In Taekwondo competition, especially at World and Olympic level, there are those that stand out from the rest. There are those athletes that everyone wants to see, everyone believes will will and everyone almost wants to be like. These people aren’t very common on our sport, or any sport for that matter. Every sport has this type of person…

Every so often, someone comes along, and it doesn’t matter what they do, they inspire us with what they do.

They reminds us of what we can truly achieve in our lives. They show us what is possible, and that we are only using a small percentage of our true power.

Can playing video games make you into a better Taekwondo Player? Can they give you the edge in Taekwondo competitions? Is spending all those hours shooting people left right and center actually going to pay off for you finally?

Well, some studies are showing that it actually just might for you!

While browsing the web the other day, I came across a video that really hit me right between the eyes. It’s from one of my heros, not just in sport, but in life in general, with some of the best quotes from some great movies.

Are you showing the world how great you are? Are you showing everyone around you the talents you have to be the best you can be? Show everyone how GREAT you are. They deserve it, so you can inspire them to their greatness too…

At a local Taekwondo Competition last weekend. The competition wasn’t a very high standard, but it was good enough for experienced players to try stuff out and more or less get a good workout from it.

While watching a match, I overheard a Taekwondo player talking about how he was “looking at his next opponent” and how he was trying to “psych him out” – and it really made me laugh.

What this guy didn’t know was that the opponent he was trying to “psych out” was one of the athletes I work with.

While working with athletes, one of the many (if not the highest) issues I have to work on is an athlete’s relationship with their family for the benefit of their Taekwondo Training and Competition Success.

In my last article – Taekwondo Success Is Determined By The People You Associate With – I talked about how the people you hang around with will determine how well you do.

Time and time again, I’ve seen how one little thing from a family member can either make or break someone, especially in the early part of their Taekwondo career.

On one of my many journeys to work with athletes to bring them to their next level, I had a talk with a young athlete this weekend, and it brought back to me the importance of who you associate with for success, not just in Taekwondo, but in Life in general.

This athlete was chatting with a “friend” (and I use that term loosely) on Facebook, and this “friend” was talking crap about his coach, and other people. His coach was definitely not happy, not because he was talking crap, but because what he was saying was firstly inaccurate but secondly and more importantly, because this young athlete let it get to him, and it was affecting his mindset.

Recently, while doing some work with a group of athletes I work with, I went over how they need to view tournaments that they go to for their overall Taekwondo success. I told them that it doesn’t matter about the local competitions, or even the International Open’s whether they win or lose. It’s not about winning. They’re about trying out new stuff, getting comfortable with new techniques and their performance.

People get caught up on that they have to win the whole time. This is especially true when competing either at National level, or at a local tournament. If they’re the local favourite, they feel there is pressure on them to win, every single time.

For your long term success, this is NOT something that you should be doing.

I was reading an article about failure and success by a friend of mine this morning, and it got me thinking… It got me thinking about why very few people succeed in Taekwondo competitions and championships, and why so many don’t.

I began to wonder what it is that gives those who win the edge over those who don’t… And it became apparent very quickly that it was all to do with failure.

From training with the best Taekwondo athletes in the world – multiple Olympic and World Taekwondo Champions – to working with some of the best up and coming athletes in the Taekwondo world, that those who have succeeded and won Taekwondo Gold Medals time and time again are the ones who fail, time and time again.

So, you’re at a competition, you’re feeling a bit nervous. The Taekwondo players in your weight division are all experienced, some moreso than you. So how to do you give yourself the advantage?

How do you get around those nerves and thoughts that don’t help you and turn them into something that works for you?

Read on and I’ll you some tools to help you perform better and get yourself closer to that Gold Medal…

Ok, so you’re training, possibly 2-3 times a day. You’re doing your best, but there’s always room for a bit more success in your life.

So, what can you do to give you that edge, to accelerate the effects of your Taekwondo training and give you more success at the Taekwondo competitions?

Well there is one thing that you need to do that will bring all your training and nutrition together that is a must for any athlete looking for Success.