Rob Polishook

Yo, Yo, Check it out . . . Listen up, this is what it's about. What I'm gonna say holds big-time clout You are inside the zone, their ain't no doubt! I love to watch sports and also to play and view sports through the lens of a moving meditation. The ability to stay calm, centered and concentrated on what you can control under pressure is a journey worth taking, and it's what I call the "spirit of sports." I work with athletes in all sports as a mental training coach and leverage three different modalities: somatic psychology, western psychology, and spirituality/animal wisdom. Somatic psychology is all about understanding an athlete's activation level. Are they detached, calm, centered, and activated, or in a fight, flight, or freeze state? This knowledge helps an athlete go from chaos to calm and cultivate resiliency no matter the situation. Western psychology involves problem-solving, acceptance commitment theory, and counseling skills, which help athletes get in touch with best practices and perspectives. Spirituality and animal wisdom involves being in the here and now, staying present to what is and recognizing that nature and animals don't fight what is. Rather, they work with it and through it. This way of being helps athletes operate from a place of trying to be their best self—from a starting point of being present—rather than from a place of judging, criticism, or comparison. My books and my work with athletes recognize that the starting point with each individual is to help them see that they are a unique person with a unique process and unique performance—that they are a whole human athlete, a person first. The symbiotic relationship between the person and the performer is key. What happens off the court impacts what happens on the court, and vice versa. When I am not thinking about ideas, relationships, and my clients, I am thinking about what the next book will be . . . Hint: The Whole Human Athlete: journey beyond the score; Sport Spirituality: 9 keys to success; and lastly, Animal Wisdom: what athletes can learn from animals. My wife Debbie and I love coffee, playing sports and hanging out with Gumbo! Gumbo is our 9.5 pound fur baby that we take everywhere.