Terri Sears, Sports Mental Skills Coach

06/23/2023

Yep!

06/16/2023

Truth!

I believe there are two hitters in EVERY, SINGLE, PLAYER.

There is a Confident-hitter and Non-Confident hitter.

Confident Hitter:

- Plays both sides of the field well.
- Steps in the batter's box with calmness, toughness & focus.
- Takes controlled-violent swings on pitches they're HUNTING.

Non-Confident Hitter:

- Takes their bad at-bats to their defense.
- Steps in the batter's box with tension pressure & anxiety.
- Swings at everything while trying to pull pitches they have no business pulling.

One way to become confident while driving the ball with authority is to practice it in a controlled environment.

You can start by doing drills that encourage aggressive swings, with the RIGHT mindset, like the one you see here.

This is one of the most popular videos in the QAB Academy this month.

It's called: The Quick Swing Drill @ Qualityatbatsacasemy .com

Sometimes, all it takes is one piece of advice, one adjustment, one ah-ha moment to take your hitting to the next level.

Make it happen here.

Best,

P.S. The day you realize it's not about you, it's about you helping your team win, is the day you achieve true freedom and confidence at the plate.

- Spring
Oakland Athletics

04/26/2023

Courage…..

04/23/2023

My kind of gal!!

Did I hear someone say that they were too old to start running?

You’re never too old 👏

The 81-year-old Leeds runner aiming for 300 marathons.

An 81-year-old marathon runner from Leeds says putting on her trainers has helped her mental and physical health.
Hilary Wharam has completed 167 marathons since she took up the sport aged 55.
The Horsforth Harriers runner said she hopes to complete a total of 300 marathons as she "has a lot of energy".
She said: "When you live alone, you don't talk to anybody unless you come out and there's cake afterwards. What's not to like?"

What a superstar 🤩

04/17/2023

Grateful to this woman!

In celebration of today's Boston Marathon, we're sharing the dramatic story of the first woman to officially run in the world's oldest annual marathon. Kathrine Switzer’s experience is a revealing illustration of the barriers that trailblazing women athletes had to overcome and of how far girls and women in sports have come in only a few decades. Switzer was a 20-year-old college student at Syracuse University in 1967 when she registered for the race using her initials, K.V. Switzer. Not realizing that she was a woman, who were barred from participating in the Boston Marathon for over 70 years, race officials issued her an entry number.

During the race, marathon official Jock Semple attempted to physically remove Switzer from the marathon after discovering she was female. Other runners, including Switzer’s boyfriend Tom Miller, blocked Semple and she was able to complete the marathon. Photographs of the incident and the story of Switzer’s participation in the marathon made global headlines. Switzer's record-setting run as the Boston Marathon’s first registered female runner came one year after the historic run of Bobbi Gibb, who disguised herself and snuck in to run the marathon in 1966.

After the marathon, Switzer became deeply engaged in efforts to increase girls’ and women’s access to sports and she and other women runners finally convinced the Boston Athletic Association to drop their discriminatory policies and allow women to participate in 1972. Today, nearly half of Boston Marathon entrants are female. Switzer also helped lead the drive for the inclusion of a women’s marathon in the Olympic Games -- a victory which was achieved at long last with the first women's marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

As for the individuals captured in this dramatic moment, Semple later publicly apologized to Switzer and the two reconciled. After the rule was changed to allow women in the marathon, he became a staunch supporter of women racers. Looking back at what she called the “great shoving incident," Switzer reflected, "these moments change your life and change the sport. Everybody’s belief in their own capability changed in that one moment, and a negative incident turned into one of the most positive.”

To share this inspiring story with children, there's a fantastic picture book "Her Fearless Run: Kathrine Switzer's Historic Boston Marathon" for ages 6 to 10 at https://www.amightygirl.com/her-fearless-run

For adults who would like to read more about Kathrine Switzer's inspiring story, we recommend her autobiography, "Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women's Sports," at https://www.amightygirl.com/marathon-woman

Girls and women fought for decades for access to sports programs and won a huge victory in 1972 with the passage of Title IX which prohibited s*x discrimination in school sports or other educations programs receiving federal support. To introduce kids to this landmark civil rights legislation and the fierce fight necessary to win this victory for girls and women, we recommend the new picture book "An Equal Shot: How the Law Title IX Changed America" for ages 4 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/an-equal-shot) and "Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX" for ages 9 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/let-me-play)

For an excellent picture book about women breaking athletic records throughout history, we also recommend "Girls With Guts!" for ages 6 to 9 at https://www.amightygirl.com/girls-with-guts

And, for a fantastic t-shirt that speaks to the fact that strength has nothing to do with gender, check out the “I'm not strong for a girl. I'm just strong.” t-shirt for both kids and adults at https://www.amightygirl.com/strong-t-shirt

Photo Credit: Harry Trask, Boston Herald via Kathrine Switzer

04/10/2023

Yep!!

