Thursday, June 7, 2012

Sports Psychology For Swimmers - Mental Aspects of Swimming Faster


Over the years, I have counseled athletes from virtually every sport from around the world. In the past, I have coached many swimmers and right now I am working with several highly competitive and talented swimmers. Many of them are hoping for Division I scholarships. Some are hoping to make the Olympics.
The beauty of working with swimmers is that their times give me, the coaches and their parents a good sense as to the nature and severity of the problem. While some pools appear to be faster than others, a swimmer's time and fractions tell you a lot about the strengths and weaknesses in his or her performances.
Last week, I got a call from a swimmer who had lost eight seconds off his best time in his event. Obviously, this is a huge drop and it indicates a huge slump in the athlete's progress. The swimmer and his mother were quite concerned and puzzled as to what had caused this decline in performance.
Two months ago, I worked with a swimmer who was losing to another swimmer by a fraction of a second. She is quite intimidated by the other swimmer and seems to lose confidence and focus whenever she races against this adversary.
From a psychological standpoint, these are very different situations. And the kind of coaching that these athletes need is very different. The first swimmer is really "stuck," and probably needs a mental overhaul. The second swimmer needs more of a tune up.
When a swimmer responds to a psychological positively to a psychological intervention and we see a drop in time, we know we are on the right path. Conversely, if there is no change in time, we may need to go in a different direction.
When I counsel swimmers, we focus on their internal psychology as well as their racing strategy. We set goals and we teach them how to get into the zone during practice and during competition. Some swimmers are very weak in terms of racing strategy and what might be thought of as mental toughness.







What is Sport Psychology and How Can it Help Your Game?


Sport psychology is something that we often hear about, but may not know exactly what it is. It is the principles of psychology used in a sport setting.  Consultants look at how psychological aspects control an individual's physical performance, and how competition in sport affects their psychological development, health, and well-being (Weinberg & Gould, 2003).
Unfortunately, it is often viewed as something necessary for the weak-minded competitor who has "issues." The reality is that the mental game of sports affects every athlete, no matter what their strengths or weaknesses may be. This discipline can help any athlete strive to meet their potential.
Fencing is one example sport that can be used: Fencing is both a physical and mental game. Fencers prepare for the physical game by developing muscle memory through repetitive bladework and footwork drills. The mental game is obvious to fencers; however, little is done to train this large portion of fencing. The majority of fencers who utilize specific psychological training are Division I fencers (Athanas, 2007). Consequently, many competitors are not fully prepared to meet all of the demands of their sport.
There are many benefits from working with a consultant. Applied sport psychology professionals are interested in how participation in mental skills training can help an athlete's development throughout their competitive career. The athlete may have trouble reaching goals, have an injury, or confidence difficulties. Through sport psychology, an athlete can gain the "mental edge" to reach their goals, recover from injury, or gain confidence. Techniques that are commonly used in sport psychological practices include (but are not limited to) imagery and visualization, relaxation, goal setting, building confidence, learning to focus, and regulating energy levels.
Through learning and practicing these techniques, fencer has the ability to reach their potential.
You may be wondering how to get started. However, you don't want to fall prey to scams. There are many people who claim to be "experts" in psychology but lack the proper training and education.
It is recommended that you only work with legitimate professionals. Before investing any money, ask the consultant questions about what their client population is, what their educational background is, if they are specialized in working with athletes, and how long they have been involved in sport psychology. Only certified consultants are recognized by the Association of the Applied Sport Psychology. If you are seeking a certified sport psychology consultant or you would like to know more about this topic, refer to www.aaasponline.org for more information.
It is important to point out that athletes of all divisions and experience levels can benefit from sport psychology. By working with a sport psychology consultant, you will be able to fortify your weaknesses and improve your strengths through mental skills training. Every sport has both physical and mental components. Many athletes  already toughen their bodies through practice and physical fitness. Toughen your mental game through practicing applied sport psychology [http://www.fencing.net/category/mental-training-for-fencing/].
References: Athanas, E. H. (2007). Fear of failure, experience and division as predictors to state anxiety in USFA epee fencers. Georgia Southern University. Statesboro, Georgia. Unpublished Masters thesis.
Weinberg, R. S. & Goldberg, D. (2003). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Books.





Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Sports Psychology - What Good Is a Sports Shrink?


Although mental training is still a developing discipline of performance enhancement elite athletes have been using mental training techniques for years. For example For example Jack Nicklaus used mental imagery before every single shot he played and Roy Halladay admits to listening to a mental rehearsal programs before each game he pitches.
There are many possible reasons why people still do not buy into the benefits of sport psychology. The main reasons being a fear of the unknown, a lack of time, and confusion on what works best.
Sports psychologists' help athletes identify and overcome the mental barriers that limit their performance, therefore allow them to fulfill their true athletic potential. More and more athletes are dedicating parts of their training to the mental side of their performance to gain a mental edge over their competitors.
Sports psychology professionals aim to improve athlete's mental skills, such as self-confidence, motivation, the ability to relax under pressure, and the ability to concentrate in competition. Sports Psychology is another weapon in the athlete's arsenal to gaining a competitive edge. Sports psychologists are not really shrinks per se, but instead educate athletes about the importance of mental game skills and how their mindset affects sports performance.
Working with a sports psychologist can help you improve your performance by focusing on techniques that help you excel in competitive situations. Good mental game experts teach simple mental training strategies and techniques to help athletes overcome the challenges that limit their ability. It's not therapy, but education. And a good mental game coach helps athletes apply what they learn to practice and competition.
Through repetition and applying these strategies in practice and competition, athletes are able to develop a strong mental game to reach peak performance my consistently. But the key is to take what you learn in the educational sessions and apply to practice and competition.
However, some athletes resist sports psychology training. With a stronger mindset, athletes improve their consistency, boost their confidence, improve their focus and learn how to practice smarter.
And athletes are not broken or dysfunctional if they engage in mental game training. The mental game can be improved with practice just like physical skill. Many pros rely on sports psychology to improve their confidence and performance.
Next time you're in a slump and want to improve your performance, consider mental game training or sports psychology. To achieve excellence, athletes need to grow their talents through focused and effective practice and get the mental edge with sport psychology.






Sport Psychology


In these very modern times, are sports clubs are not only made up of athletes and coaches. Team members also includes members of various professions, whose main purpose is to ensure maximum performance of athletes. Some of these include team leaders, doctors, Physiotherapists and sport psychologists dealing only in the field of sport psychology. Put together, should all be ensured a balance and stability of mind, body and soul.
Sport Psychology is about how athletes deal with various stress factors sports. It is also about athletes endurance. From observing athlete, psychologist, along with coach, can customize the training sections for each athlete based on the evaluation given by the psychologist. They want to know how far to push the athlete without getting them to their breaking point.
Psychologists working with the entire team, to ensure athletes give their best judgement. Team members taught often depend on each other's strengths and you find that this is a source of encouragement when they compete.
Sport psychologist studies the behavior of athletes before, during and after sports events. With this information at hand, can coach with advice from psychologist plan a training routine that will take advantage of all of the athletes abilities. The coaches know all stress and stamina levels of athletes during their watch, and this should serve as a guide on how to handle each individual athlete.
As a rule of thumb, the coaches and other staff, training should also have some understanding of the basic features in sport psychology. This will help them understand the psychologist better terms used, and they are in a better position to make some judgments and decisions.






Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Sports Psychology Masters Program and Job Options


Sports psychology is a growing field. A general definition of sports psychology would be learning to use the brain to accomplish maximum sporting performance. There are several common tools used in sports psychology, and as more is learned about the way that people respond to different tools, they will continue to change and develop accordingly. Much of the information learned about sports psychology is through academic learning, and several schools offer a sports psychology masters program.
Goal setting is one of the most important tools used in sports psychology. It is the process of setting an ideal for what you would like the future to be, and then determining ways to make that ideal a reality. By setting goals that are clearly defined you are able to tell more quickly how well you are doing in achieving those goals. Measuring your successes becomes easier when you set goals, and it provides motivation when those goals are either met or not.
A second tool used for sports psychology is imagery. Imagery is basically training with your mind. Using imagination is the basis for imagery, and can boost performance in sports by allowing you to practice when injured, pre-experience the achievement of goals, and mentally prepare for an athletic event and anything that might go wrong, without having to actually experience it physically.
Focus and flow, or how to achieve perfect concentration is the third tool used in sports psychology. In order to achieve what they call "flow" there are several factors which need to be in place. Some of those factors are the ability to perceive that your skills are good enough for the task you are looking to do, your competition is not too easy and therefore you do not become bored with it, you are in a relaxed environment, however, you are very alert, and you are not easily distracted. Being able to handle stress, avoid distraction and being fully focused on the task at hand are all very important. Focus and flow are at the very heart of sports psychology.
There are many different types of jobs which are available in sports psychology. Speaking to someone in your area, or researching online the different paths you might take can be very helpful in determining whether sports psychology is a career you might wish to pursue.
Certainly a sports psychology masters degree program, or a PhD program benefit in being able to find a job in this field, and working with any professional sports teams is certainly a competitive field. The rewards of working with a team, and becoming a part of that team are certainly many, and this is part of what drives people to become involved in a job in sports psychology.






What is Sports Psychology - An Interesting Career to Bring Out the Best in Athletes


There are many different aspects of sports psychology, however it mainly relates to the mental and emotional factors which affect an athlete's performance. This type of psychology also applies to those who exercise or engage in any type of physical activity. There are a number of professional athletes who tend to study sports psychology in order to improve their overall game. Upon examining sports psychology, you will find many different sub-topics of discussion. The main idea behind it is that there are certain mental factors which can have a direct impact on the performance of someone who is engaging in a sport or physical activity of some sort.

It is used mostly for motivational purposes. Sports psychology is used to train athletes, getting them to focus and concentrate on what they are doing. This can replace different kinds of drugs which help to improve attention span during physical activity for some people. Many coaches and therapists believe that sports psychology is a healthy alternative to the different medications being used by athletes for performing better in their own respective sports. Of course, for someone with attention deficit disorder or a different disability, medication may be necessary.

Research is always being done as to how sports psychology can be improved upon. By examining some of the mental or emotional aspects that affect how players perform, many believe that their game can be improved. Focus and concentration are things which to a large extent can be improved by mental conditioning. While it is true that certain chemicals control the brain and therefore how a person focuses, there are multiple ways to reach someone other than drugs.

Sports psychology is a type of work many people go into who are interested in both sports and psychology. There are many different colleges and universities across the countries that have programs for it. It is considered to be one sub-section of "Sports Medicine", a very popular field of study for many college students. This kind of psychology can be used to deal with injuries when players are taken off the team temporarily. Players deal with injuries in different ways and helping a player through this as well as to cope and stay focused once the injury has healed is very important for recovery.

There are quite a few athletes who are ordered to undergo a sort sports therapy to stay focused and enhance performance. With the number of athletes who are on steroids and artificial performance-enhancers, this approach to helping athletes is a healthy and sometimes very effective one. There are different perspective, but most people who study it agree that it can be highly beneficial for those who are willing to put in the hard work and examine themselves inside and out. Numerous professional athletes have worked with trainers who are specialized in the mind and this branch of mental training. They are able to bring out the best in people who must perform under extremely stressful circumstances in front of thousands of people, such as professional football or basketball players.




