How to be Mentally Prepared on the Bench One of the most challenging situations for athletes is knowing you're good enough to start, be on a relay team, get more playing time, or make a travel squad yet you are not given an opportunity by the coach. Not getting a chance to contribute to a team can erode confidence. And confidence is the very thing you need when it's time to show others you … [Read more...] about Are You Good Enough to Start on Your Team, but Don’t?
Sports Psychology Articles
Coping with Pregame Anxiety
How to Stay Relaxed before a Competition “I feel like I’m going to be sick to my stomach.” Have you ever had this feeling prior to a competition? Have you ever been so anxious that you feel physically sick in the locker room before a game or competition? For some athletes, this feeling repeats itself as they carry it into each competition. This anxiety can hurt your performance because … [Read more...] about Coping with Pregame Anxiety
5 Mental Toughness Skills in Basketball
Do you struggle in the game with Mental Toughness? In “Sports Psychology Sessions with Doc,” Dr. Patrick Cohn answers sports psychology questions from athletes, parents and coaches. Visit Sports Psychology for Athletes at Peaksports.com and click on contact us to submit your mental game questions for Dr. Cohn to answer in his mental game videocast or podcast. 5 Mental Toughness Skills … [Read more...] about 5 Mental Toughness Skills in Basketball
How to Stay Motivated in Training Sessions
Challenges Help you Reach Goals It can be difficult to stay motivated and train at a high level throughout the competitive season. Practices can be monotonous. Depending on the sport, training sessions can be long and grueling. Seasons are lengthy. There are ups and downs all through the year. Injuries and discomfort can pile up during the year. A lot of time and energy are expended … [Read more...] about How to Stay Motivated in Training Sessions
BIG Competitions Mindset for Athletes
How to Approach an Important Competition Do you wish you could play BIG in BIG moments? All athletes want to come up BIG in BIG moments such as: The gymnast who hopes to nail her routine in a championship meet.The golfer who dreams of sinking a birdie putt to win a golf tournament.The basketball player who wants to sink the final shot to win a playoff game.The baseball reliever who dreams … [Read more...] about BIG Competitions Mindset for Athletes
Figure Skating Improvement Plan to Avoid Frustration
How to Improve your Figure Skating Performance Significant improvement is the reason figure skaters practice every day for hours to reach higher levels. Making improvement requires that you remain focused and temper expectations… Having high expectations that you should master new skills in a short amount of time will lead to disappointment. Motor learning is not that easy. Making … [Read more...] about Figure Skating Improvement Plan to Avoid Frustration
Coping with Pressure By Managing Expectations
How Athletes Can Manage Expectations Pressure is a normal part of sports for athletes. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find athletes not make some type of reference about pressure they felt. As you become more competitive, pressure seems to increase and, for many athletes, that can be an overwhelming aspect of the athletic experience. Athletes respond to pressure in different ways. … [Read more...] about Coping with Pressure By Managing Expectations
How to Stay Confident Despite Obstacles
Why Stable Confidence is So Important Confidence is important for athletes… But confidence in the face of adversity is hallmark of champions. When having success, high confidence is much easier but, when obstacles appear, keeping your confidence high becomes more difficult. For example, the baseball pitcher who was awarded the MVP for two consecutive years but gives up game-winner home … [Read more...] about How to Stay Confident Despite Obstacles
Why Top-Seeded Teams Lose
How to have a Champion Mindset for every Competition There are no guarantees in sports. Being the top-seed does not guarantee victory… Being ranked higher than your opponent doesn’t guarantee winning… Having a faster seed time entering a competition doesn’t mean you are assured winning a title… Being the defending champion does not guarantee a repeat. Yet so many top-seeds suffer … [Read more...] about Why Top-Seeded Teams Lose
How to Turn Losses into Lessons
Growing Pains in Sports “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” This phrase was the introduction to a sports show called "The Wide World of Sports" to describe the human drama of athletic competition. Athletes seek a sense of joy and accomplishment when they succeed in sports. Likewise, you sometimes have pain when you fall short. That pain can be disappointment from working … [Read more...] about How to Turn Losses into Lessons