Unlock Your Potential with
Sport Psychology
What is Sport Psychology & how can it help you?
Unlock Your Potential with Sport Psychology
Are you tired of feeling weighed down by pressure and anxiety every time you step onto the field? Do you dream of playing with confidence and consistency, making big plays without second-guessing yourself? It's time to harness the power of sport psychology.
Understanding Sport Psychology?
Sport psychology is the art of training your mind to perform at its peak, both on and off the field. It encompasses various techniques aimed at enhancing performance and overall well-being.
Improving performance:
Concentration. Block out the off the field distractions during a game and let go of small mistakes in the game.
Consistency. Do you feel like your performance fluctuates too much or that you know you can do so much better than the results you're currently getting?
Composure. Feel calm and confident when the pressure is on, in big moments. Manage the anxiety when you get called to take the game winning shot. Manage your emotions and keep your head in the game when the referee makes a bad call.
Confidence. Show up with 100% belief in yourself. Be willing to take risks and go for it instead of shying away from being the player you really want to be.
Goal setting: Set goals that you are passionate about, that are realistic, and that you are motivated to achieve.
Beyond the field:
Relationships and team dynamics. The relationships you have with teammates, coaches, friends, family members can all have an impact on your mental game. When you’re constantly worried about what your coach is thinking about you, you show up in a much different way.
Motivation. It’s important to find the things that motivate you to get after your goals and show up your best every day.
Life outside of sport. As an athlete you want to feel balanced and happy with everything you have in your life. It’s the key to enjoying your life and sport, and preventing burnout! It also has a huge impact on your performance.
Mental Strength: Develop resilience to overcome challenges in sport and life.
Overcoming Injury: Navigate mental setbacks during recovery and redefine your identity as an athlete.
Dispelling Sport Psychology Myths
While sport psychology has become more popular in recent years, there are still a lot of misconceptions about the field.
Myth #1: Seeking help from a mental performance coach doesn't mean you have a problem; it's about optimizing performance. Sport psychology skills are beneficial whether you are struggling with something specific or not. It allows you to reach your peak performance consistently. While most athletes do wait until they are struggling to seek help, learning these skills early will allow you to have these skills to overcome obstacles and mental setbacks that you will face both in sport and life.
Myth #2: Sport psychology is only for elite athletes. Sport psychology benefits athletes at all levels, not just elites. Sport psychology skills are life skills that apply to not only athletes at the elite level, but also athletes at the competitive and recreational levels. In addition to life outside of sport, such as school, work, relationships, etc. Sport psychology is about optimizing your mind for peak performance in all aspects of your life.
Myth #3: Sport psychologists/mental performance coaches have a magic wand. Some people think that by working with a sport psychologist/mental performance coach, they’ll be “fixed” after a couple sessions. That showing up to those sessions will “fix” whatever it is they are struggling with. The reality is that change is a process, and learning new skills (sport psychology skills) takes practice. You will learn, practice, and improve over time. But it does require that you are putting in the mental reps outside of sessions as well.
Myth #4: Sport psychology is about mental illness. Sport psychology isn't therapy; it's about skill-building and performance optimization. Sport psychology involves coaching an athlete to optimize their mind, whether through learning new skills, uncovering unhelpful thinking or discussing past and present mental obstacles. Working with a sport psychologist/mental performance coach is just like any other coach you work with in your sport. You learn new skills, practice them, and improve your performance.
Myth #5: You either have certain skills or you don’t. Some people say “you either have confidence or you don’t.” This thinking is so wrong. All mental skills are just that, skills. They can be learned and improved upon. Just as it is in your sport, you learn new skills and practice and over time you will get better. It is the same thing with mental skills, whether it is confidence, mental toughness or concentration.
What to expect from Sport Psychology Sessions
Our sessions focus on building a strong foundation for peak performance:
Goal setting will teach you how to set goals that you are excited about and that you can stay motivated to achieve. It will give you a plan on how to achieve your goal. As well as direction for what you are hoping to really gain from your sport psychology sessions.
Confidence skills will allow you to take a look at your self talk and determine what thoughts and beliefs are holding you back. It will allow you to get out of your head and be in control of the thoughts you have. You will believe in yourself and your abilities.
Concentration skills allow you to narrow down those distractions that take you out of the game, as well as the things that are out of your control. We’ll determine what is in your control so that your focus is always where it matters most during game time.
Composure skills will teach you how to manage emotions and regulate your body and mind in order to show up your best consistently. We’ll take a look at before the game, big moments, and times where you’d like to stay in control and create a plan for those moments.
Additional sessions address specific challenges, strengthen learned skills, and ensure holistic well-being for sustained improved athlete performance.