Motivating Others is a Fulfilling Career

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Monday, June 4, 2012

The Importance of Sports Psychology in Basketball


However, there is a bit more to it than just making goals and striving to achieve them. The "striving" aspect needs a bit of sports psychology to fully achieve the goals that the athlete sets out. Sports psychology involves a mix of visualization, awareness, control, concentration, understanding, relaxation, and confidence.

There are many approaches to improve sports psychology in basketball players. One must first understand what sports psychology is and how it can benefit the athlete. For example, basketball players need to tune into the exact sound that gets them going, one possible sound could be the crowd cheering and rooting for their team. Once athletes are out on the court and they hear the crowd roaring, their motivation to achieve peak performance greatly increases. The emotional experience gained from removing the blocks enables the player to focus on and in their performance zone is really something that drives athletes to accomplish their goals much easier.

The first sports psychology center opened up in the 1920's. Since then, the study of the psychology of sport has been of great interest to many psychologists. In the 1970's, sports psychology was part of university curriculums nationwide and more focus and research has been placed in this field in recent decades. Mental training and other exercises are also created to improve emotional strength among players.

I recently worked with a College Basketball team. They were struggling with free-throw accuracy. I took seven of the team members and had them make 50 free throws to get a base line. I customized a mental training hypnosis for them and then had them shoot another 50 free throws. We tabulated the difference between the before and after hypnosis. Their overall percentage of free throws made increased by 7% from 73% to 80%. The best improvement was 24%. Four players improved 10% to 24%. The other three were about the same. This all took place after a 2½ hr. practice.

In their next game, their field goal percentage improved by 15%. In the following game, our test players again made 87.5% of their free throws.

As a by-product their field goal percentage jump up 10- 18% over the next few games.

The psychological importance of an athlete needs more attention than many think. Sports psychology sometimes can make or break an athlete's day, week, or month while competing for his team or for himself. At the same time, sports psychology can help an athlete get out of a slump or maintain his or her high peak performance. Either way, when an athlete is not only physically, but mentally and emotionally strong, they can achieve all of the realistic goals that they set for themselves.




Todd Stofka is the Director of Philly Hypnosis Sports Psychology. We work with Professional, Olympic, College and High School athletes, and teams. Contact us at http://www.thebestweightlosssolution.com/sports-psychology/ or Call now 1-877-410-0175




How To Select A Sports Psychology Coach


What do you want out of a sport psychology coach?

You want to build more confidence, make a positive impact in your sport, have more fun and satisfaction and unleash your full potential.

Sport psychology is one of those cutting-edge disciplines poised on the edge of art and science. The mind game is one of the most important, yet often most elusive and ineffable elements in all of sport. Having a strong mental game is the Make-It-Or-Break-It skill that separates the winners from the You-Came-So-Close crowd.

Athletes, coaches and parents choose an expert sport psychology coach, or mental game coach, to help navigate the learning curve, pressures and pitfalls of a sport. This mental game advisor provides guidance in building a mentally tough, peak performance mind tool-kit that top-performing champions possess. In learning these mental lessons, the mental training coach acts as a teacher, motivator and mentor. The sport psychology training relationship is a collaborative, confidential, professional one that supports the client in reaching more of their sports performance potential.

