Reasons ‘WHY” Sports Psychology

March 19, 2010 By

Call me short sighted, but it never occurred to me that Sports Psychology could be useful in equestrian events, but Seana Adamson, Ph.D., and Gold Medalist in the US Dressage Federation has created a list for her riders, and it’s a good list for any athlete or performer. All credit to her. You can check out the rest of her info here.

Here’s her list.

1. Performance Anxiety: Do you ever feel so nervous that it interferes with your ability to concentrate? This is called performance anxiety, and it is a very common occurrence in athletes of all sports. There are many Sport Psychology techniques that can help resolve this uncomfortable feeling.

2. Concentration and Memorization: The slightest lapse in focus and concentration can easily lead to points lost in competition. When we forget to prepare our horse for each movement, the quality of each movement suffers. Even if there is no obvious mistake, this lack of preparation can cause the loss of single points throughout the test.

3. Body Awareness and Relaxation: Do you leave your best performance at home? Does your body feel a stranger the moment you enter the competition arena? Sport Psychology can teach you to perform well whether you are calm or nervous.

4. Imagery and Visualization: These powerful mental techniques can enhance any training program, and allow you to continue your practice off the horse.

5. Self Talk and Affirmations: Our internal dialogue, they way we talk to ourselves, can have a big impact on our self confidence. Sport Psychology can teach you to become more aware of your inner voice, and how that inner voice can impact your dressage performance.

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Lindsey Vonn Visualizing her Gold Medal run

February 20, 2010 By

MAN, NBC and the Olympic committee make it tough (as you would expect for all the money that changes hands over the broadcast/internet rights) to get video!

I’ve been looking for video of Lindsey Vonn’s pre-run mental rehearsal. Did you see it?? For me, who’s been using, and talking to athletes about visualization (and having many of them say it’s all voodoo…hocus-pocus) it was a huge validation!! I can’t seem to find even one link to that video. (If you find it…and it’s legal…please comment, and link!)

There were some great learns from Lindsey’s pre-game ritual for athletes of all levels. They’re oversimplified here, but I’m sure that her sports psychologist has her working on this visualization to:

-Remain calm, and focused (even when a billion people are about to watch her)

-Stick to, and execute the routine. No matter what the stage, or circumstance

-In her DAILY practice…practice seeing herself do it RIGHT every day, so that the vision is clear, and vivid.

-Do the mental reps in the equipment, and environment that she’s going to use in competition.

-Move physically just as you would as your mind moves you down the course. Lock in those mental pictures with physical feelings.

-Keep your mind in the now, and focus on the things that are in your control.

That last one really stuck with me from the moment. Here’s a wildly talented athlete, at the Olympics, one of the last skiers on the course, with her teammate already charging down the hill to (then) first place, and a TV camera in her face….and she’s STILL sticking to her mental training plan. Champion stuff.

There’s a list of elite sports psychologists to the right that can help you learn, practice, and perfect these skills. Holler at one of them, and maybe in a few years, we’ll be watching you on TV.

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