It’s mid-season. You are grinding through five-plus days per week of practice and games. You’re getting physically exhausted, and mentally you may be slipping into negative thinking as you try to keep up with all the sport and academic demands. How do you beat the mental grind game? Here’s a list... Read more

“In the big leagues everyone has ability. It always comes down to mind games. Whoever is more mentally strong—wins.” Muhammad Ali Why the game is 90% mental and yet coaches and parents talk about it that way, yet fail to support ways to improve the student athlete mindset?  Because they just don’t... Read more

How to Get into the Flow State and How To Stop Sabotaging Your Performance Under Pressure   When athletes or performers are just about to do their thing under extreme pressure of having to execute their skills, a curious thing happens… A part of your mind tries to take over and guide... Read more

Get Mental with Erika Westoff, SportStars INSIDER• In this month’s Get Mental column, we take a look at how mental skills becomes insurance for all the physical training you do. Athletes come into my office disappointed and fed up because they simply aren’t performing as well as they can. They... Read more

Blast from the past – here’s a picture of me back in 2002 when I was at the height of my playing career. It was easy to find time to prioritize staying fit as a young adult. I virtually had no other obligations other than work, working out and playing... Read more

Before becoming the mental toughness trainer, I played a lot of sports, especially golf.  (I still do) In addition, as I look back at what held me back (not just in sports, but in life), most it was this:  The need to control! (The opposite of trusting yourself and your skills.) Remember the formula from... Read more

Today I begin my series on the mental toughness side of sports training. All athletes and performers know they have more ability, skills, and talents than they have been showing in competition or on the stage. You are here because you want to see your talent show up a lot... Read more

Talent, Leadership, Experience — And A Little Grit — Brought Ridgeview Its First Title Since 2013. Story by Trevor Horn | Photos by Samuel Stringer FRESNO — A crowd began to arrive at Selland Arena in downtown Fresno for the Central Section Division II boys basketball championship game. This wasn’t... Read more

If it’s training you want. If you want to get to the next level. Then there’s NoTime2Chill! Founded in 2010, NoTime2Chill Skills Academy is dedicated to helping individuals find the joy in playing and learning the game of basketball. Our goal is to provide more than just a casual sports... Read more

By CHACE BRYSON | Editor   Sometimes the game is simply the story.  And sometimes the story is part of something bigger.  To aptly embody what transpired in the North Coast Section Division I softball championship game June 1 at Saint Mary’s College, one simply needs to start with those... Read more

When potential clients walk in my office they usually have some sense that mental performance is important, but they don’t often know exactly what mental skills are or how they are taught.  “Is it therapy?,” they might ask. “Will I (or my child) be “˜psycho-analyzed?'”  While mental training has come... Read more

Get Mental with Erika Westoff, SportStars INSIDER• What’s Holding You back from reaching your full potential? It could easily be “Overthinking”! Overthinking is the top reason athletes seek professional help and it may just be what is interfering with your sports performance development. Overthinking is common and most times can make the... Read more