Team MCC & Justin Daerr Sports Phycology and Performance
MCC and the team sit down with former pro triathlete, coach and now sports phycologist Justin Daeer to dive into performance, athletes for life and how to truly get the most out of yourself. You can reach out to him at Justin Daerr; justindaerr@gmail.com
See the full team meeting here: https://youtu.be/OIePvhM6VTU?si=GQWHUh01f2opffFG
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To start, I’ll share a bit about my background and how I got into sport and performance psychology. As Marilyn mentioned, I was a professional triathlete from 2006 to 2020. Unlike many, I didn’t have an official sporting background growing up. I started late, was self-taught, and self-coached in college. I moved up through the age group field and turned professional. By 2009, after a few years as a pro, I felt I wasn’t performing to my full potential. I didn’t believe it was a training issue—whether that was true or not—but I felt there was something more I needed to tap into. So, despite having very little money, I spent my last dollars on working with someone in the mental performance space. That decision shaped my perspective on performance psychology and reinforced how much I value it. While I don’t believe it’s more important than training and preparation, I do believe it should be at the forefront of an athlete’s development.
I’ve been coaching for over 20 years and recently completed a master’s in sports psychology. As part of that, I’ve worked directly with high school track and field teams, strength and conditioning facilities, and individual athletes—including professionals. My approach to performance psychology isn’t solely based on theory. I pull from multiple disciplines: performance psych, sports psych, organizational psych, behavioral economics, game theory, and even historical survival stories. I’m fascinated by why some people endure adversity and how we can apply those lessons to performance.
The APA’s Division 47 provides a formal definition of sport psychology, but I want to highlight two key aspects. First, it’s about performing at the upper limits of our abilities. Second, and often overlooked, it’s about enjoying the performance process. I firmly believe that to achieve your highest potential, you must sincerely enjoy what you’re doing. From a philosophical standpoint, I believe everyone is worthy of pursuing their best—regardless of whether their best is the absolute best. There’s a common misconception that striving for excellence must yield external rewards. I disagree. My focus, particularly with youth athletes, is on fostering what I call “athletes for life.” Too often, I’ve seen athletes burn out after high school, college, or even professional careers, deciding they are no longer athletes. But being an athlete is a lifelong pursuit, even if it evolves over time.
In 2009, while seeking ways to improve my performance, I came across Bobby McGee’s 90/9/1 Principle, introduced in Magical Running. He observed that 90% of athletes underperform relative to their training, 9% perform at their expected level, and 1% exceed it. While not based on hard data, his insight resonated with me. The key takeaway isn’t about the exact numbers—it’s about recognizing that many athletes train well but fail to translate that into peak performance. This led me to explore why that happens and how we can bridge that gap.
Many believe performance follows a simple equation: preparation = performance. While this isn’t wrong, it’s incomplete. Instead, I see it as:
Preparation → Opportunity → Execution → Performance
Preparation includes training, skill development, recovery, and understanding race conditions.
Opportunity acknowledges that preparation doesn’t guarantee performance—it merely creates the chance to perform. External factors (injuries, weather, race cancellations) can impact outcomes. Opportunities are never identical and shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Execution is about performing at a high level when it matters. The challenge isn’t just physical; it’s mental. Consider a balance beam—on the ground, you walk across with ease. At four feet high, you’re more cautious. At 100 feet, fear dominates. The skill remains the same, but the context changes. Execution is about maintaining performance despite changing conditions.
Beyond these three components, I emphasize the importance of a value-driven why. Many assume motivation should come from external rewards—winning, money, recognition. But those alone won’t sustain you when things get tough. The most successful athletes are internally driven by personal growth and a deep love for their sport. I hesitate to overuse the phrase “find your why,” but it’s crucial to understand what compels you to push through discomfort in pursuit of excellence.
I created a visual model, originally called the Flywheel, now referred to as the Performance Cycle. It includes:
Preparation → Opportunity → Execution → Performance
Reflection, Assessment, and Growth
The last phase is vital. Without reflection, you risk stagnation. Growth comes from analyzing past performances—both successes and failures—to refine future efforts. This ties into the fixed vs. growth mindset: those who embrace learning will improve, while those who resist change will likely plateau.
I categorize performance breakdowns into domains—different areas that contribute to success or failure. Understanding where things went wrong enhances self-awareness, which is critical for improvement. Too often, athletes attribute failure to irrelevant factors (“I had three tacos instead of two on Wednesday”) rather than identifying the real issue (“I hesitated to push the pace on the bike and lost contact with the lead group”). Developing self-awareness helps athletes make meaningful adjustments.
Another key concept is performance excellence, which is personal. An Olympian’s goals differ from a weekend warrior’s, but both pursue their own version of excellence. My perspective on this has evolved. As a pro, excellence meant podium finishes. Now, it’s about giving an honest effort—what I call Good Faith Failure. If I commit fully and fall short, I still consider that success.
Enjoyment is also essential. Success requires years of dedication. If you don’t love the process—training, competing, learning—it’s hard to sustain high performance. American marathoner Molly Seidel once posted on Strava, emphasizing that working hard and having fun aren’t mutually exclusive. This aligns with my belief: training should be both rigorous and enjoyable.
I’ll close with a story. On the Science of Sport podcast, a tennis trainer shared an experience at the U.S. Open. Frustrated with his federation’s lack of support, he vented to Billie Jean King, who simply responded, “Champions adapt.” That phrase stuck with me. Instead of expecting circumstances to change for us, we must adjust to them. True champions embrace adaptation, and through that mindset, they rise to any challenge.