Thursday, April 29, 2010

Hire Troy Bassham to speak for your company, organization, club or team!


Hire Mental Management Coach Troy Bassham to speak for your company, organization, club or team!


What is Mental Management?
In 1972, at the Munich Germany Olympic Games, Lanny Bassham -- the father of Troy Bassham -- failed in his attempt to win the Gold Medal in International Rifle Shooting. He had a mental failure resulting in his taking the Silver instead. Frustrated, Lanny wanted to take a course in controlling the mind under pressure. After looking for such a seminar and not finding satisfaction, Bassham began to interview Olympic Gold Medalists to discover what they were doing differently to win.

What he discovered was truly remarkable. Bassham created a system of mental control he called Mental Management®. Within the next six years Lanny Bassham dominated his sport, winning 22 world individual and team titles, setting four world records and winning the coveted Olympic Gold Medal in Montreal in 1976.

The Goal of the Seminar: The goal in this seminar for athletes is to help them and the team reach their goals and win! The key to achieving this is the mental game. Many people think you don't really need to worry about the mental game until you have a high level of mastery of the basic form of a sport. Nothing could be further from the truth! Mental Management® has been taught to Olympians, business owners, Fortune 500 Corporations and college athletes. The Mental Management System is a recognized performance enhancement program that is taught to and used by World and Olympic Champions throughout the world. There clients include the PGA and PGA tour players, World and Olympic champions, Fortune 500 companies, The United States Secret Service, The US Navy SEALS, The United States Army Marksmanship Unit, The US Marine Corps Marksmanship Unit and Olympic teams of USA, Canada, India, Japan, Republic of China, Korea and Australia.

Who is Troy Bassham? A senior level instructor, Troy won 12 national championships, set 4 national records and won the CISM World Championship in 1999. Troy was a member of the Bronze Medal winning team in the 2002 World Championships for the USA. From 1994 to present, Troy has worked with hundreds of junior athletes with their mental game developing dozens of National Champions. Troy spent many years in University administration prior to coming to MMS and is in demand as a speaker to college-bound students on how to get the most out of their college experience.

To learn more about how to hire Troy please email heather@mentalmanagement.com or call the Mental Management office at 972-899-9640.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Dog Obedience Success Story

This email was sent to us a while back and sorting through our inbox it was located again today. We wanted to take a moment to post it and share on our blog!

"Taylor and I competed in obedience. I had done some obedience with her uncle - Nirvana's Irish Stu CDX but I was still very new to the sport. I was introduced to "With Winning in Mind" by my trainer at the time. Taylor and I had struggled with the 3rd level - Utility but persisted. We started using your program of visualization and positive self talk and our performances started to greatly improve. To achieve an OTCH title we had to compete and beat some of the best dog and handler teams in the country. As we were new to this - the task was daunting. Your program was a very important part of our success. It was an incredible experience to have such a close and wonderful connection with my best team mate and best friend - Taylor, having the mental discipline to stay focused and on track made it all possible." Barbara

Friday, April 16, 2010

Mental Coach Troy Bassham - Testimonial from Parent



(pictured Matt McLean, Thomas Birdsey & Justin Poynter at Jim McLean's Golf Center)


"The game of golf requires equal mental skills as physical skills to reach ones potential. Troy Bassham with Mental Management has had a profound effect on our son’s performance in tournament competition. In fact, the first tournament after Thomas’ Mental Management session with Troy, Thomas accomplished his first ever bogie free round the first day of an AJGA Junior Golf Tournament. A few weeks later, Thomas qualified for the US Amateur the summer before his senior year in high school. We are particularly impressed with Troy’s mentoring style, which helped Thomas clearly comprehend and immediately implement the basic principles of Mental Management. We have learned that Mental Management benefits go beyond the golf course. Our family learned valuable life skills and more effective communication with our student athlete. Thank you Troy for the outstanding job helping Thomas reach his potential." Don & Cindy Birdsey

To learn more about Troy Bassham and Mental Management please call 972-899-9640 or visit our website www.mentalmanagement.com

Monday, April 12, 2010

Brady Ellison Shoots for a CURE to Breast Cancer

We received this email today about client Brady Ellison. Brady is helping raise money to help fight breast cancer through Shoot for a Cure!


