Mental Game Training (17)
This month, the SPINw team presented a sport psychology workshop to the members of the Skating Club of Oregon (SCORE). Ice skaters can spend up to 650 hours a year training for only 42 minutes of competition! So the pressure these young athletes face can be immense. SPINw consultants Brian Baxter, Elliott Waksman, and Jimmy Yoo worked with the parents, skaters, and coaches, respectively, to address the mental aspects of skating under pressure.
To have SPINw put on a workshop for your organization, call us at 1-866-300-1515.
5 things you should know about working with SPINw’s Elliott Waksman
Written by Elliott Waksman1 - An introduction consult (free of charge) is scheduled to go over: finances, expectations, and questions.
2 - Sessions are usually scheduled weekly.
3 - Our downtown office is a friendly, professional, and confidential environment, where each client often enjoys getting issues off his/her chest.
4 - Many issues can be tackled in our sessions, including: dips in confidence, injury recovery, or simply learning how to incorporate mental skills.
5 - The process is a “two-way street”. Please be prepared to complete unique worksheets, assignments, and activities…….don’t worry, most clients find these to be the most enjoyable part!
Schedule your introduction consult today, free of charge, by calling 866-300-1515 and asking for Elliott.
Windells Academy Enlists Sports Psychology Institute Northwest
Written by Jimmy YooWindells Academy is teaming with Sports Psychology Institute Northwest on a newly launched program for its student athletes. Portland-based Sports Psychology Institute’s program is designed to give Windells student athletes the tools to improve their mental approach to sports and to bring balance to their overall lifestyle. For over a decade, SPINW has worked successfully with athletes, parents and coaches to achieve consistent peak performance.
Sports Psychology Institute NW trainer Jimmy Yoo is working with both students and coaches on its Competitive Skills Training for Athletes Program (CST). CST is a conditioning of the mind to become mentally tuned and is designed to enhance overall performance. Training includes working on confidence building by teaching visualization techniques, focus and self-talk, breathing techniques, goal setting and time management. According to Yoo “All athletes – competitive and recreational – can benefit from mental skills training to achieve consistent peak performance. These skills enable many to establish balance in their lives and to ultimately enjoy what they are doing to a greater degree.
Read the full article here.Book Review: No More Broken Eggs by Tom Morin
Written by Brian BaxterIt's no secret that today's youth sports environment is vastly different from the one that most parents grew up in. It's more competitive and specialized, and puts a lot of unneeded pressure on young athletes. I was lucky to have Tom Morin as a professor when I was in graduate school, and am excited to recommend to you his book, No More Broken Eggs. And not just because I make a brief, albeit uncredited appearance on page 57 :)
As the subtitle suggests, it's a Guide to Optimizing the Sports Experience for Athletes, Coaches, and Parents. Half of the chapters deals with a real life story of an athlete Tom worked with, and the other half contains tips for athletes, parents, coaches, and sport psychology consultants. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is involved with youth sports.
SPINw welcomes our newest consultant, Elliott Waksman.
As a Wildcat at the University of Arizona, Elliott was first introduced to the field of sport psychology through Dr. Jean Williams, past president of the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and top-selling author. Connecting issues, such as confidence and mental toughness, to his personal sport experiences immediately sparked his interest.
Born and raised in Portland, Elliott was a recognized Portland Interscholastic League three-sport athlete. He often incorporates both his personal sport experiences and sense of humor in his mental training sessions.
A message from Elliot:
Listen up Cross Country, Football, Soccer, and Volleyball players out there!??
“Without goals you are like a ship without a rudder – heading in no particular direction" - Coach Roy Williams
Goal setting is the first step towards your best Fall season yet! If you think goals are only for weight loss, think again. Michael Phelps and LeBron James are two excellent examples of athletes who understand and apply goal setting to the mental game. Have you ever set a S.M.A.R.T. goal? Do you know what process goals are? Do you know what an outcome goal is? Contact Elliott Waksman, MA today for that extra edge heading into your Fall season.
Learn more about Elliott here.
It is essential that an athlete be able to evaluate their performance so they can recognize the strengths and weaknesses of their performance. More importantly, it is essential to understand how these individual skills come together to create an overall performance. Even the most skilled athletes recognize that there is always room for improvement.
The key is not letting these self-evaluations decrease confidence. Take tennis player Roger Federer, a strong player who realistically evaluates his performance. He knows the skills he needs to work on, yet he does not let this distract him from his game.
There are 3 common trends for self-evaluation.
1. Athletes who recognize their strengths and weaknesses, and understand how their skill set impacts their overall performance. They do not let this interfere with their overall confidence. Instead, they utilize this information to set new goals and provide motivation for continued improvement. This also allows for more thorough preparation for competition as athletes often compare their skill set to that of their opponents to strategize.
