Table of Contents
PRAISE FOR DR. MICHAEL LARDON ANDFINDING YOUR ZONE
Here is a guy who gets it. If you are interested in challenging yourself to greatness, this book will take you there. Michael has presented a great tool for learning how to compete with the best. He is among the best at growing peak performance.
Flip Flippen, author of New York Times bestseller The Flip Side
Dr. Lardon is the tool master. There are a million athletes who have the talent, the drive, and the ability to succeed, but unless you find someone to help you put those tools together, you cant do the work. Dr. Lardon helped me to believe in myself and to understand that no matter what happens, I have what it takes to overcome anything. And thats what I did. As long as I live, I will never be able to repay him for that gift. Jimmy Shea, Olympic gold medalist, skeleton
Finally, truth you can trust! Dr. Lardon hits the bulls-eye with the essence of how we can achieve peak performance in all aspects of life. This is a fact book, not a fad book. In a world of hype, spin, and quick fixes, Finding Your Zone stands apart as an authentic guide to find the champion within.
Denis Waitley, author of The Psychology of Winning; former chairman of psychology, U.S. Olympic Committee, Sports Medicine Council
Dr. Lardon demystifies the intangible qualities of the Zone experience. He illustrates how to remove the mental and emotional blocks that limit our abilities and couples it with a roadmap to those flow moments weve all had a glimpse of. His work is a wonderful blend of knowledge, experience, and wisdom, which are the right ingredients for both the athlete and the layperson to apply to all areas of life.
Dr. Joe Dispenza, author of Evolve Your Brain; one of fourteen scientists featured in the multi-award-winning movie What the Bleep Do We Know?
Doc Lardon helps me be me on the golf course. Im an emotional guy and he has taught me how to move with my emotions and, if I have to vent, I vent. I slow down and look at the big picture, not focus solely on whats bad. He has also shown me that playing golf is not just about what happens on the course. Whatever is happening in my life is going to impact my game. Its important having Doc on my side.
Rich Beem, 2002 PGA champion
Finding Your Zone is not just a book on sports psychology; it is an educational and self-help book as well. What I love about this book is that Dr. Lardon not only explains the Zone and how to get there, but he also explains many concepts and terms usually only known to members of the medical field. After reading this book, you cant help but be smarter and more well-rounded. And this isnt just about sports! His lessons can be directly related to everyday life and how to approach adversity from a position of strength.
Tim Mickelson, University of San Diego, golf coach
I started working with Dr. Lardon at the end of the worst season of my career. At the finals of the 2006 qualifying school I felt calm and relaxed and, more important, I enjoyed the six grueling rounds I played. I ended up with a PGA Tour card when twelve months earlier I had contemplated quitting the game. Working with Dr. Lardon has been invaluable. Craig Lile, PGA Tour rookie
As a young table-tennis player I always looked up to top players like Mike Lardon. These were the players I wanted to emulate. Now, as a two-time Olympian and coach working for the U.S. Olympic Committee, I can say with complete confidence that Dr. Lardon has summed up all the key elements to peak performance on demand. If you plan to go for the gold, this is the book.
Sean ONeill, five-time U.S. mens single champion
If you are looking for peak performance in sports, business, or life, Finding Your Zone is the roadmap.
Dave Binn, NFL Pro Bowl long snapper, San Diego Chargers
Dr. Mike literally can be credited with saving my career and enhancing my everyday life. He has combined his incredible knowledge of the mind and body to help me realize that the physical, psychological, spiritual, and professional are all linked. I cannot thank him enough. There is no other person in the field better than Dr. Michael Lardon.
Michelle McGann, seven-time LPGA Tour winner
At the highest level everyone has the talent but it is the mind that separates the good from the great. Dr. Lardon helped me during the most difficult time of my bobsled career when I was struggling to make the Olympic team. He helped me stay focused and believe in myself. I accelerated past my competitors making my first Olympic team in 2006 and winning the World Cup in 2007.
Steve Holcomb, 2006 Olympian and 2007 World Cup champion, bobsled
Dr. Lardon has helped me get my personal life under control so that I can better focus on my athletic goals. When I met him in March of 2007 I was emotionally at rock bottom, making my athletic future uncertain. He helped me get back on track to not only make the 2007 U.S. National Rowing Team, but also win the 2007 World Championships only six months later.
Samantha Magee, 2004 Olympic silver medalist and
2007 World Champion, rowing
Ten Core Lessons for Achieving Peak Performance in Sports and Life
For my best friend and brother, Brad,
a gifted athlete who has both inspired and
motivated me throughout my career; and for
all the great athletes with whom I have had the honor
to know and the privilege to help.
FOREWORD
I have known Dr. Michael Lardon for a number of years. He has made a huge difference in my personal life. He is an experienced psychiatrist in sports issues and has competed professionally at the highest level. Mike can really relate to what it takes to perform at this level. As a golf coach I have had the opportunity to work with some of the games greatest players including Nick Faldo, Nick Price, Ernie Els, and Greg Norman. I know that along with their great talent, they have something intangible that separates them from the rest. Dr. Lardon, through his scientific studies, research observations, and firsthand experience with all types of athletes, has come up with a no-nonsense, hard-core approach on how to move into the Holy Grail of the mental zone.
Whether you are a professional athlete or a weekend warrior who would like to move up the mental ladder and improve your performance and quality of life, you will find this book a gem. I have seen firsthand how Doc Lardon, a caring and very humble human being, has changed peoples lives through medicinal, psychological, or common-sense approaches, and I am excited that he is going to share his vast knowledge and experience here. They say the power of the mind is a vast untapped reservoir, and in the pursuit of excellence, Doc Lardon has the keys to help unlock the positive power of this reservoir.
David Leadbetter
INTRODUCTION
Victory is for the one, Even before the combat, Who has no thought of himself, Abiding in the no-mindness of Great Origin.
D. T. SUZUKI, 1959
We are a nation that loves sports. We watch them on TV and play them at home and sometimes even at work. We play sports with intensity and joy. It is no surprise that we revere those athletes who rise above, like great stars shining brightly in the night sky. Superb athletes capture the essence of the human spirit and showcase human potentialthey take huge risks, practice with unwavering dedication and commitment, and then put it all on the line, keeping us enthralled and mesmerized. We find ourselves vicariously sharing their innate human drive to self-actualize. We marvel at their power to perform under pressure, to stay focused on the present and play without distraction. It is the champion that learns to let go of control and worriesand trust his intuition and inner faith. He accepts the possibility of losing, and in so, paradoxically wins. This ability to perform under stress is essential for survival in sport as it is for all of us in life, and this is why sports are a wonderful encapsulation of lifean intensified microcosm of how we live. These are some of the reasons why athletes give us courage and inspiration and become role models for our daily lives.