HERE'S WHAT ANY SPORT PSYCHOLOGY COACH SHOULD OFFER TO BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE

1. Assessment of your current sport psychology skills.

2. Review of and suggestions for upcoming competitions.

3. A deep and extensive level of analysis and feedback about your sports performances.

4. Proprietary, detailed checklists that help you become aware of yourself as an athlete.

5. Worksheets and exercises that bring the concepts to life.

6. Coaching for your upcoming competition.

7. Help you overcome performance issues such as fear and low confidence.

8. Show-You-How-To-Practice sessions.

9. Advice on managing yourself under pressure.

10. Dress rehearsals of competitions.

11. Review of your past competitions.

12. Create custom pre-game mental routines.

13. Post-game reviews and follow-up.

14. Email support anytime you want it.

HOW SPORT PSYCHOLOGY COACHING CAN HELP YOU BE A BETTER, MORE SUCCESSFUL ATHLETE

1. Improve your self-confidence in your sport.

2. Teach you new and better mental approaches.

3. Coach you to improve your sports performances under pressure.

4. Provide you with new awarenesses about yourself as an athlete.

5. Counsel you in the "big-picture view" of your sports career.

6. Help you transfer the many mental lessons from sport to the rest of your life.

And, perhaps most important of all to athletes, the sport psychology coach should teach the science and art of MENTAL TOUGHNESS.

This article covers only one small part of the mental game. A complete mental training program includes motivation and goal-setting, pre-event mental preparation, post-event review and analysis, mental strengthening, self-regulation training, breath control training, motor skill training, mental rehearsal, concentration training, pressure-proofing, communication training, confidence-building, breaking through mental barriers, slump prevention, mental toughness training, flow training, relaxation training, momentum training, psych-out proofing and media training.

For a comprehensive overview of your mental abilities you need an assessment instrument that identifies your complete mental strengths and weaknesses. For a free, easy-to-take 65-item sport psychology assessment tool you can score right on the spot, visit http://www.mentalgamecoach.com/Assessments/MentalGameOfSports.html This assessment gives you a quick snapshot of your strengths and weaknesses in your mental game. You can use this as a guide in creating your own mental training program, or as the basis for a program you undertake with Bill Cole, MS, MA to improve your mental game. This assessment would be an excellent first step to help you get the big picture about your mental game.

Copyright © Bill Cole, MS, MA 2006 All rights reserved.




Bill Cole, MS, MA is one of the world's leading mental game coaches who consults with athletes of all levels including children, amateurs and professionals. Mr. Cole is the founder and President of the International Mental Game Coaching Association, the global leader in certification of mental game coaches. Read over 400 free articles on sports psychology at http://www.mentalgamecoaching.com/index.html or call 408-294-2776 for more information.




Sunday, June 3, 2012

Why France Football Team Lost In The World Cup 2010 - Lessons Learnt From Sport Psychology Points


Before the South Africa World Cup, nobody could ever imagine that the runner up of World Cup2006 would fall down that badly with two defeats, one draw, foul-mouthed squabbles in the dressing room and a team strike. So what happened with the French players psychologically?

The start of all things came with the bad words by Nicholas Anelka to his coach Domenech during half time game with Mexico. Put aside his inappropriate saying, the worse thing was that somebody leaked that information to the media. In sport psychology terms, a norm in a team was broken. Norms are the standards for behavior that is expected of team members. Norms are not formally adopted by the team but result from a gradual change in behavior until a consensus is reached. Norms are different from rules in the fact that rules are formal for everyone and there are normally some punishments for breaking the rule. Because norms are unobtrusive, they are sometimes taken for granted and only become important when violated. In the case of France team, for some reasons, the norm of keeping team issues inside the locker room was violated. And the result was really destructive.

Worst of all, the team represented by Patrick Evra boycotted training and some players showed the intention of avoiding playing the last game. In this case the whole team was united under the same cause: to protest against the decision to send Anelka back from the French Football Federation. In sport psychology terms, the team displayed very high cohesion. Team cohesion is defined as: "the resistance of the group to disruptive forces". When a team is highly cohesive like French team, it would be able to tolerate a great deal of negativity arising from the occurrence of unfavorable events, such as losing games, or receiving criticism in the media... Team cohesion is also divided into 2 type: task cohesion (regarding team goals and performance) and social cohesion (regarding relationship outside the task). In France team, the players showed very high social cohesion that led to the boycott and protest to support their teammate.

