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Monday, 14 May 2012 19:23
What is your off-season game plan? by Elliott Waksman
“I ALWAYS GO INTO THE SUMMER WITH A GAME PLAN” – Kobe Bryant
WHAT’S UP WITH KOBE’S OFF SEASON?
WHAT’S UP WITH KOBE’S OFF SEASON?
> weight training & conditioning
> between 700 to 1,000 made shots a day
> season evaluation with the coaching staff
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT?
= Incorporating yoga into your off season training?
> Yoga works to strengthen the body as a unit.
> Yoga can balance the work of your training. Rather than goal-
oriented sports, yoga instead emphasizes the process and being
present in the moment.
>Read how 41 year old US goalkeeper Brad Friedel credits yoga with his longevity.
= Working with a Sport Performance Consultant?
> Start your season in an attack, confident mode
> Learn how to incorporate mental skills
> Top athletes work with Sport Psychology Consultants to find an extra
competitive edge, why not you?
Whether it's relaxing, reading, practice, or cross-training, make sure there that you have a gameplan. Need some assistance with your mental gameplan? Contact us at 1-866-300-1515 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Or click here to buy The Sports Mindset Gameplan: An athlete's guide to building and maintaining confidence
Published in
Mental Game Training
Friday, 11 May 2012 12:40
SPINw teams up with BaxterSports Summer Camps
SPINw will be providing mental game training for these great summer camps for kids aged 5-13. In addition to sport psychology, the camps will also feature a sports nutritionist. They are sure to be tons of fun! Go to www.baxtersports.com for more information.
Published in
Mental Game Training
Tagged under
Friday, 11 May 2012 12:17
The Sports Mindset Gameplan
Brian Baxter’s new book “The Sports Mindset GamePlan” available now!
SPINw Director Brian Baxter has just finished his new sport psychology workbook, The Sports Mindset Gameplan - an athlete’s guide to building and maintaining confidence.
The workbook is designed for athletes to personalize the experience as they learn about sport psychology techniques and the mental game. Each chapter contains specific mental skills and asks athletes to assess their own strengths and weaknesses in that area, and gives ideas on how to incorporate them. Each chapter ends with real life case study of an athlete who had success implementing that skill into their game.
Coaches, teachers, athletic directors - if you are interested in getting this workbook for your players, students, or coaches, contact SPINw about group discounts of up to 60%. 1-866-300-1515 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
SPINw Director Brian Baxter has just finished his new sport psychology workbook, The Sports Mindset Gameplan - an athlete’s guide to building and maintaining confidence.
The workbook is designed for athletes to personalize the experience as they learn about sport psychology techniques and the mental game. Each chapter contains specific mental skills and asks athletes to assess their own strengths and weaknesses in that area, and gives ideas on how to incorporate them. Each chapter ends with real life case study of an athlete who had success implementing that skill into their game.
Coaches, teachers, athletic directors - if you are interested in getting this workbook for your players, students, or coaches, contact SPINw about group discounts of up to 60%. 1-866-300-1515 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Published in
Mental Game Training
Friday, 23 March 2012 08:47
Sport Psychology mentioned on the BS Report this month
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/archive?id=2864045
ESPN’s The Sports Guy Bill Simmons puts out a couple podcasts a week. Sport Psychology and the mental game was mentioned by NBA and NFL bigwigs last week. Here are some excerpts from those interviews:
Mark Cuban interview - 3/5/12
Sports Guy: With statistics, do you feel like we’ve maxed out? What is the next thing you are interested in? Because it feels like you’re getting all the data you need for the stuff that’s helping you win, but what’s the next frontier for you?
Cuban: I think the next frontier is influencing the numbers, as opposed to just creating them, you know. We’ll get into biomechanics, and real time sourcing of players’ information, and saliva testing in-game, and all that kind of stuff. I think the psychological side is probably the area we’re focusing on the most and have been for the past 3 years. The psychology and culture and integrating coaching and players and the definition of what an NBA player is. When you come to the Mavs for the first time, as a rookie in particular, we set a program for you that, this is what we expect from you as a Dallas Maverick, and as an NBA professional. We’ll have somebody sit down and outline your goals, outline your workout program, outline your off-the-court, you know, what’s expected of you, and we work with you to stick with that program. And if you can’t stick to it, you’re gone.
Eric Mangini interview - 3/6/2012
Sports Guy: Analytics are undervalued in NFL, behind other sports in that department.
Mangini: We did a bunch of stuff in New York on performance enhancement, which is mental training based on the model they set up at West Point, and we were the only team other than AC Milan to have a Performance Enhancement Center. And all the time, we talk to our athletes about “move on to the next play,” “make sure you envision this,” “be in a zone,” all those different things. We always talk about it, but nobody teaches it. Nobody teaches the athlete how to move on to the next play, nobody teaches the athlete how to get in a zone, and there’s a whole new field based on mental training...”
ESPN’s The Sports Guy Bill Simmons puts out a couple podcasts a week. Sport Psychology and the mental game was mentioned by NBA and NFL bigwigs last week. Here are some excerpts from those interviews:
Mark Cuban interview - 3/5/12
Sports Guy: With statistics, do you feel like we’ve maxed out? What is the next thing you are interested in? Because it feels like you’re getting all the data you need for the stuff that’s helping you win, but what’s the next frontier for you?
