A
MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF PEAK PERFORMANCE SPORTS
Issue 77..............................................................................July 3, 2007
Welcome to Sports Insights Magazine
Welcome to another issue Sports Insights Magazine! We are pleased to bring you practical, cutting-edge sports psychology and mental training tips to improve your sports mindset and performance. We thank you for being a subscriber of Sports Insights Magazine! If you enjoy our free newsletter, please forward it to your teammates and friends. Click here to subscribe to Sports Insights Magazine!
Want 2 Days of Jam-Packed Mental Training Strategies? Join Dr. Cohn and other top sports psychology experts for The 2007 Peaksports Mental Training Bootcamp. For Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Parents - July 28-29, 2007! The Peaksports Bootcamp will be a fun, interactive, live sports psychology boot camp held in Orlando, Florida. Register today and get 365 days of online mental training continuing education after the Bootcamp!
Get 365 Days of Mentally Training Online! Improve your confidence, focus, and composure rapidly! Get access to the world's most advanced online mental training program 365 days a year and learn innovative sports psychology strategies - designed for coaches, athletes, and sports parents. Coaches can preview our new programs for teams! Space is limited - reserve your spot today!
The Confident Athlete Series! Want to improve your confidence, focus, and composure for sports all in one place? Get all four of Dr. Cohn's new 14-Day Workbook Programs and save $50. Show me The Confident Athlete Series. NEW! The Fearless Athlete: A 14-Day Plan for Unbeatable Trust! Read more about how to improve trust and banish fear of failure...
Looking for a Sports Psychology Internship? Dr. Cohn is accepting resumes for an internship at Peak Performance Sports. Learn Dr. Cohn's system for success with his students. The opening begins August 1, 2007. Must be willing to commit for one year. Contact Dr. Cohn for more details.
“The Focused Athlete program has helped me so much in addition to The Confident Athlete. This stuff works. I listen to the focus affirmations the night before my surfing competitions and at the beach. It helps me relax and focus on what I have to do to win each heat and adds to my confidence. Anyway, just thought you'd like to know you got another happy student.”
~Shaun Burrell
Helping Young Athletes Perform with Less Distractions
By Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.
We are witness today to more and more unsportsmanlike acts by over-concerned sports parents in youth sports. Coach-parent disputes about playing time and coaching methods are now being scrutinized in the media. And unfortunately sports parents are made to look like monsters. Last week Fox News asked me to comment on a very visible dispute between a coach and youth sports parent in Minnesota.
The dispute started between a coach and sports parent when the parent complained to the coach about his son’s playing time. The sports parent, Wade Campbell, asked his son’s coach why his son was not getting enough playing time, and the coach replied “your kid hurts us,” according to Campbell. To make a long story short, Campbell son’s coach ended up filling a police report stating that Campbell had driven to his house and threatened to shoot him. Campbell was arrested based on the coach filing a report.
Disagreements between coaches and concerned parents are playing out all over the country and this is nothing new. But they are gaining momentum with the media.
Although this was an extreme case of a sports parent gone mad, this situation highlights how the parent/coach relationship can get out of control. I believe that sports parent or coaches can avoid communication breakdowns and altercations at the start of the season – thus helping kids have a better sports experience and be able to perform with less distractions.
Years ago, my father could be considered an overzealous sports parent at games when I played high school football. He would always respect the coach, but he was sure to ride an official when he thought an official made a bad call during game. As a young athlete, you don’t know how to react to this type of behavior – if you should feel embarrassed, feel proud, or cheer a parent on.
At the very least, we can say that it becomes a massive distraction for athletes when they have to worry if a parent is going to behave well during the game or when a child feels embarrassed by a parent's behavior.
There are a few steps parents and coaches can take to improve communication and reduce miscommunication on the sidelines, thus helping young athletes have a better experience.
For parents, before signing your child up with a team it’s appropriate to do your research. Interview or observe the prospective coach in action. When you interview the coach, ask questions that are important to you. You might ask about his/her coaching philosophy, how he/she views playing time, practice guidelines, and how he/she motivates his or her athletes. It is a good idea to attend one or two practices to see the coach in action. This will also give you the opportunity to meet other parents and get their views on the coach.
____________________________________________
Want to Become a Mental Game Coach? Enroll in Our Unique
Mental Game Coaching Professional Certification Program!
Apply for the 2007 Fall 10-Week Certification Course!
____________________________________________If you are a youth coach, it’s a good idea to discuss with your players and their parents about what you expect from them and what they should expect from you in the coaching process. Lay down the law about playing time, practice, and game time behavior (this is a big one).
Be clear with where you stand with playing time, your coaching philosophy, and your motivational style of coaching. If you coach your own children on the team, explain how you will treat them in relation to the other kids, as parents are often concerned about coaches who play favorites. You should also listen carefully to the demands of parents and decide whether their child will be a good fit for the team or not.
