Top Gun Performance

Ted Carter is president of The Ohio State University and former president of the University of Nebraska. He is a former superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy and former president of the U.S. Naval War College. Carter graduated from the Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) in 1985. As a U.S. Navy vice admiral, he commanded vessels deployed to combat operations in Afghanistan and the Arabian Gulf. Jack Stark is a performance psychologist and the founder and director of the National Center for Coaches. He is a former director of medical psychology at Physicians Clinic in Omaha, Nebraska, and a former director of family rehabilitation and former faculty member of pediatrics and psychiatry at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

“I’ve known Ted Carter as a driven midshipman with an awesome sense of humor, an exceptional F-14 radar intercept officer and airborne tactician, and a leader without peer during his time as the superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy. Top Gun Performance deftly captures his unique experiences and translates them into actionable guidance for individuals or organizations looking to achieve their best. Add Jack Stark’s inputs and you have a one-of-a-kind book with amazing takeaways on every page.”-Ward Carroll, veteran F-14 Tomcat radar intercept officer, military commentator, and author of the Punk’s Trilogy “Ted Carter is an accomplished naval flight officer who holds our navy’s carrier aviation record for most carrier arrested landings. His life lessons are invaluable, having led the U.S. Naval Academy and now leading as the president of Ohio State University. He is a wonderful and gifted leader!”-John Dalton, seventieth secretary of the U.S. Navy and author of At the Helm “Our Nebraska football team had been winning many games in the early 1990s, but it seemed that something was missing. I contacted Jack Stark and he recommended several things which were helpful in building team unity and a stronger culture. He also spent time with individual athletes who were working through various issues, and he was able to get them on a more constructive path. Stark is very innovative, and his advice can help almost any individual or organization get to a higher level of proficiency.”-Tom Osborne, former Husker head football coach, University of Nebraska athletic director, and U.S. congressman

• List of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsPart 1. Top Gun1. The Need for Top Gun Performance2. The Top Gun ExperiencePart 2. Top Gun Performance across Life Stages3. Top Gun Performance-School and Sports4. Top Gun Performance-WorkPart 3. Top Gun Performance Skills5. Performance Relaxation6. Instant Focus7. Self-Talks +/− in the Zone8. Visualization9. Hypnosis-Peak Performance10. Deep SleepPart 4. The Top Gun Program11. Top Gun Application-School12. Top Gun Application-Sports13. Top Gun Application-WorkAppendix: Six Mental Skills-Audio FilesReferencesIndex