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Shaun Goodsell  
Shaun@mentaledgenow.com  

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Efficient Summer Training through Goal Setting - 6/07 

Getting the Mental Edge 6/07

Failing Huge 7/07

Value of Reflection 8/07

Core Confidence 10/07

Parenting That Opens Up Kids 11/07

It is Not All or Nothing 12/07

Detail Leads to Confidence 1/08

Preparing for Playoffs 2/08

March Madness 4/08

Skill Development 5/08

High Impact Conversations 6/08

Design Power 7/08

Tryout Preparation 8/08

A Life Changed 9/08

Stress Yourself for Enhanced Performance 10/08

The High Impact Association 11/08

Confidence is Within Your Control 12/08

Maintain Perspective 1/09

The Mental Edge,
Part 1 2/09

The Truth is Intriguing 3/09

Fight vs. Flow 4/09
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mental Edge
 
MENTAL EDGE NEWS                        May 2009

Guaranteed to improve the quality of your individual experience!

In This Issue
90-Day Parent Challenge
What they're saying...
Athlete of the Month
Practice with a Purpose
Concentrate on YOU
90-Day
 
Parent
Challenge

parents
 
 
 
The Mental Edge invites you to participate in our 90-day Parenting Challenge. This challenge is intended to help you cultivate a High Impact relationship with your son or daughter.

As I tell all parents participating in our High Impact Parenting Series, asking quality questions opens up the possibility of a completely different kind of interaction with your child. With that in mind, you will be given a series of High Impact Questions for the next 90 days (30 days at a time) designed to open a door of understanding into your child's life that can give you a brand new perspective on who your child is and how you might adjust your parenting style to powerfully influence them.

To accept the 90-Day Challenge please click here:


I ACCEPT THE 90-DAY CHALLENGE
 
Quick Links

 
What they're saying about the Mental Edge...

 

I want to say 'Thank you' for your sessions with my son Danny. The sessions were very helpful. I know he learned a lot and found new ways to look at situations. I think he is at the perfect age to understand the connection between his thinking and how his thinking can change his results.  With only 2 sessions with you, his grades spiked upward on his semester final exams. But the biggest news is that with the new confidence he found from your sessions, he had successful try-outs and made the golf team. That has been a goal of his, and he is very proud and excited.

We would like to return in the Fall, when football, hockey, and the next school year begins. I will contact Dawn at that time.

Thanks and keep up the good work!

Mark A. Nelson
_____________________

"Thank you so much for all of your support! You run a great program and it really helped me acheive all of my goals. Take care!"
                      ~Becky Kortum
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Our experience working with the Mental Edge has proven the additional life-altering benefits that your mentoring offers in addition to just the sport-specific goals you work on. It sounds crazy, but I truly believe that Shaun was an angel that came into our son's life to lead him down the right path. We were all in a dark place, crushed to think that his dreams might have come to an end. We knew it wasn't life threatening and we knew things could be much worse. But we also saw a vulnerable, talented, driven kid with so much potential and commitment, on the verge of giving up and changing his life path out of desperation. It wasn't our place to try to convince him otherwise because we knew what he had gone through, but, we also knew the alternative could be very detrimental to his happiness. Shaun's approach truly was the answer, and the respect that our son had for him immediately was amazing. Equally important was Shaun's willingness to take our phone call from a parent you knew nothing about, regarding an ordinary 15 year old kid you knew nothing about and take the situation
seriously enough to help him before it was too late. This was impressive and very kind hearted, considering the caliber of athletes that you try to squeeze into Shaun's busy calendar. Thank you from the
bottom of my heart for that! Hockey aside, the life lessons that he has taken from this are invaluable and life changing. His renewed strength is amazing. The joke around our house is that I need "a Shaun" in my life. I think it's hardest on moms seeing their kids go through tough times! 
Thanks for everything!
                          ~ Parent
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"I watched my son the last two tourneys and he has really had great focus!   It's like he was like his old self prior to going to the U when I used to watch him as a junior.  It's like my real son is back! His progress has been fun to watch.  I hope you realize I think you really helped and he does too!  Thanks so much for your time and effort.     You'll always have a place in our family's heart."    ~ Parent
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"When we first met Justin Johnson at a State Bantam tournament a few years ago, he talked a little bit about The Mental Edge.  I remember thinking to myself, "This is exactly what my son needs!"  My son, Nolan, was one of our team's two goaltenders.  He had good skills, but was struggling with confidence issues and was having difficulty dealing with adversity.  Having majored in Psychology myself, I was keenly aware of the importance of mental preparation.  On the way home from the tournament, I talked with Nolan about The Mental Edge.  Always interested in improving his game, he was very interested in trying it out.  
 
