Being an athlete can be hard for anyone. The pressures to conform to stereotypes and the culture you play in can be some of the toughest challenges an athlete can face. Most people who play sport play for themselves and because they enjoy playing sport. Whereas if you compare a non-christian athlete to a Christian athlete there are similarities in that a Christian will also play sport because they enjoy it. However there is a stark contrast as to who they are playing the sport for. The person that Christians are playing sport for is God. The mind of […]
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25
Oct
2012
Developing High Levels of Confidence
Confidence is the keystone to performing at your best. When athletes are confident, their mind and body are relaxed allowing them to perform at their best. There are a few things that can be done to ensure you have the highest level of confidence possible. First of all, engineer your approach to competition so that you are doing things that you have already successfully done in the past. Just knowing that you done it successfully before, will give you confidence. Be sure you stick to your game plan. It is a common mistake of teams to see their competition […]
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17
Oct
2012
Driven From Within
To watch an athlete play any game is like watching poetry in motion. The lines are so smooth and precise and each move is made with a certain determination and strategy. As they take the inside lane in track and field or run 80 yards on a punt return in football, it is amazing to see how they move. The angles are so clean and their ability to stop on a dime is like nothing you have ever seen in life. There is a certain rhythm and timing to how the body responds in the game. Where does this […]
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16
Oct
2012
Coaches Focused on Wrong Goals
All coaches dream of having an amazing team that can win it all. Unfortunately, some coaches take this too far, damaging not only their athletes, but also the coaches themselves. A successful team is not only built with skill, but also with the team’s mental state. There is a fine line between pushing athletes to their mental limits and damaging their self-esteem. A good coach knows his or her team and understands where that line is. The “ideal coach” needs to fulfill the characteristics of a teacher, a manager, a trainer, a strategist, a player, and a parent, according […]
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09
Oct
2012
Sport Psychology Coaching
Sport psychology is the study of the psychological factors that affect participation and performance in sports. Sport psychology coaches aim to increase athletic performance by minimizing the psychological effects of poor performance and instilling the mental skill needed to attain peak performance. They work with and educate athletes, coaches, parents, teams and organizations from diverse sports background on the mental components of sport performance. Sport psychology coaches differ from sports psychologist in that there are not licensed clinical psychologists. However, all of our sports psychology coaches at Mental Edger Athletics have equal or higher levels of experience and education […]
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07
Oct
2012
A Star Rockets Rookie Faces His Fear
By CHRIS DUNCAN, Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — Royce White couldn’t wait any longer. Last weekend, just before the Houston Rockets opened training camp, he called his agent and told him he had a problem. He needed to map out a plan for dealing with his general anxiety disorder and his fear of flying. It needed to be done before his first NBA season began. Before the brutal cross-country travel schedule kicked in and before the disorder got any worse. And if the Rockets, who drafted him 16th overall in late June, wouldn’t work with him, then he would […]
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06
Oct
2012
Mental Toughness Makes Olympic Champions
Study shows the right mix of mental toughness makes Olympic champions… Why is it that some sport performers are able to withstand the pressures associated with the Olympics and attain peak performances whereas others succumb to the demands and under-perform? Sport and Performance Psychologists (Dr David Fletcher and Mustafa Sarkar) at Loughborough University aimed to address this question in a recent study by interviewing twelve Olympic champions from a range of sports regarding their experiences of withstanding pressure during their sporting careers. They found that the world’s best athletes shared a unique mental resilience characterized by five key psychological […]
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02
Oct
2012
Taking Action Against Bully Coaches
Young athletes are bullied by coaches as well as peers, which is unacceptable in youth sports. Have your sports kids ever had a coach who yelled at, insulted or intimidated them? If so, you need to take action. We’ve got some tips—and warnings—for you about what we call “bully coaches.” Bully coaches target all kinds of young athletes. They can set their sights on kids who are overweight, small or who lack confidence, for instance. These coaches also target gifted athletes because they believe their approach will “toughen up” their athletes. Whether your athletes are underdogs or stars, your […]
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02
Oct
2012
Sport Resilience Study Questionnaire
Dear Sport Psychology Today Readers, My name is Mustafa Sarkar and I am a final year PhD student in Sport Psychology at Loughborough University. As part of my PhD, I have designed the Sport Resilience Study, research that explores how sport performers react to and deal with pressure. Any help you could provide will be much appreciated as I need to collect around 700 questionnaires. The study itself takes just fifteen minutes to complete. The only criteria for completion is that individuals need to be above the age of 18 and have participated in competitive sport in the past month […]
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