A Coach's Worth...

04/02/2023

This is a key to peak performance!

03/26/2023

How cool!!

Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Gabriela Jaquez are the first brother and sister duo to make it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the same school in the same season.

Their story: nbcnews.app.link/qfhinCJzpyb

03/21/2023

How to build resilience!

Read this to your girls then read it again, and again.

03/21/2023

Yep!!

Best Thing We Can Do For Kids...

03/01/2023

This!

PROGRESS…
This is the first time the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship game will be aired on ABC.

12/16/2022

What risks or chances do you want to take?

👉No matter how big or small, take those risks, push through the fear and see what happens.

🥶Fear is something we create ourselves. It’s the anticipation response to potential threats or dangers and it prevents us from doing what we really want.

👉Don’t get stopped by it, and keep taking risks.

You got this.🔥

12/14/2022

What does ‘believing’ mean to you?

➡️Do you believe you can meet your intentions or goals?
➡️Are you easily deterred from your goals once you hit a snag?
➡️Or do you reassess and try again?

Maybe you believe that you can stick to some healthy boundaries you upheld with friends or loved ones. Or maybe you believe that you don’t deserve success or to thrive...

👉Well…What we believe has a direct result on what we get!

Ask yourself if you are in your own way of success.

✨Success doesn’t happen overnight but what you BELIEVE about yourself, the world and even others will have a big impact on how your story unfolds.✨

💌Head to www.terrisearstherapy.com to schedule an appointment so we can chat about your goals and mindset towards them.

12/12/2022

Perspective is SO important.

👉Even a famous professional baseball player like Mickey Mantle remained humble despite all his successes.

You know why?

Staying humble is what makes you a successful player. Know your limits and aim to always improve.🔥

This doesn’t mean you cannot celebrate your wins or praise yourself.

It means keeping working and striving to be your best.💪

👉Always do your best, be humble, and keep going.

Want to know the tips on how to communicate with your young athlete? Watch my video freebie at https://hustling-originator-1275.ck.page/bde843dfab

12/09/2022

Trevor Moawad - sports mental skills coach - on describing NFL quarterback Russell Wilson said this.👆

If you want to increase your resiliency and tenacity in living life, remember, you are more than your success or failures.❤️

How you respond to your success and failures says more about you than anything.

➡️How do you treat others?
➡️How do you respond when things don’t go your way?

Ask yourself these questions and remember as an athlete you are more than just an athlete!

🙂Like this post if you can relate.

12/07/2022

As an athlete, how can you let go of the past without being defined by it?🤔

Trevor Moawad - who was a mental conditioning coach for elite athletes and who famously worked with NFL player Russell Wilson - states in his book 📚‘It Takes What It Takes’:

👉’Neutral thinking is a high-performance strategy that emphasizes judgment-free thinking, especially in pressure situations. It acknowledges that the past happened. However, the past isn’t predictive. If you can absorb and embrace that belief, everything can change’.👈

Really let that sink in....you can change and you can improve... you don’t have to be stuck.

START NOW!🔥

💌Head to www.terrisearstherapy.com to schedule an appointment so we can chat about how you can improve your sports mental skills.

12/05/2022

Here are my tips for all athletes struggling with reaching their goals.👇👇

✅First of all, take one step at a time: with the right support and mental skills you can achieve your goals and change your mindset.

1️⃣ Start by setting REALISTIC goals that are not too overwhelming for you.

2️⃣Then focus on how you talk to yourself. We have tons of thoughts every day and if yours are negative, they can impact your mood and your confidence.

3️⃣Identify your negative self-talk and ask for help if you are struggling.

If you do this consistently over time it can change negative thinking to thoughts of gratitude.🔥

Are you interested in setting realistic goals and reaching your peak performance?
Then DM me so we can chat about it! I’m here to support you in this journey.❤️

12/02/2022

Ask yourself what you would like people to say about you.