"This past weekend was the Arizona Cup. It was a World racking event with 13 countries represented. Brady won the qualification round and tied the US National record. He carried the momentum right into the OR rounds, winning all his matches. It was a great start to the outdoor season. Brady also kicked off his shoot for the cure campaign with his new pink Hoyt Bow. Brady raised over $3300.00 at this shoot. Brady's mental game is great and it keeps getting better with each day. If you have not been to Brady's Breast Cancer web site here is the link www.bradysshootforthecure.com"

Take Care,
Mel

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Lanny Bassham Update - The Masters, Saturday

Masters Saturday

It is day three of the Masters and in the golf world this is the day for players to move up if they are going to have a chance at wearing the green jacket. There are over 40,000 people within the gates of Augusta National with millions all over the world watching every shot. Today one of our clients Jerry Kelly tied Phil Mickelson for the best round of the day at 5 under par. We were unable to visit directly with Jerry but we had a chance to talk to his caddie Eric Meller about the round. Eric told us that Jerry was just having fun out there. He said “Jerry loves the Masters because it is the only major where you can really have fun. The crowds are super responsive to a great shot and the course is demanding enough that if you are not at the top of your game it hammers you.” Today Jerry was focused on process and his score showed it.

We teach that to improve your chances of doing well in competition you should focus on the process of execution and not on outcome or your environment. You cannot think about process and outcome at the same time. If you are thinking about results your process may suffer. But if your total focus is on process outcome is enhanced.

We have been following Jerry and Ben Crane. This is Ben’s third Masters and the first time he has survived the cut. He is not at the top of the leader board but his discipline to run our system seems to really be paying off according to his caddie Joel Stock. See a pattern here? The caddies are easier to talk to than the players at the Masters. Players are hard to get close to even for the trainers. In PGA events we can have direct access to the player on the driving range, on the putting and chipping areas and even in the locker room if accompanied by the player. Not so at the Masters. Combine that with no cell phones allowed on the property and you can see how difficult it is to communicate directly with the players you are trying to help. The good news is these two are doing really well because they are well along in using our program. We began working with Jerry and Ben in 2007. Both have won on the PGA tour since beginning our program. We wish them God Speed tomorrow.

For more information on Mental Management for Golf - go to our website www.mentalmanagement.com

Lanny's Update from The Masters - Friday

Masters Friday

Pressure is on at the Masters. You can feel it in the air. The anticipation of crowning a new Masters Champion is here and on day two the players responded as you might expect to the pressure of golf’s biggest prize. Some seemed to handle it better than others. The leaders changed on the board. Some of those that had trouble on Thursday posted improved scores while some of the Thursday’s leaders faltered. Golf has a habit of doing that to you. Consistency is hard to count on at the Masters.

I suspect that most of the inconsistency comes from over-trying. This event is the biggest of the year and comes first among the majors in the calendar. Players feel the need to give it their all and that is just too much effort to cause low scoring. The bigger the competition the greater the pull to over-try so as this is golf’s biggest event the negative impact is huge at the Masters.

News from the Masters Thursday

Lanny's update from The Masters:

Today I watched as two veteran legends of golf Fred Couples (50) and Tom Watson (60) showed the young bucks how it was done. Watson’s 67, 5-under performance tied this former Masters Champion’s best ever at Augusta. Fred Couples 66 led the field at the end of the day. Whether these giants can sustain the course and win the 2010 Masters is not the point. Here is the point. This sport has longevity that few sports can match. Imagine a sport where players like Byeong-Hun An at 17, the youngest player in the Masters is competing with Watson and Couples for golf’s greatest title. By the way both of An’s parents won medals in table tennis in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. I was there as a coach.

Granted both Watson and Couples have the Champions Tour and An is still a junior and an amateur but the fact that these categories designed to separate players by age and status do not count in this event is unique in sport. The Masters is looking for the best male player no matter the age. I think that is one reason fans are so loyal to this championship.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The Masters - There's nothing else like it in sport.

Lanny Bassham is at The Master's this week and sending over updates each day. Here is the first one.

The Masters - There's nothing else like it in sport.

The Olympic is incredible, the Super Bowl and the World Series are tops but they change venues almost every year, but not the Masters. The reason this event is special is it's location. Augusta National is like no other location in sport to spawn history and a reverence for tradition.

