Sports Psychology is not just to help people when things go wrong. ~ Sarah Greene-Falk
“As much as we pump iron and we run to build our strength up, we need to build our mental strength up… so we can focus… so we can be in concert with one another.” ~ Phil Jackson
Sports and performance psych is incredibly important for your mental health and PsychEdge. The Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) defines applied sports and exercise psychology as extending theory and research into the field to educate coaches, athletes, parents, exercisers, fitness professionals, and athletic trainers about the psychological aspects of their sport or activity. A primary goal of professionals in applied sport and exercise psychology is to facilitate optimal involvement, performance, and enjoyment in sport and exercise.
Consider these questions:
Do you consistently perform better in practice than in games or competitions?
Do you feel your performance or game isn’t improving despite the hard work you put into it?
Is your confidence low or inconsistent?
Do you struggle to bounce back from a bad performance or a bad play?
Is it becoming harder for you to get or stay motivated?
Are you overly concerned about performing poorly or “choking”?
Are you enjoying your sport less than you used to?
Utilizing the benefits of a sports and performance psychology consultant often separates good athletes from great athletes because they choose to work on their mental training as well as their physical training. Taking advantage of sports and performance psychology means you care about improving your performance and you want to utilize every tool to be the best! People are born with a physical brain and body, but no guidebook on how to train the mental and physical to reach goals and aspirations. This is why we reach out to professionals for guidance and coaching, to learn skills and get support. Improving our mental game is crucial to maximizing potential. Take the advice of these legendary professional athletes:
“Mental health is as important as physical health” ~(Allison Schmitt, 8 time Olympic Medalist in Swimming)
In the 2016 World Series, Ben Zobrist of the Chicago Cubs went to bat in game 7 with a runner on second and the game tied in extra innings--one of the most pressure-filled moments in sports.
Zobrist said, “The key to staying locked in a spot like that is to actually lean in to the magnitude of the moment, not to run from it”.
We lean in when we have the confidence and skills to do so.
“The mental game consists of not only knowing your surroundings, situations, and plays given, but staying inside yourself and control what can be controlled”. ~Steven Ellis (former Chicago Cubs pitcher, holds all-time single season and career pitching records at Bradley University in Peoria, IL, author and coach
“The ideal attitude is to be physically loose and mentally tight”. ~Arthur Ashe (3 Grand Slam singles titles, the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open)
“Self-worth does not hinge on any swimming result”. ( ~Michael Phelps, 28 time Olympic Medalist in Swimming)
New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady, now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, has won 6 out of 9 Super Bowl appearances, 4 picks as Super Bowl MVP, and 14 Pro Bowl appearances. He started using mental coaching at the University of Michigan.
“But what I learned was to not focus on them because that stuff didn’t matter. I thought about what I could control and focused on myself. Sport psychology should be part of every college program—it should be considered the norm.” ~Claire Donahue (2 Gold Medals 2011 Pan American Games)
Sport and Performance Psychology can be about teaching athletes transferable skills such as mindsets and emotional regulation that they can use in not only sports, but also in work, and family life. It can also help athletes manage transitions and deal with communication, relationships, injury, and retirement. Athletes can be particularly vulnerable to mental health problems due to the intense pressure associated with competition. We’ve heard athletes say, “I don’t have any problems or issues, so why would I need sports psychology support?”
Sports Psychology moves athletes to the next level with confidence, resilience, and growth of character. Several student-athletes see a sports psychologist 1-2 times a week to not just talk about problems, but to do everything that they can to the very best they can be. Have you exhausted every resource? Why achieve your goals when you can exceed them?