For young athletes, it's important you talk with your parents and coaches about all these issues. Discuss with your parents how you feel about their behavior at games and what your biggest distractions are. Young kids should discuss their motivation for participating in sports too so parents understand their motives. Do you play for fun, to make friends, enjoy competition, to get a trophy, or some other reason?
I work with many young athletes that try to please a coach, parent, or teammate. They worry about letting others down and this becomes an expectation or pressure. From a performance perspective, athletes and parents should follow these guidelines to improve the sports experience and help kids have more fun:
1. The main goal is to feel confident about the game or competition. If you discuss the game, remember to be positive about past experiences and successes. Don’t dwell on past mistakes or losses. Stay away from the subject of avoiding mistakes from previous games.
2. Keep your emotions in check. As a parent, be a good role model for composure. As an athlete, you want to stay composed and calm as well. If parents show that they are jittery, nervous or worried about the game or competition, a child or teen will likely be affected by these feelings.
3. Don’t over-analyze before the game, focus too much on technique, or analyze past performances. Less is better before a game. Keep comments brief, supportive and positive. I want my students to have a clear mind prior to the game and not be over-burdened by instructions before competing.
4. Leave the coaching to the coach during games. Parents should show their support for the coach’s decisions. Don’t talk about how you’d like the coach to manage the team or how you disagree with some of his decisions before a game. This will undermine your athletes’ confidence and trust. They need to enter the game trusting their coaches. If you disagree with a coach’s decision, you should approach the coach at the right time and place -- after the game or over the phone when cooler heads prevail.
Want to help your child perform better and improve sports communication with athletes? Visit our new CD/Workbook program, The Ultimate Sports Parent.
"Great Performers Are Mentally Tough"
What makes an athlete or a team great? Is greatness born out of talent? Is it motivation or desire? Is it great coaching and teamwork? Or is it superior mental toughness? I always say that you are only as good as your weakest link in sports. If you don't have championship mental toughness, then your talent is not fully realized.
"I do think when you get to the elite professional level, athletically, I think more times than not, what separates the really great performers are the ones that are mentally tough and see things maybe a little bit quicker than their competitors."
~ Troy Aikman, NFLThe top athletes in the world fully recognize the importance of mental toughness. Mental toughness is often what seperates good from great performers.
Get Psyched for Sports - Podcast of the Month!
In this week's golf psychology podcast, Dr. Cohn answers a question about fear of success in golf and how that differs from fear of failure. Fear of failure is very common in sports psychology and mental training. Fear of success is very rare in sports psychology. It does exist, but only with the most successful athletes who don't want the burden of higher expectations...
"Selfishness to Compete Makes Your Stronger!"
“The next step is to get in among the world's top five players and give them a run for their money. And you do that by not being intimidated by any other player. You do that by focusing on your own game, by engrossing yourself in the golf course, by sticking to your own strategy - that is what I have learned. I think it is having that selfishness to compete that makes you stronger against the top players because that is what they have.”
~Justin Rose, PGA Tour
"How Do I Stop Second-Guessing My Game? "
Baseball Parent:
My son is a very good baseball player with a lot of potential. However, he is continually beating himself over any strikeout, error, etc. We encourage him and tell him to forget about it and think ahead to the next game. However, he lets everything bother him and it affects his playing. He is naturally gifted, but if he doesn't get a good hit every time up to bat or makes an error it affects everything about the game. He's perfect in practice but it's almost like he PANICS during games. He absolutely LOVES baseball and losing his spot would destroy him. How can we help him gain confidence and help him get back in the game mentally?
The Fearless Athlete: A 14-Day Plan for Unbeatable Trust NEW!
The Fearless Athlete: A 14-Day Plan for Unbeatable Trust is the latest Workbook/CD program in the Confident Athlete Series. This program is a ground-breaking program to help you overcome the mental handcuffs of perfectionism, fear of failure, and learn unbeatable trust. Dr. Cohn delivers his new program in a step-by-step practical workbook you use for just 15 minutes a day! Dr. Cohn gives you all his TRUST-BOOSTING STRATEGIES in this 14-day step-by-step easy-to-apply mental training program! Become a member and receive 30% off retail.
Read more about The Fearless Athlete - On Sale Until July 15!
Peaksports Members please login in by using this page to access the special member link.
Not a peaksports member yet? Go demo our New Online Mental Training Site at Peaksports!
| |
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.
|
||||
NEW! The
Confident Athlete Series by Peak Performance Sports brings
you the latest cutting-edge mental training strategies
in a practical step-by-step 14-day achievement plan. Each
program consists of 2 Audio CDs and an easy to
follow workbook to help you apply the mental strategies.
Perfect for any competitive athlete or team coach! |
|
|
|
teamwork
:: confidence :: focus :: composure |
||
©
2007 Peak Performance Sports, LLC 7380 Sand Lake Rd. PMB 5012,
Orlando, Florida 32819 (www.peaksports.com) You
are receiving this email because you have requested Sports
Insights Magazine newsletter at Peaksports.com. |
||