❌This doesn’t mean you are trying to earn others’ approval.

✅It means you are showing up for yourself in your life in a way that is meaningful to you.

Some people may approve and some may not but what’s most important is that YOU approve!🔥

Do you agree?🙃

11/30/2022

Do you struggle with finding the motivation to complete a task or goal?😣

Here is what you can do to increase your motivation.👇

✅Spend some time thinking about your why....why is this task or goal important to you? What will you gain after meeting this goal?

✅CLARIFY your VALUES (like integrity, perseverance, leadership, and positive connection with others, to name a few...) Now ask yourself do your goals align with your values because if they don’t you’ll be less likely to meet your goals.

✅Start with one small sweet step towards meeting your goals. Sometimes we can feel defeated before we even start because we can think of all that’s involved in meeting the goal and how long it may take.

If you can relate to that, challenge yourself to take one small step daily towards meeting your goal and stay out of the future and hang out in the present, knowing that taking care of today will take care of tomorrow.

You can do this. 💜

11/28/2022

Learning to create and practice effective imagery is a skill that is developed over time.

☝️It’s not true that either you have good imagery or you don’t.

With practice, you can make it very effective.

Here are a few tips to make your imagery work for you.

🔥 Make it vivid: include all of your senses in your imagery. What do you see, hear, smell, touch, and taste?

🔥 Make it controllable: practice creating in your mind exactly what you want to have to happen and don’t get discouraged if this takes a while.

🔥 Imagery can be from an internal and external perspective: you can imagine something from your own self-perspective or see yourself from the outside completing something. Both views are helpful!

🔥 Include the thoughts and emotions that you’re aiming for. If a negative thought or emotion arises, just gently shift back toward your preferred thoughts and emotions.

Have fun practicing!🤸‍♀️

11/25/2022

Is your worry productive as an athlete?⛹️‍♀️

It’s productive only if it nudges towards improving and doing your best to solve the problem.

👉This broad-minded type of thinking will see you through many obstacles, mistakes and setbacks.
Wondering what are the top mental skills you need as an athlete?

Grab your FREE guide on the 5 top mental skills every college-bound athlete needs at https://hustling-originator-1275.ck.page/4f3562140c 🔥

11/23/2022

What is your story?

We all have a story and no doubt it’s filled with ups and downs.⬆️⬇️

I think it’s really important to think about where you’ve come from and where you are going because it’s all a part of you.

✨Your mistakes, your losses have helped to create who you are.

Too often you can get caught up in comparing yourself to others and think your story doesn’t matter or your story isn’t as good as their story.

HEAR ME NOW....you do matter, and you have something to say.❤️

✨Even if you whisper it...say it and let your experiences lead you forward.

Being an athlete is probably a big part of your story, but I challenge you to go beyond that.

You have the privilege of feeling joy when you play, when you compete.

✨Can you spread some of that joy to others?

During the holidays we can give to others in small ways....a smile, a compliment, offering to help in some way.

✨All these things matter and because you are you, they can be given in your unique way.

Don’t underestimate your story and what it can mean to others!

🔖Save this post for when you’ll need to remind this to yourself.

11/21/2022

Sometimes it can be hard to move forward when we are feeling frustrated or upset about a mistake.😤

When you're playing, whether it's tennis at the park or in a tournament, HOW you bounce back from a mistake can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Check out these 4 steps to help you move beyond mistakes and reach success.

✅See the error as if you are watching yourself from outside. You’ll feel more detached and less reactive.
Then successfully visualize your next move.

✅Take three deep breaths….in through your nose and out through your mouth.

✅Come up with a word or phrase that you repeat to yourself after mistakes to help you transition on to the next action or move.
Something like: “Release...let it go...what’s next...I’ve got this”.

✅Remind yourself that mistakes are NORMAL as you strive for excellence and they are not to be FEARED.

Hope this helps. You got this.🔥

11/18/2022

Is fear holding you back or do you fear you will fail?😨

Remember “failure” just gives us more information on how to proceed next, so JUST BEGIN!🔥

When we begin something new, we have the opportunity to engage our sense of curiosity.

👉Think back on how it was for you when you first started playing your sport or engaging in a favorite hobby.

You were curious and maybe felt challenged but you went for it.🔥

See if you can capture that mindset again! Don’t let fear stop you.💪

💙Like this post if you can relate.

