Most of the time, an athlete’s fear is worry related to poor results – weather prior to performance or during a performance. Athlete’s often fear the negative consequences of their performance. They worry about the things that are often not under their control. The threat athlete’s feel can sometimes be irrational and not based in reality. Getting injured on the high beam is a rational fear. But, worrying about what others might think about you if you hit a bad shot or make a poor play is often not rational and is based on false assumptions you make about others beliefs about you. Take a moment to assess your fear. Write down 5 Fear of Failure signs, and then its…
You wouldn’t think that joining a community youth sports league could be all that expensive especially if you are looking at soccer, touch football, or even tennis or little league baseball. No doubt there is a registration fee (which may or may not include the cost of a basic uniform), but what about the cost for shorts, gloves, pads, helmets, racquets and so forth. Let’s not forget the cost of transportation to and from practice and games each week, or the extra fees for travels sports. There’s even the cost for special camps, private lessons, and even the cost for a mental game coach when things don’t go according to the athlete’s performance plan or…
Several years ago, a major advertising campaign focused on the principle, “You are what you eat.” In the world of sports psychology and mental endurance training, the principle becomes “You are what you think, act and execute.” It has long been know that thoughts, attitudes and beliefs power behavior. Those athletes who have a “can do” attitude, who trust in their skills, who believe they have the talent, who focus their thoughts on the task, consistently perform better than athletes who can’t harness their mental toughness. How you will execute a task –whether simple or complicated—depends upon your attitude and behaviors about that take. For example, if you want to slice a tomato, likely you have performed the task so…
Over the past 10-15 years psychologists, trainers, and coaches have become more and more interested in what goes on with an athletes mind when they incur an injury and how the process of injury or surgery recovery can impact the way they seem themselves as performers in the future.
I have worked with athletes in recovery from these and other injuries; ACL surgery, Meniscus tears and surgery, Tommy John (UCL – ulnar collateral ligament)surgery, Labrum surgery, ankle breaks, Rotator Cuff tears and surgery, and many others.
When these types of injuries occur I have found the biggest psychological challenges come as the result of the following seven stage process; denial, anger, rationalizing, depression, acceptance, regrouping, and implementing a recovery plan. After the…
Second and third graders have a saying that goes something like this: “Paranoia will destroy ya!” Of course, this isn’t the nicest comment to make to each other, but they are kids and to quote Art Linkletter, “Kids Say the Darnest Things!” The reality is, however, that this childhood saying is accurate. When you start mind reading, or believe thoughts that YOU can perceive how OTHERS may (or may not) be thinking about you, the ability to perform with excellence is drastically decreased. While many may claim to possess psychic abilities, most of us do not have this super natural power. Becoming stressed or worried about what others may think about our performance is only adding unnecessary pressure to an…
One of the most common problems I encounter in my practice as a mental game coach are athletes that perform exceptionally well in practice, but perform poorly in competition. There are numerous reasons why athletes “choke” in competition, but the most common include issues around confidence, composure, and fear of failure and concentration/focus problems. A thread that bridges all of these issues is a single common denominator, the athlete’s attitudes, beliefs and thoughts are what power their physical skills. To transition from practice to performance requires changing the mindset to one that empowers and trusts in the learned skills. Whether you’re a business person, a scientist, a teacher, parent, or athlete, to succeed you must believe that you have refined…
Have you ever noticed that when you are stressed that everything seems to be going at a fast-pace and that you can’t seem to think clearly? Taking a moment to quiet your mind can lead to great calmness even when under great pressure. Using relaxation techniques can help you to focus our energy inward to limit the amount of external distractions. I like to think of my breath, or focused exaggerated deep abdominal breathing as my silent partner. As you become more focused on your breathing, your heartbeat, and even a specific movement you will find that your mind becomes more relaxed and can easily reach a more calm state. The next time you are facing pressure, instead of simply…
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You wouldn’t think that joining a community youth sports league could be all that expensive especially if you are looking at soccer, touch football, or even tennis or little league baseball. No doubt there is a registration fee (which may or may not include the cost of a basic uniform), but what about the cost for shorts, gloves, pads, helmets, racquets and so forth. Let’s not forget the cost of transportation to and from practice and games each week, or the extra fees for travels sports. There’s even the cost for special camps, private lessons, and even the cost for a mental game coach when things don’t go according to the athlete’s performance plan or…