What you are about to read is intended only for serious athletes who play, or desire to play, competitive sports. This guide is not suitable for recreational athletes, “weekend warriors,” or casual observers. The content of these modules describes the knowledge, tools and strategies required to raise your performance to the next level and distinguish yourself from the competitors. Is this what you want? Are you ready for the challenge? If you answer “Yes”, then it’s time to get to work.

Answers are on the next page

• At age 15, joined the Women’s National Team—at that time the youngest to ever play for them
• Scored 158 International goals
• Named to Pele’s list of Top 125 Soccer Players of All Time
• FIFA’s Women’s Soccer Player of the year in 2001 and 2002

• Drafted in the 62nd round of Major League Baseball’s pro draft. Over 1,000 players drafted before him.
• “When he graduated from high school, I sent five scouts to watch him play. All five said he couldn't do anything. None of them liked him. They didn't want to sign him.” – Future Hall of Fame Coach Tommy Lasorda
• Over 400 homeruns and lifetime .300+ batting average

• Went un-drafted by the NBA after college (Eastern Michigan University)
• Shortest player in NBA history to score 30 or more points in a game. Second-shortest player in
  NBA history at 5’5.
• "The guy has the biggest heart I've ever seen in my life. To be that size and to do the things that he does is pretty amazing. All the naysayers saying he couldn't play in this league ... going from team to team...” -- Antawn Jamison, NBA Player

• Won Bronze Medal as Goaltender for USA Women’s Team at 2006 Olympics
• Two-time All American hockey player while in college
• Has epilepsy, a medical condition that causes involuntary seizures. The condition forced her to be released from the hockey team at the University of Wisconsin because it was unsafe for her to be on the ice. She reflects that "Being released from University of Wisconsin was the lowest point in my career”.
• Joined Northeastern University as a walk-on. But by end of sophomore year was playing every game and invited to join the Women’s National Team. By end of college career became Northeastern’s all-time leader in saves.

Athlete #1: Mia Hamm

Confidence: “Failure happens all the time. It happens every day in practice. What makes you better is how you react to it.” Competitiveness: “You can't just beat a team, you have to leave a lasting impression in their minds so they never want to see you again.” Resilience: "When things are tough and bad, make it as simple as possible. It's natural for us to make everything overblown. `Oh my God, I'm so bad.' You just have to focus and concentrate."

Athlete #2: Mike Piazza

Persistence: "If I couldn't make it, I wanted it to be because I wasn't good enough, not because I didn't try hard enough. I was going to give it everything I had, and if that wasn't good enough, so be it. Acceptance of Responsibility: "To me a pitcher never gets me out. I get myself out. That's no disrespect to the pitcher, but there should be no excuse for failure. You can't have an excuse to fail.” Motivation: "It's a fear of failure... I know that one day this will all be gone. When it's over, I want to say, 'Hey, I made a pretty good run. I gave it all I had.’”

Athlete #3: Earl Boykins

Training Attitudes: “There are no days off for me. I have to work longer and harder than everyone else to be successful.” Resilience: “It's money time. There are fewer possessions and I haven't done anything for two weeks. I struggled in the first half because I was a little overaggressive. I relaxed in the second half and was able to hit some shots.” Decision Speed: “I played with grown men. When you play with grown men, you’re not as fast and not as strong as them, so you learn how to think the game. And because I could always think the game faster than the guys my age, it made the game so much easier for me.”

Athlete #3: Earl Boykins

Persistence and Goal Setting: ""I never stopped moving forward, even when I was having seizures. I took it one step at a time." Toughness: "Epilepsy doesn't need to change your lifestyle. Whatever your goals are, you can overcome those obstacles." Motivation: “I’ve learned to live with [epilepsy], the fear of the unknown, because I want to really live life and for me living means playing ice hockey.”

Questions for you........ Could you win against an opponent that the entire world thinks is going to easily beat you? Would you lose your composure if you were scored on first by a much better team? How confident would you be that you could win if you tried scoring on an opponent but simply were unable to? Would you have the willpower to still keep trying, even if you were behind in the score and everyone doubted you?

• You must know yourself. You must also learn what it means when we talk about important mental traits. Then you connect what you learn with what you know about yourself. What exactly is meant by “motivation”? What does it mean if you don’t have “confidence”? You can’t improve if you don’t know what it is you’re trying to improve.

GROW.

• You must know yourself. You must also learn what it means when we talk about important mental traits. Then you connect what you learn with what you know about yourself. What exactly is meant by “motivation”? What does it mean if you don’t have “confidence”? You can’t improve if you don’t know what it is you’re trying to improve.

SHOW.

• Use the tools and skills you learn in this guide to apply to your game performance. You will be better prepared for competition and a better athlete during the game.