So what could have been fixed in that case? Obviously, there are many issues that had to be solved (from behavior of players to coach, setting up norms for communication with each other and to the media...). However, there is one main issue I believe should have been tackled. By interacting with players in an informal approach, a sport psychologist could help players restore and re-affirm their team goal. Obviously, they came to World Cup to represent their country and to make French people proud. As a national team, they carried the image of the whole nation and should behave accordingly, especially in front of foreign media. By reacting aggressively to coaches, they were successful in showing their team cohesion, yet failed to show their responsibilities for their nation and their fans. By re-aligning the team value and team goal to the players, a sport psychologist could help players redefine their priority and their purpose. This could potentially have led to different behaviors and performance by French players.

Although France team issues were rather extreme, it gives a very clear picture of many sport psychology issues that should have been addressed before and during the tournament. By being aware of norms and cohesion level in your team, you can prevent and address problems as well as improve team performance.




Dzung Dao Tien is a Master student in Sport Science & Sport Psychology from Lund University, Sweden. He is also a practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Program which helps training athletes to achieve peak performance.

If your team have some similar issues and would like to hear some advices from a sport psychology consultant, you can drop him an email at: sportpsychologyconsultants@gmail.com or find him at his website http://www.personligtranaremalmo.com




How to Use the Latest in Sports Psychology to Improve Your Soccer Game


A varsity soccer player heads the ball into the goal to put his team ahead by one. With more than 20 minutes to play, players on the team that is behind start to hang their heads. Their body language, slumped shoulders, a slow walk, and frustrated, angry expressions convey their temporary lack of resiliency. The speed with which they can bounce back from this setback holds the key to their success. Do they give in to their disappointment, let it turn to resignation, and ever-so-slightly decrease their efforts? Or do they use their anger to stoke the fires of competition and redouble their efforts to score and tie the game?

Psychology is beginning to unravel some of the mysteries around sports performance in general and around soccer in particular. This article discusses three recent findings in sports psychology and how they can be best applied to soccer.

Focus On Playing to Potential, Not Winning

For instance, players who make predictions about who will win the upcoming game enjoy the game less than those who do not. By predicting the outcome of the game, it creates the possibility of being incorrect and thus leads to the anticipation of regret. This anticipation of being wrong puts more pressure on the player to perform. As we know, too much pressure can push a player out of the zone (where performance is maximized) and into a subpar performance.

A better approach is that of nonattachment where players do not get overly attached to the idea of winning or losing. Soccer players can control one thing - their own play. By focusing the team on playing to their best individual and team potential, and decreasing focus on winning, the team plays more relaxed, more effective soccer.

Understand Your Players for Better Penalty Kicks

Another finding shows that some individuals look for potential gains in general and on the soccer field. Other people spend their efforts attempting to thwart negative outcomes. So one group looks to maximize gains, while the other group looks to minimize losses. Soccer coaches can identify this tendency in individual players and use it to fulfill their players' potential. For example, when preparing players for penalty shootouts, coaches can talk to players who look to maximize gains (usually the forwards and some midfielders) and tell them to focus on scoring. On the other hand, coaches can prep those who seek to minimize losses (usually the fullbacks) by telling them to focus on not missing the shot. These are individualized messages that can run through the shooter's head while preparing to take the PK which will increase the probability of success during the shootout.

Use Mirror Neurons to Your Advantage

Finally, soccer players become better simply by watching world class players. There is a 'mirror system' in the human brain which responds to actions we watch, such as Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a goal with a heel kick or performing a scissor move. This system in the brain has been shown in brain scan studies to activate when the individual is viewing a sport or activity in which they participate. However, the mirror system does not activate for a dancer watching a soccer player. The mirror system only activates for individuals who have been trained in the particular sport being viewed. We have known for over 50 years that visualization is helpful in improving sports performance (beginning with slalom skiing back in the 1950's). Science is just discovering that the brain also learns by observing experts. Although no muscle movement takes place in the observer, the brain acts as if the body is replicating the movements being made while watching Ronaldo. The same pattern of neurons fire when watching Ronaldo perform a bicycle kick as when the player him- or herself does a bicycle kick. The possibility exists that players can hone their skills during injuries by watching professional soccer games, highlights on YouTube of favorite players and attending live games.

