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You're final chance to have your say! http://aweber.com/b/1O1jw

Hi there,

I am VERY close to finishing my long awaited Contest Surfing Strategy website.

I have literally been working on this for more than 4 years now… but I am finally going to launch it.

I will be launching in late July/early August .

This website is entirely focused on helping you to  "Create Heat Winning Strategies Step-by-Step"

It will include video, audio, printed guides and computer based video tutorials…  it is a complete brain dump of everything that I think that you need to know about "Creating Heat Winning Strategies."

I am going to cover all the ways that you need to prepare and think for your heats,including how to focus under pressure and I am going to show exactly how to do it - step-by-step.

HOWEVER, I need your help…

Before I finalise everything and launch the site, I need to make sure that I have covered exactly what you want.

That is where you come in… please take a few minutes to answer this super-short survey - there are only a few questions you need to answer:

Please hit this link and let me know what you want…

Click Here to take survey

Many thanks in advance

Mike

I need your help! http://aweber.com/b/pBJV

A Lesson In Confidence From Andy Irons http://aweber.com/b/jWQ_

When a triple world champ tells you it's all about confidence, then you'd better pay attention to how you get confidence and what you are doing to maintain it!

I loved reading Andy Irons recent interview with ASL when he was asked about competitive pressure and where he was at.

For me he drew together the two threads of high performance surfing - having your body and mind right!

Firstly he talked about his body - his surfing skills…

It’s awesome seeing Joel doing so good. I’m not there yet; there’s a certain standard I set for myself and I don’t think I’m at that peak yet, but I’m working on it.

Then he talked about his mind…

I can feel a little spark in me and I know the fire’s there. It’s a matter of harnessing it and getting it to where I feel comfortable and confident. It’s all in the confidence. When I feel confident, I think I do my best surfing. It’s a little way away, but it’s definitely a goal.

Check that quote again…

When I feel confident, I think I do my best surfing.

Now I can tell you that unless you put in the time, both in and out of the water that you can't fake confidence - that's called cocky - and it's not real self-belief.

But if you're like AI and you are doing all that it takes to raise yourself to a high performance standard…

I’ve lost 10 kilograms … I’m not drinking at all anymore, it’s just been healthy living and hanging around here with all this really clean food.  Just doing little things like circuit training and doing little mock heats: that’s all going to help me for next year.

If you are doing all you can, then you are building a basis for genuine confidence.

So you can't put the confidence icing on, until you've baked the hard work cake!

But, assuming you're doing the work, then here's one simple confidence building strategy, as demonstrated by Hawaiian longboarder, Ned Snow when he was surfing to a win over former ASP World Longboard Champion Colin McPhillips, last weekend.

Snow said…

“Being able to surf in the man-on-man format really helped my mindset.  Surfing against guys like McPhillips, I can just go out there and I feel like it’s me against the ocean instead of battling a bunch of other guys.

That's it Ned… You against the ocean!

So many contest surfers think they are competing against each other - but the reality is you are just competing against the ocean, trying to get the best waves in the time allowed, and trying to rip those waves apart!

There just happens to be a few other surfers in the water doing the same thing at the same time!

Bottom line is that you can't control how others surf and if you get worried about trying to "beat" other surfers you'll just end up undermining your confidence.

So, here's the take home message from our two Hawaiian contest surfing stars…

Do the work, lift your standard and build your confidence before you even get in the water…

And once the fireworks start, just stay focused on getting the best two waves and going crazy on them - with this formula you can't go wrong!

I love to hear your thoughts, so please hit me back with a comment below

Take care

Mike

Check out all of Andy's Interview at…

http://www.surfinglife.com.au/news/asl-news/841-andy-irons-interview-ironing-out-the-creases

Technorati Tags: andy irons, confidence building, performance surfing, self belief, surfing skills, world champ

ASP North America Pro Junior Champion Shows Simple Steps To Surfing Self-Belief http://aweber.com/b/cua_

Ventura county goofy Cory Arrambide, didn’t win last year’s ASP Pro Junior Series in North America without having a fair bit of physical and mental talent.

