go from NAIA to the NBA
• 3 books that everyone should read
• Why you need to be committed to the "right" things
• A day in the life of a pro basketball player

You can learn more about Jake Wiley on Instagram @wiley_coyote0

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Episode 041: The Black Lives Matter Movement needs all of us to contribute our unique talents and leadership so that we can heal our world.  While I don’t have the answer of how to do this, I do have a leadership framework that might be useful in helping take action.

I’ve taken the 3 Levels Of Leadership and highlighted three actions that we can take to become a better leader in the Black Lives Matter Movement.  By practicing the leadership traits of Listen, Learn and Teach, you can become your best and help others do the same.

Here are some highlights of Leadership For The Black Lives Matter Movement:

• Learn how to improve your listening through S.L.A.N.T.
• Find out my favorite Martin Luther King, Jr. speech
• Discover your level of leadership
• Hear my thoughts on the questions, “How can I help?”

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