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Welcome to Sports Insights Magazine! Learn practical, cutting-edge sports psychology and mental training tips to improve mental toughness in sports.

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NEW! Instill Confidence in Your Baseball and Softball Players! Learn how to help your team play with full confidence and help them stay confident after mistakes! Learn more about Instilling Confidence in Baseball and Softball Players>>

Mental Preparation for Equestrians program! Learn how to cope with pre-competition jitters and perform your best in the ring! Learn more about Mental Preparation for Equestrians>>

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Free Mental Toughness Reports!

• Golfers and Instructors: Improve Preshot Routines.
• Baseball and Softball Players and Coaches: Improve At-Bat Routines!
• Tennis Players and Coaches: Improve Between Point Mental Toughness!
• Hockey Players and Coaches: Improve your Pregame Mindset!
• Equestrians and trainers: Improve Rider's Preshow Mindset!
• Parents and Youth Coaches: Boost Kids' Confidence and Success!

Locker Room Talk

"They credit their mental game edge for the win"

"Chris beats Andrew in a two hole playoff for the win! They both credit their mental game edge for the 1-2 win. Thanks for all the help."

~Joel Minton, Sports Parent

Boost your golf confidence now>>

Feature Mental Game Article

Aaron Rogers Mental Preparation: Expect the Unexpected
By Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.

Many top quarterbacks are praised for their physical talent and abilities. In college and the pro level, most athletes possess a lot of physical skills and talent. But physical talent alone does not guarantee success in football or in any sport. A strong mental game combined with physical talent and high motivation helps athletes succeed in sports.

What makes a big-time quarterback is his ability to excel at the mental part of the game. A quarterback has to have the ability to anticipate and respond quickly to opposing defenses. He must also have the composure to stand in the pocket when it's being invaded by 300 pound defensive linemen.

During the 2011 NFC championship game, Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman said Aaron Rogers has the full package. He thinks Rogers has the mental toughness to compliment his physical talent. Rodgers proved this was the case on Championship Sunday leading his team to the Super Bowl with a 21-14 win over the Chicago Bears.

“It's an incredible feeling,” said Rodgers, “We’ve gone on the road and won three tough games against three tough opponents... road warriors.”

When asked how Rogers prepares for the biggest game of his life, he responded, “I think the key is to be able to focus on your preparation.  You can't let the other distractions and the magnitude of the game take you away from what you need to do next. You need to show up prepared to play, expect the unexpected, and know exactly what you are going to do,” said Rodgers.

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Great advice and a tip encourage my students to adhere to. You want to stay committed to your preparation and not get lost in the hoopla before the game. It's easy to get sidetracked when you have a full two weeks between games. And media week before the big game can take potential distractions to a new level.

"Expect the unexpected" is another mental strategy I talk about in sports psychology.  You want to prepare yourself mentally for anything that can happen during competition--so you don't lose your composure.  The idea is that you want to anticipate what might "rattles your cage" and have a strategy for coping with setbacks. When you are mentally prepared and have a backup plan, it's easier to cope when you throw an interception, for example.

One method you can use to mentally prepare for competition and expect the unexpected is by using mental imagery. Mental imagery is the ability to create clear, detailed and accurate images in your mind of plays you want to rehearse. In football, for example,  quarterbacks use visual triggers to help them recognize which defensive play to anticipate. A quarterback can mentally rehearse his response to various defenses he might see and practice calling an audible if necessary.

How do you anticipate setbacks and is this just negative thinking?

Some people might think that anticipating setbacks is not a very positive way to mentally prepare for competition. But I would argue that nothing ever goes according to the plan and you have to make adjustments in your game plan and be able to roll with the punches. Sports is not always about playing in the zone, according to Dr. Ken Ravizza, professor at CSUF. Dr, Ravizza says you have to learn to make adjustments on the fly because athletes rarely perform in the zone.

Step one is to anticipate setbacks, distractions, or emotional triggers for you personally. You start by thinking about the ones that have caused challenges in the past.