11/16/2022

It’s holiday time soon.🍂🎄

👉Maybe you’re excited to celebrate and carry out old traditions and rituals and you're looking forward to spending time with family and friends.

These times can be wonderful and create a sense of connection and belonging.

👉However, many of you have lost loved ones or have traumatic memories related to the holidays and this time of year can be triggering for you.

If the latter is you, ask yourself how you can make this time of year meaningful for you.❤️

Can it represent an ending of one time and renewal for the next season or year?

👉Maybe you want to disengage from the materialism of the holidays and look more towards a deeper understanding of the season.

This may be a spiritual process for you or a process of looking at improving your relationships and your relationship with yourself.🙏

✨Can you be more compassionate with yourself this holiday season and if so, what does that look like?

Maybe it’s saying no more often or scheduling time for exercise or prayer and reflection.

✨Just take some kind of action.

Although the holidays may not be your favorite time of the year, reclaim this time for yourself and take action on how it can be meaningful to you!

You only have to begin with one small step.

You’ve got this!🙃

11/11/2022

👌Do you agree with Cara?

So much has changed in our work patterns in the last couple of years.

Many people are now working from home, or split work between an office and the home office. Family duties, tasks and activities are shifting and changing into a much more flexible setting.👩‍💻🏠

Work life balance is all about managing the time you have with the things you want to do, as long as you prioritize and fully understand what it is that you want to do in your day.

Set aside time to care about yourself, be with your loved ones or enjoy a hobby.

🙏Gratitude is another important thing to consider.

✨When you have balance in your life, you feel grateful for what you have and you do, you’ll appreciate your life more and feel more fulfilled.

Start thinking about work-life balance in your life today.

⚖️You will enjoy more quality time with your family and less personal stress if you start thinking about improving your work life balance.

Good luck.🍀

11/09/2022

How do you maintain a healthy balance in your life?

Maybe by…
➡️Doing more things
➡️Learning to say no more often
➡️Exercising
➡️Doing Prayer and Meditation
➡️Improving your creative outlet

It seems any one of these things, except maybe the first one.

😵Life is stressful and we all need to have some ways to regroup.

Athletes especially need to know this because so much of their lives revolve around their sport.

🔥Having activities and outlets outside of your sport allows your identity to be about more than just being an athlete.

This can help with overall balance in life and it can prevent burn-out as an athlete.

How do you take down time?

✨It doesn’t have to even be for a long period of time.

✨Find something that is relaxing, soothing or fun to you and do it regularly.

Not only will it help with your mindset but it can help you be a more balanced person!

Leave a comment if you agree.👇

11/07/2022

How important is mindset in sports?🧠

👉We all know sports are about physical fitness and endurance. We also know that MINDSET MANAGEMENT is an important part of it.

In fact, if an athlete is not mentally prepared, physical fitness is as good as not having it at all.

👉So what is mental training in sports?

Physical training teaches the body how to use the skills of the sport, while mental training teaches how to focus, manage your emotions and reach peak performance.

👉It is important to realize the enormous power of thought and its effect on performance.

When the BODY, MIND, and EMOTIONS are in harmony, athletes in particular perform at their best.🔥

As a Sports Mental Skills Coach, I can support you in your journey as an athlete, so you can achieve the body and mind balance.

Head to www.terrisearstherapy.com to schedule an appointment or reach out by sending me a DM.💌

11/04/2022

Babe Ruth said that every strike out he had took him one step closer to his next home run.

In fact, the key is that 🔥to succeed we must FAIL.🔥

✅Because through failure, you learn how to reassess your performance and you get feedback.

Like this post if you agree!

11/02/2022

That’s so true.💜

When someone we care about is struggling, it can be difficult to know what to do and you might feel hopeless.

👉Mental health disorders are more common than you might think. In fact, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 5 adults in the United States suffers from a mental illness.

Despite this high prevalence, there is still a lot of stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health conditions. This stigma can make it difficult for people to seek help and get the treatment they need.

If you or a loved one is suffering from any mental health problem, I just want you to know that you are not alone.🙏

👉You don’t have to do everything by yourself, and asking for help can be a life-changer. There are many organizations and support groups that can help you on your journey to recovery.

If you need professional support, I am here to help. Head to www.terrisearstherapy.com to schedule an appointment.📩

You are not alone.❤️