There are a number of things that psychology can add to sport in general and soccer in particular. Try incorporating some of these suggestions in your play or coaching and see what results come. Above all, have fun. Soccer is first and foremost a game!




Dr. John Schinnerer is in private practice helping people learn anger management, stress management and the latest ways to deal with destructive negative emotions. He also helps clients discover optimal human functioning via positive psychology. His practice is located in the Danville-San Ramon Medical Center at 913 San Ramon Valley Blvd., #280, Danville, California 94526. He graduated summa cum laude from U.C. Berkeley with a Ph.D. in psychology. He is collaborating with the University of New Zealand on the International Wellbeing Study to look at what we do right and what make for a meaningful, thriving life. He consults with cutting-edge companies with novel technologies such as Resonance Technologies which has a unique method to quantify emotional reactions to products, change initiatives and leadership teams. Dr. Schinnerer has been an executive and psychologist for over 10 years. Dr. John Schinnerer is President and Founder of Guide To Self, a company that coaches clients to their potential using the latest in positive psychology, mindfulness and attentional control. Dr. John Schinnerer hosted over 200 episodes of Guide To Self Radio, a prime time radio show, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Schinnerer's areas of expertise range from positive psychology, to emotional awareness, to moral development, to sports psychology. Dr. Schinnerer wrote the award-winning, "Guide To Self: The Beginner's Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought," which is available at Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com and AuthorHouse.com.




Saturday, June 2, 2012

Sport Psychology-For performance during peak usage


Determination, self motivation and effort is essential for an athlete get their performance during peak usage in their sport, but research has proven these behavior strategies are not enough. Three main sport psychology attributes change affiliations, cable conversion conditions and alignment perception.

The first image that comes to the minds of many people, when they think of a professional athlete is their image, mainly their physical build up and their abilities to produce winning results. This is, of course, the dream of many professional athletes, but there are more than just being able to be the fastest runner in a competition or shoot the most hoops in basketball. Sport Psychology plays an important role in the life of any serious professional athlete, especially if they seek performance during peak usage.

Many athletes are driven by their strong conviction that the stick was developed from their core values. This is a great thing to have, that this can give self motivation for the athlete, sports psychology suggests, however, that the most important part of having faith is to distinguish between reality and fantasy. It is one thing to have a faith, but if the athlete does not have the strength to achieve the goals they set, it can become overwhelming, stressful and very disappointing. Review a conviction and with realistic goals is the best way to keep the mind motivated and accomplish a goal.

Sport Psychology educator also athletes to cable conversion conditions and understanding any obstacles in the way of achieving optimal performance is crucial to the success of the athlete. An important step in the improvement of sport psychology conditions is to recognize the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving a goal and unblock any deterrent thoughts that may prevent the athlete in bringing their A-game.

Understanding of one's perceptions, like when the player takes the error also seriously, is also an important aspect of sport psychology to recognize. To understand how one acts when not doing their team proud and not to take the blame for serious can better prevent future shocks and disappointments.

It is actually a great IDEA for athletes to speak with a professional sports psychologist help to improve their convictions, conditions and perceptions. Anyone interested in obtaining peak performance athlete should not be afraid to explore alternative beliefs and perceptions to maintain conditions and make a star athlete out of themselves, both physically and mentally.




On Regular Hypnosis and Peak Performance Sports psychologist
Todd Stofka is Director Regular Hypnosis. Method Stofka has helped thousands of people to kick their old habits to the new life as they wish. Call for your consultation 877-557-7409 or schedule online at http://www.thebestweightlosssolution.com/sports-psychology/




What Sports Psychology Entails


For women who are not fans of football and who can't understand why grown up men will sit and watch 22 grown up men running after a ball in the name of football, sports psychology will probably prove beneficial to them. I'm sure that most of you watch sports programs on television. Some even have fun players and teams they support. To make sure these people perform to their ultimate level there are other people who work behind the curtains. There are trainers, supporters and doctors who ensure that the athlete is mentally, emotionally and physically stable.