All of Nolan's goaltending training has been valuable, but The Mental Edge training has clearly been the most effective.  I sat back and watched, with amazement, as his game consistently improved and his own satisfaction with his performance visibly increased over the next season.  He was having fun again!  Consequently, I became much more relaxed at his games.  I began to enjoy break-a-ways, because I knew he was going to make the save!
 
At the end of the season, Nolan received a hand-written note from his coach congratulating him on his performance during the season.  The coach went on to say, "Your consistency and confidence improved constantly, as did your skills."   His team members and other parents also noticed the difference.
 
Many of the mental strategies that he learned from Justin to improve his athletic skills are also excellent life skills that have helped him to become more assertive, responsible, and emotionally mature in his personal life.  The training he received from The Mental Edge was not only the best investment I have ever made in my son's athletic career, but also his emotional development.  I would strongly recommend this program to any athlete, especially the youth.  My son and I are both very grateful that we found The Mental Edge."
 
~ Ellen Paulseth, Parent
 
 Mental Edge Athlete of the Month
 
After having the privilege of working with many athletes over the years we have decided to name a Mental Edge Athlete of the Month each month. As a staff we talk through the  athletes we are working with and come up with one that embodies the concepMay09 Athletests we teach and values we stand for.

 
Earlier this month two Mental Edge athletes, Rebecca Ruegsegger and Lauren Joarnt, reached the pinnacle of their level by winning the Girls 19 and under National Championship in Rochester, NY. Both goaltenders exhibited the necessary skills and attitudes it takes to become champions.  Rebecca took to the veteran role with determination and focus leading her team through the tournament with a .953 save percentage and displayed her versatility and ability to make plays with an assist! She was also named the winner of the Overall Goalie and in the Catch and Shoot competition in the Easton Skills Competition.  Lauren filled her role with great distinction as well. In addition to maintaining a great attitude and pushing her teammates throughout the season, Lauren kept her focus and was ready when called upon stopping every shot she faced in the quarterfinal game. Mental Edge expects more of the same for these ladies as Lauren will be returning to Shattuck St. Mary's in pursuit of another championship while Rebecca will be attending the University of Wisconsin on a hockey scholarship next fall. Mental Edge is proud to have worked with such determined competitors and looks forward to watching them in the seasons to come!
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5PerformanceKeys.com
 

 
Mind Strength:  An Edge on Your Competition
5 Performance Keys to Become a Winner on the Field
& in Life!

 
(Mind Strength is available in 8 sport-specific versions)

Click on the logo to listen to a clip from each audio:
 
logogradient
 
5 PERFORMANCE KEYS       
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 Shaun Goodsell
Practice with a Purpose

 
Shaun Goodsell, MA
Senior Performance Coach
 
Shaun@MentalEdgeNow.com

 
When looking at the activities of athletes you will notice that many spend twice as much time in practice than in games. Practice is intended to prepare athletes to perform with excellence in the game.  However, I have noticed when watching  practices too many athletes seem to simply "go through the motions", entrenching bad habits that are reinforced consistently through repetitive, unintentional action or in this case inaction. This is truly destructive to athletes for three reasons.

First, it trains them to be unintentional in their performance and to disengage mentally. Anytime we do something without a predetermined outcome we set in motion an expectation that it is ok to simply go through motions. This is the complaint of many coaches.

