mental imagery – Sport Psychology | Athletic Performance

Tag Archives: mental imagery

The doom-loop of poor communication in a team. [VIDEO]

PhD Sport Psych Jared Wood joins us today to talk about the importance of communication with teammates, and the mental benefits of talking in practice, competition, even in the weight room. Jared was a collegiate football player before earning his Phd, and has extensive experience with golfers, football players, and athletes of all stripes. He’s @woodjared on twitter, and he’s writing a book called ‘It’s Only Cold on One Sideline”.

9 Jan 2012

What if….I fail?? What if…I let my team down? Competitive Anxiety with Dr Haley Perlus. [VIDEO]

Competitive Ski racer, and bi-national Sport Psychology consultant Dr Haley Perlus joins the Athlete’s Audio Academy to discuss the idea of competitive anxiety….those nervous feelings that creep in at crunch time, or when you feel pressure. We’re focusing that conversation on skiing (since that’s Dr. Perlus’ background), but the ideas that we discuss will be relevant to any athlete. Haley is a doctor of sport and exercise psychology. She is an expert at empowering individuals to achieve peak performance. A former elite athlete,...

19 Dec 2011

Coaches, you just want your team to play better, right?? [VIDEO]

I’ll admit it. I hated school. I could never understand how any of it was going to apply to my real life. But I wanted to learn new stuff. So my teachers had to figure out a way to serve up the new stuff in a way that I could see how it was going to be applicable. I had to ‘eat my peas…without knowing I was eating my peas’ I’m sure that’s how a lot of athletic coaches feel...

2 Dec 2011

There is no such thing as MO (mentum)

Super-enthusiastic Brian Levenson, MA, Sport Psychology holds the theory that there is no such thing as momentum for great athletes. (Only for sportscasters, and armchair QB’s) Great athletes, by contrast are present in the moment, and focused on things that they can control. Brian has some tips for athletes to avoid the idea of momentum, and do the things that the pros do when they’re playing on this weeks edition of the Athlete’s Audio Academy. Brian Levenson is a mental...

7 Nov 2011

Not just golf…EVERY SPORT is not a game of perfect…Dr Patrick Cohn

If you search Sport Psychology on google, on YouTube, or just about anywhere, the first FEW entries that will come up in your search are the brainchildren of Dr. Patrick Cohn, our guest today on the Athlete’s Audio Academy. Dr Cohn has been among the world’s most visible and celebrated Sport Psychology professionals in the world for over 20 years, and we discuss the topic of perfectionism in sports. He blogs regularly, and hosts a website that’s a fantastic resource...

9 Oct 2011

Get FIRED UP mentally next time you play!! Unless that’s not what you need…

Can you picture the typical pre-game psych-up session? All the players yelling, dancing, and getting fired up with some loud, killer music? Or the coach giving a really passionate speech to the the troops all riled up… What if that was exactly the wrong way to get ready to play your best? Turns out that it’s just about the worst way to get prepared. There’s an optimal level of intensity for competition, and it varies by sport, position, and even individual....

18 Sep 2011

Different kinds of goals for different stages of sports performance

Our second visit with Sport Psychology pro Angus Mugford of the IMG Academies (Here’s the first). Angus works with a team of Mental Conditioning Coaches @IMGAcademies under the direction of Travis Moawad. Angus has got some ideas here on goal setting, to contrast two previous interviews with Josh Lifrak, and Rob Bell. We discuss outcome goals (the big ‘WHY’), process goals, and performance goals for sports. It turns out everyone’s right on their perspective! He is the Head of the IMG Academies...

18 Sep 2011

Utopia for Athletes | Angus Mugford of IMG Academies

I think of it as the ‘Walled City of Oz’. That magical place where nobody really knows what goes on inside, but we all suspect that it’s pretty amazing and magical. Even the people who are there call it a ‘Sports Utopia’. Meet Angus Mugford, PhD of the IMG Academies. He joins the Athlete’s Audio Academy to give us a peek inside the tent. The IMG Academy was started by Nick Bollettieri, and among the sports represented with physical skills...

11 Jul 2011

Sports Choking, explained by a psychology pro

Picture this situation as an athlete…and see if it’s ever happened to you: ‘Like two minutes ago, I was playing GREAT! Now I can barely hit the ball!! WHAT HAPPENED!!’ Framed through the Masters collapse, and US Open triumph of Rory McIlroy, PhD Sport Psychologist from the Minneapolis area Dr. Justin Anderson joins us today to talk some mental toughness, resiliency, and how the brain works (and changes) when faced with the ‘zone’ or faced with everything falling apart. (As...

6 Jul 2011

What can you learn about a riders’ mind from watching the Tour de France?

Ahh, July, when a cyclist’s thoughts turn to Northern France for the start of Le Tour. Shots of fields of sunflowers…Phil and Paul on TV at ungodly hours of the US morning ramping up the excitement for the finale. “Pedals turned in anger”…The Tour de France is upon us once again. Computer screens in offices all over North America are avoiding work with one TDF streaming package or another. All seems right with the world. That’s what’s in our minds...

2 Jul 2011