Sometimes, fear can be a factor in your sport. Here are some suggestions on how an athlete can use to help manage their fears and every day anxieties. 1.Self Visualization Occasionally, a person may get anxious on an upcoming event. When this happens, visualize yourself doing the task in your mind. For instance, you have to perform in the championship game in front of a large group of people in the next few days. Before the big day comes, imagine yourself performing. Self-Visualization is a great way to reduce the fear and stress of a coming situation. 2. Take […]
Read more
22
Sep
2012
Overcoming Fear In Your Sport
18
Sep
2012
How to Enhance Your Performance in Practice
To apply the skills you learn in practice to competition, you must to practice like you play. Your goal should be to make practice as close to competition as possible. You will be better able to relate the information you learn in practice through specificity training, goal oriented practice, and improving your mental skills. Many athletes have trouble applying mental skill to competition because they do not rehearse mental skills in practice. Mental skills, just like physical skills must be practiced to make them automatic (well learned). When mental skills are ingrained, you can easily apply them to competition. […]
Read more
17
Sep
2012
Football Mental Toughness
Mental Toughness – Understanding Football Psychology What do, top-level athletes, all have in common? They have mastered the skill of mental toughness and have a strong football mind. An often-asked question is how does mental toughness relate to football? Firstly, it is important to know that mental toughness is a learned skill, that it is a necessity for all athletes to master and needs to be trained as frequently and seriously as you would train your body physically. This skill allows athletes to remain calm under pressure, not be affected by an opponent’s size, reputation or team, to be […]
Read more
04
Sep
2012
How Mental Attitudes Shape Performance
Basketball psychology is in essence the study of how mental attitudes shape performance on the court. Basketball psychology studies have shown that although physical conditioning and teamwork are crucial to success in basketball, mental toughness is every bit as valuable as physical prowess. When the buzzer rings and the game is on, it’s the mental game of basketball’s particular hybrid of battle strategy and mental endurance that makes or breaks player’s performance. To say that sports psychology for basketball is of great importance would be putting it mildly. To properly analyze a player’s performance, basketball psychology has two crucial […]
Read more
04
Sep
2012
How Bully Coaching Affects Athletes
Below is a quote from one of our athletes who is a 16 year-old high school quarterback who loved football and had the potential to start as a freshman — until the coach destroyed his mental game… “Going into high school I was a standout athlete with high confidence but after my freshman year I started to lose interest. It just wasn’t fun anymore. I hated practice because I was always worrying about messing up and being embarrassed by the coach. In games I worried about what he would do or say if I made a mistake so I […]
Read more
31
Aug
2012
Championship Team Building Part One
Motivation can have many effects on an athlete as an individual and a team as a whole. Depending on the type of motivational strategies used, a coach’s motivational strategies can have positive or negative effects. Truman (2003) identified how motivational techniques such as inspirational direction and bragging promoted more motivation on a team and, as a result, created team cohesion. To expand on the notion of cohesion, Kenow and Williams (1999) bring to light the importance of players and coaches having similar goals, promoting team cohesion which ultimately leads to a team becoming successful. In order to achieve cohesion […]
Read more
30
Aug
2012
Dreaming and Believing
Three years ago, my dreams of becoming a successful college basketball player were almost destroyed within a matter of seconds. As I saw one dream shatter before me, I desperately searched for another. The first question I had to ask myself was, “Would I ever play basketball again”? Since then I have gone through many disappointments, physical and mental instabilities and much pain. Though the road ahead looked bumpy, I can now reflect back on my faith that inspired me to continue toward my next goal. October 15, 2008, 4:00 p.m. is a date and time which is burned […]
Read more
22
Aug
2012
The Fear of Striking Out
Fear of failure is a common issue in sport psychology. Fear of failure is characterized by high expectations, a strong desire to success (and not fail), anxiety or tension, worrying too much about results or outcomes, social approval issues or worrying too much about what others think, and performing with a serious, controlled mindset. Are you afraid of striking out before and during your at-bat? Babe Ruth once said “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” Fear of striking out will cause you to get in your own way with fear, anxiety, tension, and worry […]
Read more
08
Aug
2012
The Power of Visualization
The Power of Visualization – 5 Tips that will change your experience Visualization is one of the primary technologies used in sports psychology. I’m a big believer in the phrase, “What happens out there is a result of what happens in here”. In simple terms, this means your performance is often the result of what’s happening inside your head, or more specifically the movies and soundtracks playing inside your head. In this article I’ll reveal five key tips to get you started in producing more potent results in your sport by tapping the power of visualization. Tip 1 – […]
Read more
22
Jun
2012
Pre-Game Routines in Sports
People often think they have a routine, but it’s not always the case. Common questions regarding routines are: What’s the difference between a routine and a superstition? What should I be thinking? How do I know it’s not a superstition? What behaviours or actions should I be doing? Will it really help me perform better? Hopefully the following article will help explain these and any other questions around pre-performance routines. A pre-performance routine is defined as ‘Sequence of task relevant thoughts and actions which an athlete engages in systematically prior to his or her performance of a specific sport […]
Read more