When anticipating setbacks or challenges, you can ponder the following questions:

1. What are five typical situations in which you become distracted?
2. When are you most likely to become upset and frustrated during a competition? List five and the belief associated with each frustrating situation.
3. When do you become most anxious or stressed during competition?
4. What would cause you to get distracted if something were not to go as planned prior to a game, during warm-up, or during the performance?
5. What challenging events can you anticipate that may disrupt your game such as forgetting a piece of equipment you need?

The second step is to develop a coping reaction for each challenge and how you will cope with the specific challenge. This might be a simple refocusing strategy to help you move on, for example. This gives you the mental edge knowing you have prepared a positive reaction when distracted or if unexpected challenges rock you. Stuff happens in sports that is often out of your control. Take a tip from the pros... anticipate the unexpected and you'll be mentally ready for anything.

Want more composure-boosting tips? Visit The Composed Athlete CD and Workbook program.

Sports Specific Mental Training Tip

"I take one match at a time..."

One match at a time, one game at a time, and one point at a time. Performing your best is about focusing on the moment instead of the future...

"I take always one match at a time. I try not to look who I'm going to play, you know, in the later stages of the tournament, even though maybe as a top player I'm expected to."

~ Novak Djokovic, winner of 2011 Australian Open

Podcasts of the Month

The Tennis Psychology Podcast of the Month!
Dr. Patrick Cohn at Sports Psychology for Tennis, is a mental game of tennis expert and helps tournament players, tennis coaches and parents improve confidence, focus, and composure. In this week’s tennis psychology session, Dr. Cohn addresses pressure and how it can affect your performance. Pressure is a very common challenge for junior tennis players. When players are expected to win a match or beat a particular opponent that isn’t as good, they experience excess pressure that limits their performance.

• Show me the Tennis Psychology Podcast of the Month!
• Learn more about "Tennis Confidence" CD Program
• Watch the Tennis Confidence Video series!
• Tennis Players & Coaches: Improve your mental game between points with this free report!
• Subscribe to the Tennis Psychology Podcast at iTunes!

The Golf Psychology Podcast of the Month!
In this week’s golf psychology session, mental game of golf expert and author of The Mental Game of Golf and The Mental Art of Putting, Dr. Patrick Cohn, gives the top mental game strategies to help athletes maintain confidence and motivation after experiencing a setback. Listen to this month’s sports psychology podcast to learn how to overcome setbacks and maintain high levels of motivation.

• Show me the Golf Psychology Podcast of the Month!
• Learn more about "The Golfer's Mental Edge" CD program
• Watch the Golf Confidence Video series!
• Golfers and Instructors: Download a golf psychology report to improve your preshot routine overnight
• Subscribe to the Golf Psychology Podcast at iTunes!

Pro Athlete Quote of the Month

"When you have confidence, you can accomplish anything..."

"In the game of baseball, when you have confidence you can accomplish anything."

~ Brian O’Connor, Retired MLB Pitcher

Ask Doc Cohn

"Is this a problem with staying optimistic?"

Tennis Player:

"I keep losing focus after the first few games (3-4 games into the first set). My ground strokes become more constricted. I forget my fundamentals. This restricts me from playing my style of tennis that is aggressive. Is it a problem with staying optimistic and positive? Or is it simply trying to stay focused? If it is the latter, then what it is should I be focusing on?"

Read Dr. Cohn's answer to this question now!

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Dr. Patrick J. Cohn
Master Mental Game Coach

Dr. Patrick J. Cohn is the President and founder of Peak Performance Sports of Orlando, Florida. He earned his Ph.D. in Education from the University of Virginia in 1991, and founded Peak Performance Sports in 1994. Dr. Cohn is an author, speaker and one of the nation's leading mental game experts. His coaching programs instill confidence, composure and effective mental strategies that enable athletes and teams to reach their performance goals. Dr. Cohn has helped athletes from a variety of sports backgrounds (both amateurs and professionals) identify and develop the mindset needed to achieve peak performance. World-class golfers, runners, shooters and auto racers, as well as motocross, tennis, baseball, softball, football and hockey players, are among those who have benefited from his mental game coaching and training.

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