Second, it takes away the possibility of performance feedback to the athlete. Getting information as an athlete is very important in helping athletes make internal adjustments in their own performance.  If we tell an athlete that we expect them to shoot fifty free throws looking for a percentage of eighty percent and they shoot at seventy percent, they receive feedback that they need to improve by about ten percent therefore providing quality performance feedback. Each practice needs to give the athlete information that helps them to get information to gauge their abilities against the competition.

Third, intentionality provides a foundation for motivation. Athletes that are goal directed and can measure their effectiveness through improvement tend to exhibit greater levels of motivation then those that are less intentional. This is the most useful type of motivation because it is generated from within.

Taking some time to mentally prepare to be intentional in practice can maximize your practice time; training you to be intentional about your performance leading to better performance in games.

Practical Tips:
1.   Identify one performance factor you want to improve on. Make sure this is clear and measurable.
2.   Define a purpose in every drill or practice session. Examples could include hitting the ball past the service line in tennis, keeping your hands and hips back during your golf swing, or using good form when lifting weights.
3.  Set internal goals for yourself. Shoot to accomplish something. This gives you information that tells you how well you are doing. When lifting weights you set in your mind how many reps you want at a certain weight and whatever you accomplish gives you  information as to what you need to do to get where you want.

So the next time you show up at practice, have a purpose!

 

Shaun
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For more information regarding this topic or to schedule your F.R.E.E. 30-minute performance consultation with Shaun, please call Dawn today at 763 439 5246.
________________________________________________________________________
 
 Justin Johnson
Concentrate on YOU for Peak Performance
Justin Johnson, BA, Performance Coach
Justin@MentalEdgeNow.com

 
Knowing that concentration is a key to athletic excellence, then mistakes in concentration are the primary reason that athletes struggle. Choking, slumps, fear of failure, and lack of self-confidence can all be tied to the athlete's inability to concentrate on what is important. If you want to develop mental toughness skills and start performing more to your potential, then you need to begin to learn how to better control your concentration. Specifically, you better learn how to keep your concentration squarely focused on you, what you're doing, and what you want.

Now there is plenty of talk out there discussing how opponents "psyche out" their competition because you concentrate on how good the opponent is, and this certainly happens. However, I'd like to discuss a more hidden and rarely talked about phenomenon that I actually think claims more victims.

There are a growing number of youth athletes who are devoting the bulk of their mental and physical energy towards what they believe others want.  These athletes have allowed the opinions (perceived or other-wise), comments and actions of parents, coaches, teammates, peers and the media to infiltrate their decision making process and compromise their ability to accurately judge what is in their best interest as an athlete and their value as a person.  For example, picture yourself as an athlete sitting on the sidelines taking a break from the action. As you are observing the game you hear a teammate, coach or parent make a comment about how bad of a player Johnny or Jill is because of that mistake they just made. The message many players within ear-shot are getting is that if I don't want that said about me then I better not make any mistakes.  On the flip side, you have a glamorization of individuals who are rewarded for their play be it through increased attention from peers, coaches, parents or even teachers or other accolades that send the message to others that if you are really good athlete, then you have increased value as a person.

The more that our athletes begin to buy into this way of thinking the more their experiences become linked to the opinions and perceived value targets of others. This causes constant distractions for the athlete by forcing their thinking outside of them. Think about it, how hard is it to play up to your potential when you are trying to juggle everyone else's idea of perfection because not everyone has the same idea of perfection! This is the ultimate "mental" carrot on a stick dilemma.

One answer to this increasing problem is to help train our athletes to develop an internal compass of what it means to be successful and to teach them how they need to go about reaching their goals. Your concentration needs to be on you, what you're doing, and what you want; not what you think others want for you or expect of you.

If you would like to learn more about concentrating on you for peak performance then contact Justin
 

Justin
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For more information on this topic or to schedule your F.R.E.E. 30-minute performance consultation with Justin, please call Dawn today at 763 439 5246.

