Ep 1: Masterclass with John Alexander 'Mental Rehearsal in Sport'

Masterclass with John Alexander | Mental Rehearsal in Sport | Episode 1
Introduction by Anthony Edgar (3.02 min)
Practical examples of how John Alexander prepares mentally for competing on the world's biggest stage, including detailed examples of his mental rehearsal techniques. Practical and real-life examples of how he mentally prepares and rehearses for events.
“One has to rehearse many many times in one’s mind, so I do it in the environment I am going to be competing in.”
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John Alexander Episode 1 (10:13 min)
John Alexander Episode 2 (11:0 min)
John Alexander Episode 3 (8:30 min)
John Alexander Episode 4 (8:08 min)
John Alexander Episode 5 (9:14 min)
Episodes 2-5 to follow on this channel
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John Alexander
John Alexander is a prolific sailor who has competed extensively worldwide for over 45 years. From Dinghy, J24, Etchell, and Finns to tall ships, large racing boats, and leading Americas Cup campaigns, he has too many results to list.
Brought up in England, he learnt to sail as a 16-year-old on a tall ship in a race between England and America. He continued sailing tall ship passages every summer while also becoming a sailing instructor in Dinghy on Ullswater in the Lakes District of Cumbria, England.
He has participated in multiple world championships in J24 and Etchell (with Australian Richard Coxon) and many European championships in the Finn and offshore boats.
He participated in the Fastnet and Channel races alongside prominent figures such as Sir Morris Lang, a UK construction giant and Admiral of the Royal Yacht Squadron and Royal Ocean Racing Club, on the yacht 'Bathsheba'. He also sailed with Sir Owen Aisher on the yacht 'Yeoman XIX', which Prince Philip and his daughter Anne, Princess Royal sailed.
After moving to Australia in the 1980s to follow a corporate career with Honeywell and Boral, he developed a relationship with Thorry Gunnersen, skippering the one-off John Dory 42 sloop ‘Tilting at Windmills’ racing and cruising all over the world. They had strong results in races such as the Sydney to Hobart, the Fastnet, the Rolex Middle Sea, Voile de St-Tropez and the Tonnere de Breskens Royal Ocean Racing Club offshore series.
With John at the helm, ‘Tilting at Windmills’ was awarded the Romola Cup by the Royal Cruising Club for the most outstanding cruise in 2009, the first Australian yacht to do so, following a cruise into the Arctic Circle earlier that year.
He was helmsman for Piet Vroon, a Dutch shipping magnate, with ‘Tonnere de Breskens’. Vroon was the most prolific offshore sailors in the world, participating in more Fastnet and Admirals Cup races than anyone other owner. His custom Ker 46, which was under John’s recommendation, was awarded the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) 2010 Yacht of the Year and was twice Overall winner of the RORC Season Championship (three times in class) and twice winner of the UK IRC National Championships from two attempts.
John established had an engineering company which supplied products to the yachting industry and became engaged with larger boats, including project managing the construction of some significant racing boats. He also formed a close relationship with a renowned yacht designer Jason Ker.
In the mid 2000s, John was the Design Coordinator and overall Project Manager of the South African Americas Cup team, ‘Shosholoza’, in Valencia 2007.
John also had his own 50’ racing yacht in Australia, 'Scoundrel', which won the Hamilton Island Race week. He also built a Couta boat, also called Scoundrel, with his father in Flinders, Victoria.
In recent years, he has restricted his sailing to the Finn Class, Tilting at Windmills, and he plans to compete in Dragon.
When we conducted this interview in his home on the Huon River, one hour south of Hobart, Tasmania, John was preparing to fly for Europe the next day to compete and “get a place” in the Grand Grand Master division (60-69 years) of the Finn World Masters in Puntala, Italy.