Of the 111 players in this year's Masters, 6 are amateurs and for 13 pros this will be their first time at Augusta National. It is also my first time here and I can tell you this is no ordinary PGA Tour event. Tickets for the Masters are bought up decades in advance. Trainers like Troy and I cannot get in with PGA credentials like other events. Players get two tickets only and unless you want to pay a fortune to someone willing to give up a ticket you are watching this one on TV. The Augusta National is a shrine to pro golf and the fans treat coming to the Masters like a pilgrimage. This event is not only golf's highest honor to win, it is the best event to attend. Why? Because Augusta National does it right. First, the players are the best golf has to offer and they are treated like it here. They do not have to worry about autographs. It is not allowed. Press is limited to only 300 and they are the elite. Security is everywhere and you cannot sneak in a phone or even an Ipod. I went through two scanners and a pat down to get in the gate. Secondly, the fans are the best. It still seems crowded to me compared to the other events I've attended but the fans I talked to that are veterans of the Masters love the way they are treated here. Parking is handled professionally and although security is tight they have plenty of people to handle the crowd. One thing golf does better than any other sport in my opinion is to honor their past champions and at the Masters this is multiplied ten-fold. There is so much history here and Palmer, Nicklaus and Player to boot.

One big problem at most tour events is what's for lunch. Normally it is a $4 coke and a $8 cold hot dog. Not at this place. I had lunch today for three bucks. Sandwiches here range from $1.50 to $2.50 with big sodas at $1.50 and 16oz beer at $2.75. They can feed them faster here too, plenty of food lines and nice friendly people checking you out.

Today was just light practice for the players but tomorrow the battle starts for real. We have 5 clients here so I will be rooting for them. Keep your fingers crossed for Ben Crane, Jerry Kelly, Rory Sabbatini, Brian Gay and Justin Leonard.

Troy Bassham on the Interview by Channel 33

See the interview with Troy Bassham on Channel 33 from Monday April 5: Click Here

This interview is about the mental game and golf specifically about Tiger Woods being mentally prepared for The Masters.

Troy and Lanny will at the The Masters this week!

for more information on Mental Management please check out our website www.mentalmanagement.com

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Others Have Endured More and Complained Less

The article below was posted in our April newsletter from 2005. We did a short series on some of the "Lessons of the Box" from Lanny's Book "Freedom Flight - The Origins of Mental Power" for a few months and this is one of those articles.

"No matter how bad your environment is others have endured more and complained less"

For me (Lanny's daughter, Heather) this principle hit me the hardest. In today's negatively charged society it is easy and acceptable to complain. We complain about work, our spouses, friends, our commute, in-laws, kids, finances and almost everything else. It is easy to be unhappy with our surroundings and to tell everyone else all about it.

No matter how bad your situation is, there is someone out there who has it much worse off than you do. Someone out there is fighting to stay alive and has no reason to believe they will live. Someone else is living with no home and no hope of finding shelter or food for her child tonight. Still another has lost their wife and kids and is very much alone. Imagine for a moment that these people are not angry or bitter or negative even though they have every right to be. Imagine that they are thankful to live another day and have a positive outlook on life despite their misfortune.

I don't think life is easy for anyone. We all have our unique challenges and complicated realities. However, we must take the time to treasure what we do have and control the negative self-talk no matter our situation.

In competition, one of our biggest challenges is to control what we say to ourselves and to others. Most of the negative self-talk is driven by our environment. You get lost heading to your match, trial or tournament. Your spouse or significant other picks 15 minutes before your event begins to remind you of all the ways you have failed in your relationship or marriage. You know you have a difficult time competing when the weather is bad and today it is pouring out but your event is not cancelled. You start the competition and you are not performing at your potential. Your mind is racing and it is because of your environment. You have to be able to turn off the voices in your head that are yelling back at your spouse, still angered by getting lost, thinking you can't possibly win and mad at God for making it rain.

If we complain less (internally or verbally) we will be a much more pleasant person to have around and succeed more often. Stop thinking so much about what is going on around you and have a good time for that one moment. Have fun anyway - despite your surroundings. It's raining? So what - think to yourself "I'm even better at my sport in the rain". Your spouse is upset at you and/or making you feel guilty? Do your best to put it out of your mind at least until the competition is over - think of the things you love about what is going on around you. Get away from the situation and play the best game of your life anyway. Never let your environment dictate what your mood is for the day - or your level of play for that matter. Who is in control of you? YOU ARE!

In "Freedom Flight", you learn how the character Jack Sands is able to take a situation that seems hopeless and endures it, learns from it and becomes a better person for it. We all can learn a little something from a man like this one.

By: Heather Sumlin (heather@mentalmanagement.com)

Learn more about Mental Management and Freedom Flight by calling 972-899-9640 or checking out our website at www.mentalmanagement.com