Alex Honnold Quotes

You rewind. You think of your preparation. You think of everything you did throughout the week, your life, the practices, the intensity. Everything flashes, and you come right back to that point. And it's like, game on.

I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon as I see the targets, I tune them out.

Actually the adrenaline of the game will probably help me out a little bit to regain command and concentration about the things that I have to do.

I learned early in sports that to be effective - for a player to play the best he can play - is a matter of concentration and being unaware of distractions, positive or negative.

When I compete, I love a huge crowd, expectation, pressure, and I like to have nerves: the butterflies flying and my hands shaking. This way, I am completely amped, focused, and ready; otherwise, I tend to be to relaxed, content, and don't perform at my maximal potential.

The adrenaline is very important for me when I go in to bat. That makes me tick, makes me think better. When your energy is up and running, you have a much better chance of doing well.

I learn how to put myself in situations at practice that cause me to zone in on what I'm trying to accomplish at meets. I try to make my practice surrounding as close to competition pressure to focus on what I need to do on the big stage.

The secret of concentration is the secret of self-discovery. You reach inside yourself to discover your personal resources, and what it takes to match them to the challenge.

The greatest players use anger as fuel. Michael Jordan played every night with something like road rage.

A lot of my intensity in wrestling was due to my mental preparation before the matches. I got myself into a different world.

Every night you have different match-ups, and you have 82 games, so physically you are going to get tired. You have to be ready mentally to bring your energy and bring the juice every night.

When I'm starting a race, I just completely narrow down my vision and focus on what's directly ahead of me.

In competition, when I start performance I try not to think about all the pressure from the fans. But, I got a lot of energy from them always. They make me more perfect.

When I get on a course that's not very good, that's not tough, I fall asleep. Mentally I must be lazy, like a little kid, but I always seem to do well when there's a tough situation.

People often say that stress is a motivator. What we're referring to when we say this is really better described as stimulation and engagement.

Competition is an easy way to get into flow.

I love playing under pressure. In fact, if there's no pressure, then I'm not in the perfect zone.

Every once in a while I run the Olympic downhill in Japan in my head. I think of how the energy is going to flow and then I make it all work for myself.

Before a match, I need to be alone. I need to reach concentration and focus on the game ahead of me.

The only thing I want to think about the moments before a race is competing. I don't want the little things to distract me.

I just have to play my best game. Not think about anything else - that is the only concern I have and that we should all have.

Once you are on court, everything is different. I focus on the match.

We must condition the players. They need to get into the right frame of mind in the hours leading up the game.

I'm very competitive. If I have to 'turn it on,' I know how to. The switch isn't hard to find, don't worry.

When you get 10-15 minutes, you can't be sad or angry with the coach. You just have to play your game and do your best. That is in my mind always.