Cuban: I think the next frontier is influencing the numbers, as opposed to just creating them, you know. We’ll get into biomechanics, and real time sourcing of players’ information, and saliva testing in-game, and all that kind of stuff. I think the psychological side is probably the area we’re focusing on the most and have been for the past 3 years. The psychology and culture and integrating coaching and players and the definition of what an NBA player is. When you come to the Mavs for the first time, as a rookie in particular, we set a program for you that, this is what we expect from you as a Dallas Maverick, and as an NBA professional. We’ll have somebody sit down and outline your goals, outline your workout program, outline your off-the-court, you know, what’s expected of you, and we work with you to stick with that program. And if you can’t stick to it, you’re gone.
Eric Mangini interview - 3/6/2012
Sports Guy: Analytics are undervalued in NFL, behind other sports in that department.
Mangini: We did a bunch of stuff in New York on performance enhancement, which is mental training based on the model they set up at West Point, and we were the only team other than AC Milan to have a Performance Enhancement Center. And all the time, we talk to our athletes about “move on to the next play,” “make sure you envision this,” “be in a zone,” all those different things. We always talk about it, but nobody teaches it. Nobody teaches the athlete how to move on to the next play, nobody teaches the athlete how to get in a zone, and there’s a whole new field based on mental training...”
Published in
General
Tuesday, 21 February 2012 11:24
The Wide World of Sport Psychology
Brian Baxter, Elliott Waksman, Jimmy Yoo and Michael Wilson
Sport Psychology has been steadily gaining recognition over the past decade. And while the sports world generally knows of sport psychology, the majority still don’t know what it is we do. In this issue of the SPINw e-newletter, we’ll give you some highlights of who we work with, what we do, and more from the wide world of sport psychology. Enjoy!
What sports have you worked with at SPINw?
Soccer, Football, Baseball, Softball, Basketball, Hockey, Volleyball, Lacrosse, Golf, Tennis, Track, Wrestling, Cross Country, Marathon, Swimming, Cyclo-cross, Skiing, Snowboarding, Horseback Riding, Mixed Martial Arts, Motocross, Competitive Cheer, Dog Agility, Competitive Poker, Triathalon
What level of competition are your athletes and teams?
Professional, Collegiate, Competitive Club Sport, High School, Recreational, Olympic hopeful
What is the population of your athletes?
Age Range - 10 - 55
Average Age - 17
Male or Female - 50/50 split
What are the most common reasons for coming to see a sport psychology consultant?
-Dealing with anxiety or pressure to perform
-Loss of confidence
-Not enjoying playing
-Trouble controlling emotions
-Better in practice than competition
-Want to get to the next level-Recovering from injury
-Team building
Published in
General
Tuesday, 21 February 2012 11:22
SPINw Workshop with Skating Club of Oregon
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.
Published in
Mental Game Training
Tuesday, 21 February 2012 11:04
Book Review: The Boys from Little Mexico
In the mold of Friday Night Lights, Steve Wilson’s The Boys from Little Mexico is one of those sports books that I finished in a couple days. It follows the all-latino Woodburn High School (just down I-5 from SPINw) soccer team through their 2005 season. The book goes back and forth between describing the season, the players and coaches, the history of the town to give a full picture of the school, the team, and it’s community of players, coaches, and role models.
The sport psychology and the mental side of the game is a theme of this book. The coaches consistently talk about the fact that the players’ belief in themselves does not match their high level of skill. You can see it in the players’ comments and thoughts, too. Will they find the confidence and that extra edge they need to finally win it all? Check out the book to find out!
Check out The Boys from Little Mexico in the SPINw webstore.
The sport psychology and the mental side of the game is a theme of this book. The coaches consistently talk about the fact that the players’ belief in themselves does not match their high level of skill. You can see it in the players’ comments and thoughts, too. Will they find the confidence and that extra edge they need to finally win it all? Check out the book to find out!
Check out The Boys from Little Mexico in the SPINw webstore.
Published in
Confidence
Monday, 19 December 2011 16:23
Brian Baxter spoken about on Talk Timbers with John Strong
Listen to John Strong's interview with Portland Timbers Academy director Mike Smith on Talk Timbers, where they talk about Brian Baxter's work with the program.
Talk Timbers with John Strong, Dec. 13, 2011 by user5789689
Talk Timbers with John Strong, Dec. 13, 2011 by user5789689
Published in
Preparation
Saturday, 17 September 2011 11:18
SPINw Welcomes Elliott Waksman
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.
Published in
Mental Game Training
Friday, 12 November 2010 13:27
Brian Baxter on 95.5 The Game
Sport Psychology Institute Northwest consultant Brian Baxter appeared on the John Lund Show on 95.5 The Game today, discussing the mental state of Greg Oden and Brandon Roy, and the psychological impact of home field advantage for the California Golden Bears.
Take a listen below.
Take a listen below.
Published in
General
New - Warrior Golf E-book
SPINw founder Mark Henry has written an e-book for golfers!
Order yours by clicking the link above.