The silent performance killer most athletes ignore: Schadenfreude.
You know… that sneaky rush of satisfaction when your rival blows it. 😏
It feels good for 3 seconds.
Then it quietly robs you of focus, kills your hunger to improve, and keeps you playing small.
Real winners don’t celebrate others’ failures.
They obsess over their own processes to get them to the next level.
Kill the schadenfreude.
Build the obsession.
What could you do to delete that toxic smirk today?
#MentalPerformance #SportPsychology #Schadenfreude #AthleteMindset
Frustrated Dad Alert
One of my favorite memories growing up was heading to the local high school with my Dad and brothers. We’d play catch, hit tennis balls, play catch with a football, or smack baseballs on those empty fields. Pure joy.
Today I drove my kids to two Granite School District high schools on a perfect 61° spring day. I wanted to time my daughter on the track and throw with my son.
**Both schools were locked down like Fort Knox.**
Fields empty. Tracks empty. Gates chained. No one there.
I’ve heard every excuse in the book — and they all stink worse than armpits.
We live in a world that’s already fighting to pull kids off phones and get them moving. Why are we making it harder? High school football and baseball participation numbers are dropping for a reason — kids literally can’t find a safe place to practice, disconnect from screens, and connect with their parents.
@GovCox@GraniteSchools — there has to be a better way. Open the fields and tracks when school’s not in session, including weekends. Let families use what our tax dollars already paid for. These are not private clubs for members only. If you were a charter school, I get it, but we pay for these beautiful fields and tracks.
This isn’t just my problem. This is every Utah kid’s problem.
@BarstoolGruden knock on wood if you’re with me…
Who else is with me?
Tag a parent. Tag a coach. Tag your school board member.
Let’s make some noise until they open the gates.
#OpenTheFields #GraniteSchools #GetKidsOutside
"Muscle memory" isn’t in your muscles—it’s in your white matter. Every quality repetition adds layers of myelin, a fatty tissue that acts like electrical insulation for your nerve fibers. More myelin = faster, more efficient signals, creating a neural "superhighway" for peak performance. Mastery isn't just about total hours; it's about consistent, intense focus at the edge of your ability. #Mastery #Neuroscience #RJPerformance #SportsScience
During a BRUTAL study at Harvard in the 1950s, Dr. Curt Richter placed rats in a pool of water to test how long they could tread water. On average they’d give up and sink after 15 minutes. But right before they gave up due to exhaustion, the researchers would pluck them out, dry them off, let them rest for a few minutes - and put them back in for a second round. In this second try - how long do you think they lasted? Remember - they had just swam until failure only a few short minutes ago... How long do you think? Another 15 minutes? 10 minutes? 5 minutes? No! 60 hours! That’s right! 60 hours of swimming. The conclusion drawn was that since the rats BELIEVED that they would eventually be rescued, they could push their bodies way past what they previously thought impossible. I will leave you with this thought: If hope can cause exhausted rats to swim for that long, what could a belief in yourself and your abilities, do for you? What could your belief/faith in someone else do for others? Remember what you’re capable of. Remember what others are capable of. Remember why you’re here. Remember why they’re here. You are a son or daughter of God. So are they. Keep swimming.
Normal people on Saturday morning: sleeping.
Me and ~400 strangers: packed into an indoor facility at 6:40am watching our girls chase a ball like it owes them money. We need to be studied. PS, we aren’t the first game of the morning.
From all of us at RJ Performance Group, Merry Christmas! 🎄
May this holiday season bring you peace, joy, and renewed strength—both on and off the field. Let’s build an even stronger mindset for the year ahead.
Grateful for our amazing athletes, teams, and partners.
As a coach who worked with and around Philip Rivers at NC State back in 2002, watching his NFL comeback after 5 years has me fired up all over again! Here's 5 Things I'm Learning from Philip Rivers (Again) – his zeal is contagious. Thread 🧵 #PhilipRivers#NFLComeback#NuncCoepi
Come and join us! This is Riley Jensen, former OC at Alta High and Snow College. The season is now if want to make plays in the fall. I'm starting my off-season QB Training again. 21 years of QB coaching experience, and 6 years of Coordinating experience. I have coached in one capacity or another 4 All-American QB’s (Olin Hannum, Snow College, Philip Rivers (NC State), Zach Wilson (BYU), and Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss). I have also coached over 15 All-State QB’s including: Alex Cate (Cottonwood/Ok State), Steve Romero (Cottonwood) Crosby Jensen (Cottonwood/Snow/Minot State), Cooper Bateman (Cottonwood/Alabama), Jaxson Dart (Roy/CC/Ole Miss) Zach Wilson (CC/BYU), Cinco Lucero (Alta) Braxton Kerr (Alta/Snow) Will Dana (Alta/USU), Cole Hagen (CC/BYU). https://t.co/PYCuklD51T
BYU DC Jay Hill says ‘Pure Unadulterated Guts’ should be in every player’s toolkit. Coming from one of the sharpest defensive minds in college football, I’ll take that all day. Stocking stuffer for your future All-American? Done. https://t.co/dOiN07aiuR
As a mental performance coach & dad: Here are 5 must-know mental performance rules for parents of young athletes
1. Don’t specialize before 12 – Let them play multiple sports to build skills, confidence, and avoid burnout.
2. Cap training at their age – 10-year-old = under 10 hours/week. Too much training fries the body and the mind.
3. Rest is training – Take 3+ months off one sport yearly. Sleep > supplements. Recovery builds grit.
4. Your stress is their stress – Skip sideline coaching. It causes undo choices and decisions for your kids. After games: hug, feed, listen—no feedback.
5. Let them fail & play for fun – Resilience comes from flops, not perfection. Sports should add to life, not run it.
That’s it. Keep it simple, keep them hungry, keep the love alive. 🧠💪
Ok everyone. I need to settle a fight with my brother @crosbyjensen on this forum. If you say you are from "Northern Utah" where does the "line start?" I will leave it at that.
Cultivating a growth mindset means embracing setbacks as fuel, not failure. This week’s podcast, inspired by Chapter 14 of Pure Unadulterated Guts, breaks down how to shift your mindset to unlock performance.
🎧 Listen here: https://t.co/T35tm0T93r
📘 Grab the Book Here: Pure Unadulterated Guts, https://t.co/pThjO2zwsO
#GrowthMindset #PureUnadulteratedGuts #Leadership #MentalToughness
Sleep is not a luxury—it’s a performance enhancer.
On the latest Mindset Matters podcast, I break down how sleep extension boosts focus & athletic output.
Inspired by Chapter 6 of Pure Unadulterated Guts.
🎧 Listen here: https://t.co/uhD2C72q6a
📘 Grab the Book Here: Pure Unadulterated Guts, https://t.co/pThjO2zwsO
#MindsetMatters #SleepForSuccess #AthleteMindset #PureUnadulteratedGuts”
Don’t think of a pink elephant.
You just did, right? That’s the power of your brain’s imagery. Reframe it, and you reframe your results.
🎧 Listen here: https://t.co/heG76bdHMe
📘 Grab the Book Here: Pure Unadulterated Guts, https://t.co/pThjO2zwsO
#Reframing#SportPsychology #MindsetMatters #PureUnadulteratedGuts