DC Gonzalez - The Art of Mental Training: A Guide to Performance Excellence

TheArt of Mental Training

By DC Gonzalez with AliceMcVeigh

Inspired by True Events

Copyright 2006 Daniel C. Gonzalez. All Rights Reserved.

dcgonz@earthlink.net

GonzoLaneMedia

To the Warrior/Championwithin you...

TABLEOF CONTENT

TheArt of Mental Training

I never saw Leo-tai angry, butit was he who had taught me how to use the anger energy should it everariseand how to effectively redirect it.

Rather than lose control, hewould tell me, you must learn how to use the energy. You must become like asmiling assassin, Danielsan, and channel the energy; let it help your resolve.If you lose control to the energy, your opponent will win.

It was the use of this conceptthat led to the defeat of several of my opponents without my even having tofight. Sometimes no words are required, only eye contact. With that alone oneis marked out as predator, the other as prey: one the assassin, the other themark. "It is at this subconscious level of communication," Leo-taionce told me, "that one wins a fight without having to fight..."

Just as easily as he slippedinto my life, Leo-tai slipped out of it, once he had taught me all that hedmeant to teach me. Despite all my best effortsand all my resources as aFederal AgentI could locate no financial trail, no property trail, no address,no family, and no contact point... he had gone, leaving nothing behindbeyond his teachings; and my memory of that half-smile he used to give me whenI managed to surprise him.

The last that I heard ofLeo-tai was many, many, years ago, second-hand, from sources that I didnt feelI could trust. Until recently, at an invitation function in New York City, Imet an elegant elderly lady, an Irish psychic. Internationally recognized andrespected in her field, she had also written several books and was currently ona speaking tour when our paths happened to cross.

You are a teacher, she saidthe moment we met, I sense many students around you.

I smiled, but gave her nothingneither as confirmation nor denial; yet she continued: Im getting a veryclear message from someone who has crossed over and who wants to tell yousomething. He says that you were friends not only in this life but also asgreat warriors in another lifetime. He wants me to let you know that he iswith you when you teach.

Oh, really? I said, usingthe tone of a seasoned Federal Agent who doesnt believe a single word aninformant is telling him.

Yes, really. She replied,rather ruffled by my skepticism. He says his name is Leo-tai.

Did you say Leo-tai? I askeda little shaken, taken aback.

Yes, Leo-tai, she repeated,looking away slightly as if listening or searching for a distant memory. Thenshe turned back to me with sudden certainty.

He is a very old soul, youknow, a great master of the Far East. But please tell me, how is it that youcame to know this teacher and what is it that you teach?

But I could hardly answer...for knowing that my old friend was dead.

TheArt of Mental Training

Welcome to the Art of MentalTraining.

Sports Mental Training has beencalled the Science of Success. But make no mistake. If you imagine that thelessons here apply only to sports and athletes youd be wrong. For its theEveryday Warrior, from all walks of life, and all types of scenarios, thatstands to benefit immensely from the knowledge and techniques that lie ahead. No matter what you do, or whatever challenges you face, The Art of MentalTraining can help take you to another level of performance, achievement, andpersonal success.

Any time that you arrive toengage; event-energy gets mixed in with whatever is going on inside your headat the time. Its the emotions and feelings that this mixture produces thatultimately end up affecting how well we perform.

If, for example, undesiredemotions like nervousness, anger, or fear, happen to surface as a result ofthis mixture, the Warrior/Champion must have the right knowledge, tools, andtechniques at his disposal so that he can use them to ensure that hisperformance does not suffer.

Its what champions know how todo welland its something that everyone can learn how to do. But its onlythose who set out to learn and practice performance mental training techniquesthat gain all the benefits and achieve the highest level of results.

The better your self-belief,internal self-talk, attitude, focus, and mental climate are going into anevent, the better your situation will be when the event-energy is pumpingthrough you.

By understanding what to shootfor in terms of the Ideal Mental Climate, and having been given the knowledge,tools, and techniques required to achieve it, the Warrior/Champion is able toempower all aspects of his performance.

So just for starters...understand this:

Whatever is going on insideyour head has everything to do with how well you end up performing.

TheArt of Mental Training

As the mental-edge trainer foruniversity athletics, it was easy for me to spot which athletes wanted themental training and which athletes didnt care. This particular kid was one ofthose who just wasnt interested. While the others were listening andthinking, he yawned and admired his biceps. While the other students raisedquestions or provoked discussions, he was only concerned with the physicalaspects of his sport: wrestling. Only a freshman, he was entering the bigleagues nowcompeting at NCAA level for the first timebut that didnt seem toworry him during our sessions.

When it came to the crunch,however, the pressure proved to be just too much. Just a few minutes beforehis first match at this level, he rushed over to me, distraught and desperate,and started begging for mental training help on the spot. Hed just learnedthat hed drawn the top-seeded wrestler in the tournament, a seasoned senioraccustomed to annihilating opponents with comparative ease. As chance wouldhave it, my unbeliever was about to learn a valuable lesson.

I looked at him and I couldnthelp thinking: what an interesting opportunity. This kid is really scared;hes in a completely disempowered state. Clearly, hes not ready to compete atanywhere near the level of his true potential. A real mental mess stood infront of me asking if I could help him, while, in his minds eye, he was alreadysuffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of his opponent. The kid was veryshaken; and we only had a few minutes to turn this thing around. He was upnext, and the clock didnt show much time left before the current match wouldend.

With so little time left, whatcould we do I wondered?

Right then, I rememberedsomething that Leo-tai had told me. Danielsan, one should never look where onedoes not wish to go... I had an idea.

Are you ready to trust me? Iasked him.

Whatever you say, coach.

Right. Then step over hereand lets get busy.

A few minutes later, when hisname was announced, I walked with him to the edge of the mat. He hadnt takenhis focus from his task for a single second. All Id done was to provide himwith the mental technique; he did the rest inside his head.

Let me tell you, when that kidstepped on to the mat he was a force of dominance, confidence, and technique. Within a few minutes he went from a fearful freshman wrestler heading for acrushing defeat, to an unchained gladiator, a champion who owned the arena. Hehelped to create one of the most exciting high-scoring, action-packed matchesof the tournament. The match went the full distance, and in the end myunbeliever had lost the match by only one point. The crowd couldnt believetheir eyes. Their champion had barely survived his first match!