But it isn’t until a surfer gets under pressure that you really get to see their true colours.

Cory gave a textbook perfect example of how to put together the building blocks of self belief, despite the pressure of being the series defending champion, and opening the season with two “shockers”

Here’s some simple things he did right…

1. “I’ve been training harder than ever…” - It’s pretty hard to think you are going to stuff up in a heat when you’ve left no stone unturned in your training. Hard training builds self-belief – it’s pretty cool to do something physical that also has a positive mental impact. If you want half-arsed self belief; train half-arsed.

2. “I’ve got some good boards right now, so I’m stoked…” – Can a surfboard build your self-belief – you bet! If you are serious about your surfing there is no excuse for not having a stable of sleds that you love – sure it takes time, money and effort to consistently keep improving your equipment, but hey, if it gives you another 30% self-belief during your heat, then that’s a price you should be paying.

3. “I’ve got a place down here in Newport for the summer. It’s been great to practice for this contest…” – Lots of surfing in waves that are similar to those that you will be competing in is a no brainer for building self-belief. Why? Well it happens something like this in your head…”Ah, punchy beach breaks! I love this! I’ve been surfing a lot of punchy beachies lately, so I should surf these waves well too!”

The thing I like the most is that Cory built his self-belief with some simple, logical strategies and a level of professionalism that should see him well positioned for the future.

Good on ya Cory!

Technorati Tags: Add new tag, Contest Surfing, cory arrambide, defending champion, self belief, Surf Contest

Could you "feel the love" radiating around the world from frosty 6-Star Prime final in Scotland yesterday?

No? Well there was a lot going round!

First, there was Aussie winner, Adam Melling, who "had a great event and was feeling good the whole time" and was "just so happy"

Then there was fellow Aussie finalist, Luke Munro, who said he was just so "relaxed and enjoying (his) time out there the whole event."

And even Joan Duru, who got clocked by Munners in the dying seconds of their semi, (they dont call em "dying" for nothing!) was “happy with (his) run"

Everyone was just sooooooo happy! It could have been the Oscars!!

But let me ask you this…

Did their great results make them happy? Or did they get their results because they were happy?

Well, of course their results made them happy, but they also got their results because they were happy.

So what was it that made them happy in the first place?

Well, they all found reasons to be happy… Let me explain…

Now I’ve never personally had the pleasure of a Thurso East ice-cream rush, but apparently the wave is an icy Snapper Rocks. So when Melling (from Le-Ba Boardriders, just down the road from Snapper) hit the water in the early rounds he would have immediately found a very good reason to feel confident and relaxed – why, cause he’s surfed a wave just like this a thousand times before.

As Melling said “this wave of Thurso East is similar to what I have at home except for the water temperature” and as a consequence he felt ”pretty comfortable throughout the day” of the final – and that’s a nice way to be feeling on the last day, right?

So, Adam liked the wave. Munners he liked the place (and probably the wave, seeing he’s a Snapper regular too!) – “Scotland really suits me, I almost feel at home here” And so how did feeling just about at home effect his competition performance?

Well as you read earlier he said he “was relaxed and enjoying (his) time out there the whole event," and "being relaxed is definitely good to make the right decisions” Amen to that Munners!

And what about Joan…

Well, he didn’t say that he liked the wave or the place, but he liked that his surfing was on a roll. He “felt relaxed and confident and after winning the event in France and getting a 9th last week” He already felt like a winner before he even got into Scotland’s icy brine - and I’m sure that his T3 will further add to his self belief and composure for his next QS outing.

So, can you see what’s happening here, three guys, two tactics, but one strategy.

Finding reasons to be cheerful about surfing an event is a powerful strategy – you can see what results it can bring!

And these guys, whether consciously or not, went down that path of finding reasons to be cheerful and confident.

So next time you turn up at an event in a town you don’t like, to surf waves you don’t like, after a string of bad results; then you better get to work and find some reasons to be cheerful, if you want to end up at the sharp end of town.

Technorati Tags: 6-Star Prime, adam melling, Contest Surfing, joan duru, luke munro, snapper rocks, Surf Contest, WQS