Train your mind to train your body

  What is visualization? How can we use this technique to produce better results? And what are the benefits? To get answers to all these questions, I had an opportunity to interview a special guest and a very dear friend of mine, Tom Ford. About Tom Ford- Tom has been the under 19 European squash number one. He has played numerous professional squash tournaments and has won many of them. He has traveled all around the world to train budding squash athletes. Tom has always been very passionate and interested about the mental side of the game, a common interest which lead us to connect with each other a few years ago. I could not have asked for a better guest to discuss on this topic, than Tom Ford. Below is the interview- Amit- Hi Tom. Tom- Hi Amit, thanks for inviting me on. Amit- today we have invited you to discuss about visualization. Thank you so much for being here with us. So my first question to you Tom- what exactly is visualization?  Tom- Sure, we need to und...

  Purposeful practice is the building block of improved performance. But it is crucial to approach your practice with the right mind set. Having a fruitful practice session can be very satisfying and fulfilling. There are few key elements to practice which an athlete must know about, before he starts his session. Be clear about the intention of the session Before a session, the athlete must decide his key focus area in that session. You must be clear about the intention and what you want to improve upon in that session. You can list down a particular area or a couple of areas to work on. A mental imagery would also be helpful while planning out the session. If you train with a partner, make sure you have decided before hand on the theme of the session. The focus area could be mostly technical, but observing the mental side could also be one of the intentions in the session. Being observant and open to feedback is the key. Using a tripod and smart phone to record your practice mak...