Quick Coaching Tips for Motivating Athletes
Motivation can be a tricky concept to master, as any sport psychologist will tell you there’s no “one size fits all” when it comes to getting your team motivated for success. Psychologists have...
View ArticleAthletes Stop Pouting! Make a BETTER Choice After Failure
How many times have you attended a game and watched an athlete pout and throw a tantrum after making an on-field error or mistake? These lapses in mental toughness happen at all levels, from the pros...
View ArticleBest Advice for Young Athletes? Don’t Believe the Hype
About 20 years ago I recall being in Major League Baseball spring training in Florida and noticing a number of players with the acronym “DBTH” scribbled on their hats, gloves, and bats. Not knowing...
View ArticleWithout Passion, Can an Athlete Reach His FULL Athletic Potential?
This week oft-injured NBA star Andrew Bynum spoke candidly about his battles with injuries, and how he is struggling mentally to get the fire back to play at a top level again. Bynum missed all of...
View ArticleDo Athletes Need to Develop a “Tough Personality” to Play their Best?
Psychologists have studied personality development for over a century, and have developed countless adjectives to describe personality types and traits (“Type A,” laid back, etc.), as well as...
View ArticleWant to be a “Clutch” Athlete? Work on these Skills
Derek Jeter, Kobe Bryant, and Tom Brady are all great athletes in the clutch, and while you may not ever achieve the same level of success they have over their careers, there are some things you can...
View ArticleLOSE a Star Player & Get BETTER? Check this Out…
An interesting discussion took place in my Sport Psychology course last week when a student presented The Ewing Theory to the class, a theory developed by ESPN personality Bill Simmons that tries to...
View ArticleRGIII Injury Comeback Proves to be his Downfall in the “Business” of Sports
“It’s just business.” You often hear that comment when talking professional sports, especially when tough decisions are made. This week the Washington Redskins benched Robert Griffin III for the rest...
View ArticleRecent Fast Injury Recoveries May Be Misleading for Young Athletes
This week Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will return to action after breaking his collarbone in early November. LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant came back much sooner than anyone expected when he...
View ArticleSaints-Seahawks End of Game Shows Importance of Mental Toughness
Mental toughness is a sport psychology construct often difficult to define, even if millions of coaches, players, and even fans use the term regularly in conversation. Mental toughness actually...
View ArticleShould Athlete Focus Change for Big Games – Including the Super Bowl?
As the NFL season marches on toward Super Bowl XLVIII with the league championship games this weekend, a lot of talk about “preparing for the big game” is happening all over the sports media airways....
View ArticleThe Magic of Self-Talk & Sport Success
Athletes are always looking to gain an edge in mental toughness and on-field success, but did you know one of the easiest ways to do this is to simply improve upon self-talk? Yes, the dialogue we...
View ArticleTampa Bay New Uniforms – a Sign of Things to Come for the NFL?
Sports uniforms can provide for interesting fan discussion and debates. This week the Tampa Bay Buccaneers debuted their new 2014 duds, which at first glance look very different than the uniforms we...
View ArticleWant Success? Be the First to Practice and the Last to Leave…
A common question I receive is what are the variables commonly associated with athletic success? My immediate response is quite simple, yet very important — successful athletes typically want it more...
View ArticleGive it a Day Before Coaching Your Child
Picture this scenario — you just watched your child struggle in the game this evening, several times making mental mistakes that lead to on-field errors and missed opportunities. As you are watching...
View ArticleSuccessful Athletes Strive for Excellence, Not Perfectionism
We often hear people describe themselves as being “perfectionists” as if it’s a good thing — something everyone should strive to be if they want to be successful. Often kids pick up on this moniker...
View ArticleAddressing Myths About Sport Psychology Mental Toughness Training
Admittedly, “mental toughness” training is often a tougher sell on athletes and coaches than physical training, largely because: A) mental toughness, or lack thereof, often (erroneously) implies a...
View ArticleAre Great Athletes Born or Made?
Are elite athletes born or made? That’s the question CBS Sunday morning tackled yesterday, providing viewers with a glimpse of the variables that impact sport success. This is a question I have also...
View ArticleHelping Kids Overcome Sports Fear & Anxiety
Many kids experience anxiety playing sports as there are countless unknowns to contend with that chip away at mental toughness, including coaching decisions, playing with new teammates, and even...
View ArticleInvisible Gorillas, Focus Errors, and How All of this Dramatically Impacts...
The invisible gorilla psychology research study is one of the most fascinating (and fun) ways to look at human attention, and specifically how we “see” what we want to see (or look for). Psychology...
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