2. Athletes who recognize only their strengths. While this may enhance confidence, it’s not a realistic picture of one’s performance. Athletes may focus all their energy on the positive; however, this makes it difficult to set personal goals for improvement. Also, this makes it difficult to prepare for competition.
3. Athletes who only recognize their weaknesses. This results in low confidence. Also, if an athlete only focuses on what they do wrong it can result in a self-fulfilling prophecy. This may also make a sport less enjoyable and increase frustration, which ultimately may lead to quitting.
What category do you fall into? Not sure? Or do you recognize a need for a change? Maybe you drift back and forth between more than one of these trends? A consultant at SPINW can help you evaluate your process of self-evaluation, and will help you develop a more constructive process that will enhance overall performance.
About the Author: Lisa Peetz received an M.A. in Sports and Exercise Psychology. Lisa is an avid runner who appreciates and is addicted to marathon running. She uses her athletic experience in her mental skills training by individualizing skills to be both sports and life specific.Ever walk into a practice to see athletes joking around only to see the complete opposite on game day? What is wrong with this situation? No, it's not the joking around. It's the inconsistency between practice and competition. While this may seem like a small thing, it matters! Whatever tricks an athlete uses to help themselves focus should be utilized in both practice and competition to increase their effectiveness. And in all actuality this applies to both athletes and coaches! Contrary to popular belief there is no switch that is flipped on game day that gets everyone focused and motivated.
So how do you find consistency? Start by making a few lists.
1. Write down what you do pre-practice and pre-competition to focus and amp yourself up.
2. Write what you do during practice and during competition to maintain focus and energy.
3. Write what you do post practice and post competition to relax and reflect.
Notice any differences? Notice any skills missing?
Now comes the hard work...breaking old habits and developing performance enhancement routines! The more practice and competition routines are in sync the better the performance. Example: If a gymnast uses imagery in competition before performing on beam, but not in practice. This may help them focus during competition; however, by not utilizing in practice this athlete is not reaching their full potential. By using imagery in practice they will be able to develop and push their skills further, which means an even stronger performance in competition.
Need help developing a more consistent routine? Contact
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!
About the Author: Lisa Peetz received an M.A. in Sports and Exercise Psychology. Lisa is an avid runner who appreciates and is addicted to marathon running. She uses her athletic experience in her mental skills training by individualizing skills to be both sports and life specific.
The New Year’s Resolution – Why some Goals Fail and How to Set More Effective Goals
Written by Brian Baxter
Welcome to 2011! Have you set a New Year's Resolution (or 12)? Have you kept them? Have you already written any off as impossible?
Have you ever wondered why New Year's Resolutions so seldom stick? The New Year's Resolution is about changing human behavior, which is no easy feat (Trying to change it in the days after staying out all night and having a little too much champagne doesn't make it any easier!).
Setting New Year's Resolutions is but one form of goal setting. The reasons that athletes fail to achieve their goals are the same reasons people in all walks of life may fail using the New Year's Resolution to change habits and lifestyle. In sport psychology research and literature, goal setting is the most consistently proven factor in facilitating peak performance. However, when goals are not set properly, they are not as effective as they could be, and can even be counter-productive.
Whether setting a New Year's Resolution, or just a goal in general, here are the main reasons that goal may fail:
1) Too general
2) Too hard or unrealistic
3) Doesn't account for unexpected events
4) No consistent check in
5) Lack of support system
Let's take a common example of a New Year's Resolution that is well intentioned, but destined to fail.
Goal: "I want to get in better shape this year."
Sounds good, right - who wouldn't want that? But, as is, this goal is destined to fail because it is 1) too general. What does that goal mean? How is it measured? If you go running 1 time in 2010, compared to 2009, when you went running 0 times, you have accomplished your goal! However, I doubt this is what you had in mind when you set that goal. It is too general; so let's make it more specific:
"I will get in better shape this year by running every day."
That sounds a little better, but will most likely fail because it is 2) too hard or unrealistic. Most people do not run everyday, and missing 1 day will serve as a de-motivator, making it easy to say the next day: "Oh well, I have already failed, there is no way to accomplish my goal, so what's the difference if I run or not today?" So let's adjust to make the goal more realistic:
"I will get in better shape this year by running 3 times a week."
More specific? Check. More realistic? Check. This goal is pretty good as set. But there are a few other factors to consider. 3) Does this goal account for unexpected events? What happens if there is a weeklong blizzard? What happens if you turn an ankle and can't run for 2 weeks? These are the kinds of rhythm-breaking events that can derail a goal fast and permanently. So what adjustment can be made to this goal to account for the unexpected? Have a back-up plan so that running can be expanded to other exercise: yoga at home, a Pilates class, and basketball or swimming at the gym are some examples.
"I will get in better shape this year by exercising 3 times a week."