Sports psychology deals with the way in which athletes as their fans handle stresses of sports. The psychologists and coaches co-work to ensure the athlete perform to competitive status. As the coach trains the athlete, he checks the behavior patterns and how the athlete reacts before the event. This information guides the psychologists to develop a training routine that will utilize the athlete's performance abilities.

In these case it is important for a coach to have basics in sports education and should be able to know the emotion responses of the athlete when there is competition. There are cases where some athletes strain and can't perform to their ability due to lack of emotional stability. The athletes who have a coach who understand sports psychology are able to perform in various competitions that lasts for long period of time.

Sports are part of life and coaches should gather information on psychology to ensure that the athletes do their best. As an athlete, you should hook up with a trainer who will help you all round to achieve your goal. With time and training you will be able to improve and cope with strains in competitions.




Peter Gitundu Creates Interesting And Thought Provoking Content on psychology For More Information, Read More Of His Articles Here STUDY OF PSYCHOLOGY If You Enjoyed This Article, Make Sure You SUBSCRIBE TO MY RSS FEED!




Friday, June 1, 2012

Focus the Key of Sports Psychology and Coaching


Athletes go through a whole deal of pressure when they compete and train for the Olympics or the NBA Championship Games. The mental and physical strain one goes through is huge and it is an advantage to be involved in sports psychology and coaching as here athletes are taught to strive for the best. Sports psychology and coaching does not only cover athletes competing in the Olympics or the major leagues, but as long as the athlete's goal is for greatness than this is the right path for him.

The secret to success in sports psychology and coaching is as a coach you are able to instil in your client that he should have focus. Yes, an athlete should have talent and skill but without focus than he may not be able to reach his goals. Focus is a quality that should be acquired by every athlete if he wants to be a winner. Focus allows every athlete to concentrate on the goal he has to reach and pushes him to reach his full potential. In a sports psychology and coaching business, coaches educate their clients with different methods of how they can keep their focus to produce winners.

As a coach in a sports psychology and coaching business, you must realize that your focus should be on focus itself. You should be able to help your client cultivate and develop his focus for him to be the athlete that he wants to be. To fully understand how focused one should be, here is an example of what I mean. Let us say that you are up for bat, and you hear 10,000 fans screaming your name. You will need to shut this out and focus. Focus on the pitcher and the ball. With total focus, chances are you will hit that ball and hopefully score a homerun.

5 Tips to develop your Focus

F - Free your mind. An athlete must develop the skill to free his mind of any distractions. He must be able to concentrate on the game and not be distracted by other thoughts that have nothing to do with his goal to win. Sports psychologists and sports coaches have developed mind relaxation techniques to develop one's focus.

O - Organize your thoughts quickly during the game. As an athlete your ability to analyze the game step by step allows you to plan your action as the game progresses.

C - Concentration. The ability to focus also comes hand in hand with concentrating on your tasks at hand.

U - Understand. Your understanding of who you are and what you can do is important in your quest to greatness.

S - Strength. The strength that I am talking about is not physical strength but mental strength. An athlete must be able to put his problems or other distracting thoughts behind him when it is needed.

Being in the sports psychology and coaching business you will be able to use these tips to help you and your coaches in creating methods to develop the focus of your clients.




Jeffrey T. Sooey is the CEO of JTS Advisors and the founder of the Coaches Training Blog community, a free, self-led video training for coaches growing their businesses to $10,000 per month and beyond. Watch videos about how to become a life coach the easiest way possible. Go here: http://www.coachestrainingblog.com/becomeacoach.