________________________________________________________________________
 

 
Brady GrecoIt is our pleasure to introduce
Brady Greco,
Mental Edge Performance Coach

 

 
Brady Greco grew up as a four-sport athlete competing in hockey, baseball, soccer, and football.  He was forced to make difficult decisions early on in his athletic tenure due to the time commitment each sport required in high school.  Prior to and throughout his high school football, hockey, soccer, and baseball careers at Madison Edgewood High School, Brady captained and led his teams to State and National Championships, as well as, was honored with prestigious athletic awards including: All-Conference Defensive Back Football Player; All-Conference Baseball Catcher; All-Conference, 1st Team All-City, and 1st Team All-State Defensive Hockey Player.
 
After deciding to chase his dreams as a hockey player at the early age 17, Greco left his home and High School his senior year.  Playing junior hockey for the Billings Bulls of the AWHL, Brady earned a full-scholarship to play for the Michigan Tech Huskies in the WCHA, again earning prestigious awards. Faced with controversy due to injury and off-ice struggles at the end of the season, Brady withdrew from school and contemplated quitting hockey altogether.  Seeking the help of a professional life coach, Brady was bound and determined to make a comeback.  The next summer he was drafted in the 1st round by the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League.  Brady now had a new sought-out perspective for the game of hockey and life, which enabled him to Captain the 2002-2003 Chicago Steel hockey team.  Greco received a scholarship to play for the Colorado College Tigers in the WCHA, and was selected in the 2003 NHL Draft by the Tampa Bay Lighting.  Brady received the Coaches Award, which was given to the player who was a highly coachable athlete and best exemplified quality work ethic and leadership. His sophomore season at Colorado College he finished second on the team for power-play goals (7).  In his junior year Brady helped the Tigers to a McNaughton Cup Championship and a Frozen Four appearance.  

That next summer was one of the most difficult times for Brady, as he was coping with the deaths of three extraordinary individuals that impacted his life. He was then faced with another strenuous decision that same summer when the Lightning offered him a two-year contract to forgo his senior year at Colorado College.  One week before having to report back to school, Greco signed with the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning to come one-step closer in fulfilling his childhood dream.
 
No more than 30 games into his professional career Brady was faced with a devastating season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery to repair.  After grueling rehabilitation to make a full recovery, Brady continued to feel pain and discomfort in his shoulder.  The day prior to the start of training camp in Tampa, FL Brady learned that a second surgery was necessary because the rotator cuff ligament in his shoulder was still torn.  The disappointment and mental anguish wore on Brady to the point he was introduced to Tampa Bay Lightning's sports psychologist Max Offenberger.  The guidance and support Max supplied for Brady allowed him to put hockey in perspective to the rest of life's blessings.
 
After Brady's two-year contract with the Lightning expired, he turned all his focus on life after hockey and is sincerely passionate about helping athletes through adverse times.  Brady holds a strong belief in the mental aspect of sport and strives to help athletes make it to the next level.  He received his Associate of Science degree while playing in Chicago, his Bachelor of Arts degree in Madison, WI and is currently working on his Master's degree is Sport Psychology through the University of Pheonix.
 
Brady currently resides in the Twin Cities area, entering his first year with the Mental Edge.  Brady's crystal clear vision of the big picture, his innate ability to communicate, and his personal experience with triumphs and catastrophes throughout his career, along with his expertise in combining leadership, coping mechanisms, and mental strategies enable him to mentor and instill these skills within athletes. Brady knows that to become an athlete of excellence you need an edge, and the most important edge there is to gain is the mental one!  Brady's individualized mentoring will teach you the mental strength and emotional stability to succeed in sport, in the classroom, and in life...he will assist you in gaining that elusive Mental Edge!
 

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Happy Mother's Day!

Shaun and Dawn Goodsell



 
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EXPERTS AGREE one’s mental approach can separate the ordinary achiever from the exceptional one. A positive mental approach
is also strongly correlated with those individuals who derive a positive experience from their participation in athletic competition.
However, the skills required to achieve individual goals are often overlooked because the primary focus for development is
concentrated more on physical attributes than mental approach. At Mental Edge, our mission is to increase personal achievement
and elevate the experience of individuals through mentoring and the teaching of competencies necessary to achieve a positive experience, on and off the field of play. We believe personal satisfaction is fundamental to participation in sports ... and in life.