This goal is infinitely better than it was in its first iteration, and more likely to be attained. Now let's consider a couple extra points to solidify this goal further; into a life changing plan. The first point is that, with 4) no consistent check-in, many goals can just drop off your radar (due to the factors already mentioned). A couple ideas can help with this. The first is to make sure you write it down and put it in a place you can see it. Or if you like to write, try journaling on your goal. Even better yet, you can break your goal down into smaller pieces
"I will get in better shape this year by exercising 3 times a week in January. I will set a new goal for February."
Last but not least, make sure there is no 5) lack of support system. Goals tend to move along better with someone there to support and push you in your goal. It might be a family member or a friend or a trainer at the gym. No matter whom you choose, it has to be someone who is not afraid to call you out when you are slacking, and tell you the truth. This person can also help with the consistent check-in.
It can be helpful to set this goal with a friend or family member ("I will get in better shape this year by exercising 3 times a week with Bill.") or by making sure it is in a class ("I will get in better shape this year by taking a yoga class 3 times a week.") or with a trainer ("I will get in better shape this year by exercising at Bob's Gym 3 times a week.")
The New Year is a traditional and natural time to make changes - to improve yourself and your quality of life. Athletes know that this needs to be done more than just once a year. Give yourself the best chance to succeed in the changes you want to make by setting goals properly. The New Year's Resolution is a good place to start!
Interested in working with a sport psychology consultant on your goal setting plan? Contact us to set up an appointment!
About the Author: Brian Baxter received an M.A. in Sports Psychology. He teaches individuals how to identify and build awareness of their difficulties, their areas of improvement and their strengths and implements strategies to make the process second nature.MythBusters: Sport Psychology Edition - Part 2 of 3
Written by Brian BaxterMyth #2 – Sport Psychology is for people who are weak or struggling
Here is a quick story about former North Carolina Tarheel basketball player Rashad McCants from Nov 2004:
SI: When you were a freshman, Doherty asked you to meet "a friend" who turned out to be a sports psychologist.
McCants: That was the most embarrassing moment of my life. It was an insult to me. Because I felt like I was too smart for someone to pick at my brain and say, "Well, you must have a problem." 'Cause I felt at the time that I wasn't the problem. The problem was beyond anybody's control, because it was with every player on the team. I just had it worse than everybody. I remember he said, "This is Dr. [Richard] Coop [a member of the UNC faculty]. He's a psychologist." I looked at him and said, "You didn't just send me to a psychologist and act like it was all right." I saw him twice simply because Coach asked me, and I'm loyal to my coaches. If he asks me to do something, I'll do it.
SI: But your favorite class right now is a psychology class, so you must respect the study of it, right?
McCants: It was just, how could he think or even dream of me needing a psychologist? You could ask anybody -- any Carolina fan -- my freshman year if I needed psychological help, those who read the papers would say yes. Those who watched the games live, who know me, will say get outta my face.
SI: But you don't dismiss the idea of therapy being helpful to some people, do you?
McCants: Not at all. It was very relaxing to talk to him. Because I got to open up and tell him how I felt and get some things off my chest I couldn't tell anyone else. But just the thought of [Doherty] thinking I needed it was something else.”
This is a pretty typical attitude toward sport psychology – insecure and a little misguided. While acknowledging that he was able to get things off his chest and talk to someone who was not his coach, McCants still could not stop talking about how offended he was that the coach thought he “needed help.”
In most sports, athletes are taught to be warriors, to be self-reliant, and to work through adversity. This is one of the things that make people who participate in athletics stronger in all areas of life. However, when you have resources, why not use them? If you are struggling with foul shooting, why not have a coach help with technique? You could work harder on your own using the same bad technique, but that would not help! So if you want to be able to focus very well, why not consult with someone who can provide you the tools necessary to improve.
An example of this, who is in stark contrast to McCants, is Portland Trailblazer All Star Brandon Roy. He told Sports Illustrated in 2010 about his work with a sport psychology consultant in the off-season:
“I kept asking myself, ‘What is the difference between those teams that made the conference finals and ours?’ It’s not talent. We had plenty of talent. It comes down to leadership. They had better leaders. But I was the kind of guy who is always thinking, ‘What more can I do to help my team?’”
So this summer, Roy requested that the team arrange a meeting for him this summer with a sport psychologist.
Roy, a Rookie of the Year and 3-time NBA All-Star is not someone I would consider “weak” or “struggling.” Would you?
About the Author: Brian Baxter received an M.A. in Sports Psychology. He teaches individuals how to identify and build awareness of their difficulties, their areas of improvement and their strengths and implements strategies to make the process second nature.
Getting extra sleep improves the athletic performance of collegiate football players
Written by AdministratorSleep duration may be an important consideration for an athlete's daily training regimen.