March 13, 2016

The Power of Present Mind in Sports and Life

March 13, 2016/ Howard Falco

Golfer Rory McIlroy explained it clearly when asked what his key thoughts were on his way to winning the British Open and the third major championship of his career. "I wasn't thinking about the end result. I worked on staying in the process on every shot," is what McIlroy said. "I wasn't thinking about what it would mean or how many further clear it would get me," he continued. That simple ability to stay in the moment is one of the key factors that allowed him to play his final round in a state of the greatest peace and control, and hence allow his deepest talent and desires to be realized.

A present state of mind is incredibly valuable to an athlete or to anyone who is trying to bring forth his or her best when it matters most. The reasons are profound. Presence of mind produces

January 02, 2016

Spirituality In The Fast Lane

January 02, 2016/ Howard Falco

The last thing I imagined myself doing this summer was racing Porsches in Alabama. It just goes to show you how life's curveballs can come at any moment. An invitation from a friend turned into a life-changing experience. I discovered a sense of oneness in the last place I expected; behind the wheel of a 911 Carrera S at over 100 miles per hour on a real racetrack.

The Porsche Sport Driving School is at the beautiful Barber Motorsports Parkway about 30 minutes outside Birmingham, Alabama. World class instructors, incredible cars and two intense days learning about everything from braking and turning to shifting and sliding in the rain, put me in a mode where I was ready to test the limits of my faith in a high performance automobile.

One of the most profound things I realized in that incredible two days is how powerful an analogy high performance racecar driving is to life. The experience of driving simply compresses it into the hyper fast version of it.

The most important thing a racecar driver must know is exactly where they are headed. That's why each lap on the track naturally gets faster as the driver gets more confident with where they are going at each blind turn. One of the most critical things they teach you about driving at high speeds

November 13, 2015

The New Edge in Sports Performance and Results

November 13, 2015/ Howard Falco

The year was 1976 and the film Rocky made its debut on cinema screens all over America. The movie quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Thousands of kids and young adults were instantly inspired to try drinking a few raw eggs and getting up before dawn to run to get in shape like the great Rocky Balboa. Little did we know it at the time but the fitness and workout craze in America was being born, and by 1981 a cover of TIME magazine was devoted to this movement. In a few short years the fitness industry had become a multibillion-dollar industry with no signs of slowing down.

Improved muscle mass, leaner bodies and intense physical conditioning was the first big movement in the evolution of the modern day athlete. Thus began a trend in sports to find new ways to stay ahead of the curve and gain a competitive edge.

November 11, 2015

Grit, Grind & Mind: The Path of a Champion

November 11, 2015/ Howard Falco

What makes a champion? Is it heart, talent, preparation or a combination of all of these? Why do some break through to astonishing levels of athletic success and performance while others seem to have to fight to just get a glimpse of it?

Dustin Johnson's heartbreaking three-putt on the final hole of the U.S. Open to lose the championship to Jordan Spieth and finish second illustrates this exact point. He was over 96 percent successful in making putts inside of five feet before that fatal moment. Clearly him missing his four-footer for birdie and a tie had nothing to with physical ability or talent. He's made hundreds of these. What this grand moment really revealed was a deeper issue or limit coming to the surface. Hopefully for him a great learning experience for success yet to come. On the other hand, Jordan Spieth finished with a needed birdie that gave him a one-shot lead. There are simply some athletes or teams who rise to the moment and embrace it, and some, no matter how bad they want it, who simply aren't ready yet for a certain level of success.

The search for a formula to consistent winning has been a quest for many athletes and teams around the globe for years. What is the magic to putting it all together?