| Mental Game Coaching is that the segment of | | | | myself on is helping athlete identify ineffective |
| sports psychology that concentrates specifically | | | | beliefs and attitudes such as comfort zones and |
| on helping athletes break through the mental | | | | negative self-labels that hold them back from |
| barriers that are keeping them from performing | | | | performing well. These core unhealthy beliefs |
| up to their peak potential. By focusing on the | | | | must be identified and replaced with a new way |
| mental skills needed to be successful in any | | | | of thinking. Unhealthy or irrational beliefs will keep |
| sporting competition, mental game coaching seeks | | | | you stuck no matter how much you practice or |
| to achieve the overall goal of performance | | | | hard you try. |
| improvement. | | | | 7. Improve or balance motivation for optimal |
| Sports Psychology is about improving your | | | | performance. It's important to look at your level |
| attitude and mental game skills to help you | | | | of motivation and just why you are motivated to |
| perform your best by identifying limiting beliefs | | | | play your sport. Some motivators are better in |
| and embracing a healthier philosophy about your | | | | the long-term than others. Athletes who are |
| sport. Below is a list of the top ten ways that | | | | extrinsically motivated often play for the wrong |
| you can benefit from sports psychology: | | | | reasons, such as the athlete who only participates |
| 1. Improve focus and deal with distractions. Many | | | | in sports because of a parent. I work with athlete |
| athletes have the ability to concentrate, but often | | | | to help them adopt a healthy level of motivation |
| their focus is displaced on the wrong areas such | | | | and be motivated for the right reasons. |
| as when a batter thinks "I need to get a hit" while | | | | 8. Develop confidence post-injury. Some athletes |
| in the batter's box, which is a result-oriented | | | | find themselves fully prepared physically to get |
| focus. Much of my instruction on focus deals with | | | | back into competition and practice, but mentally |
| helping athlete to stay focused on the present | | | | some scars remain. Injury can hurt confidence, |
| moment and let go of results. | | | | generate doubt during competition, and cause a |
| 2. Grow confidence in athletes who have doubts. | | | | lack of focus. I help athletes mentally heal from |
| Doubt is the opposite of confidence. If you | | | | injuries and deal with the fear of re-injury. |
| maintain many doubts prior to or during your | | | | 9. To develop game-specific strategies and game |
| performance, this indicates low self-confidence or | | | | plans. All great coaches employ game plans, race |
| at least you are sabotaging what confidence you | | | | strategies, and course management skills to help |
| had at the start of the competition. Confidence is | | | | athletes mentally prepare for competition. This is |
| what I call a core mental game skill because of its | | | | an area beyond developing basic mental skills in |
| importance and relationship to other mental skills. | | | | which a mental coach helps athletes and teams. |
| 3. Develop coping skills to deal with setbacks and | | | | This is very important in sports such as golf, |
| errors. Emotional control is a prerequisite to | | | | racing, and many team sports. |
| getting into the zone. Athletes with very high and | | | | 10. To identify and enter the "zone" more often. |
| strict expectations, have trouble dealing with | | | | This incorporates everything I do in the mental |
| minor errors that are a natural part of sports. It's | | | | side of sports. The overall aim is to help athletes |
| important to address these expectations and also | | | | enter the zone by developing foundational mental |
| help athletes stay composed under pressure and | | | | skills that can help athletes enter the zone more |
| when they commit errors or become frustrated. | | | | frequently. It's impossible to play in the zone |
| 4. Find the right zone of intensity for your sport. I | | | | everyday, but you can set the conditions for it to |
| use intensity in a broad sense to identify the level | | | | happen more often. |
| of arousal or mental activation that is necessary | | | | I will add that sport psychology may not be |
| for each person to perform his or her best. This | | | | appropriate for every athlete. Not every person |
| will vary from person to person and from sport | | | | who plays a sport wants to "improve |
| to sport. Feeling "up" and positively charged is | | | | performance." Sport psychology is probably not |
| critical, but not getting overly excited is also | | | | for recreation athletes who participate for the |
| important. You have to tread a fine line between | | | | social component of a sport or do not spend time |
| being excited to complete, but not getting | | | | working on technique or fitness to improve |
| over-excited. | | | | performance. Young athletes whose parents want |
| 5. Help teams develop communication skills and | | | | them to see a sports psychologist are not good |
| cohesion. A major part of sports psychology and | | | | candidate either. It's very important that the |
| mental training is helping teams improve cohesion | | | | athlete desires to improve his or her mental game |
| and communication. The more a team works as a | | | | without having the motive to satisfy a parent. |
| unit, the better the results for all involved. | | | | Similarly, an athlete who sees a mental game |
| 6. To instill a healthy belief system and identify | | | | expert only to satisfy a coach is not going to fully |
| irrational thoughts. One of the areas I pride | | | | benefit from mental training. |