Julio Zarate

One of the greatest misconceptions in sport is that practice ends when the whistle blows. I remember Coach David Marsh calling it being a “24 hour athlete.” We think improvement happens between the somewhere between the warm-up and the last length of a main set. We judge a workout by the number of yards completed, the intensity of the effort, or the speed on the clock. Then we climb out of the pool believing today's work is finished. It isn't.

✨ Why Creating Another Version of Yourself Can Unlock Higher Performance An alter ego is more than just a catchy nickname or a performance gimmick. At its core, it is a psychological tool; one that allows people to step outside of fear, emotion, doubt, and limitation in order to perform at a higher level. Athletes have used this concept for decades, whether intentionally or instinctively. Some create entirely new identities. Others borrow inspiration from fictional characters, superheroes,...

There’s an old concept known as the Cobra Effect. The idea is simple: When you reward a specific outcome, people will find a way to produce that outcome whether or not it actually solves the problem. In the original story, a government tried to reduce cobras by paying people for every dead snake. It worked… at first. Then people started breeding cobras just to kill them for the reward. The result? More cobras, not fewer. It’s a strange story but it feels uncomfortably familiar when you look...