Golf is played between the ears and if you are not 100 percent focused on what you are trying to do, then people will go past you no matter who you are.

~ Lee Westwood

I think I was given a gift to play golf and to be mentally strong.

~ Karrie Webb

I’m stronger than I think I am. Mentally, physically.

~ Misty May-Treanor

Tennis is all about mental toughness, and you have to keep your head in the game. I make time to relax away from competition pressures, travel and intense training schedules to make sure I’m looking after myself. Taking time out with family and friends helps to maintain the work-life balance everyone needs.

~ Samantha Stosur

The pool is terrible, but that doesn’t have much to do with my record swims. That’s all mental attitude.

~ Mark Spitz

I’ve been in a poor physical shape many times in my career and I’ve had some of my best results. My best performances happened because my mind was in the right place. The mind is definitely stronger than the body.

~ Kelly Slater

I wanted to just come out and continue to improve my game, continue to improve my mental capacity to play well in tournaments. I’ve had a slow year compared to last year, but I’ve been pleased because I felt like I was getting better.

~ Webb Simpson

When I’m down or maybe when it’s close in the match, I feel like I’m still in it. I don’t feel like I’m letting down. Mentally, I’m still really, really tough.

~ Maria Sharapova

Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.

~ Laird Hamilton

Coach: Championship ‘laughable’

By Dave McMenamin, ESPNLosAngeles.com
Originally Published: March 23, 2013

LOS ANGELES — In a season in which the Los Angeles Lakers have pushed the reset button seemingly a half-dozen times already, Friday’s 103-100 loss to the Washington Wizards left coach Mike D’Antoni sounding like he’d prefer to reach for the off switch at this point.

“This is a good team that just for whatever reason can’t collectively mentally get stimulated to [play hard] every time,” D’Antoni said after the Lakers wasted an 18-point first-half lead. “I told them today, we put our hands in [the huddle], and you guys have probably seen it, we say, ‘Championship,’ and go out [on the floor]. That’s laughable. Championship? You got to be kidding me. Nobody understands the importance of every possession offensively and defensively. Every time they got to come out with some kind of determination to be a good basketball team, and [until] then, we’re just, we’re fooling ourselves. Right now, that’s what we’re doing. We’re just making a ‘sham-mockery’ out of it.”… Click here to read on