Athletes, what do you REALLY believe about yourself? [VIDEO]

January 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Adrienne Langelier | Belief Systems

Sport Psychologist Adrienne Langelier (@alangelier) out of The Woodlands TX joins us in our mental training expert interview series, hot on the heels of the @HoustonMarathon with some thoughts about self belief, and self talk for athletes.

Your own self-belief is the key to successful life-change, achievement, contentment, and happiness.  Adrienne and I open up a conversation about how to stack the deck in your favor by changing your beliefs.

She’s an elite runner herself, sponsored by Brooks and Powerbar, and her mental training chops will speak for themselves.  She’s also just started writing for WomenTalkSports.com where a bunch of our friends (@SportPsycher, @Ingridium, and @AnnGaff) are already changing the world for women’s sports.

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

December 2, 2011 By
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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 about incorporating mental skills training into their work with individuals and teams.   They’re interested in anything that will help their teams win, but are either not sure where to start, or don’t know how to incorporate the brain-work into their coaching.

Enter Larry Lauer, whose resume is as long as your arm:

  • Director of Coaching Education and Development – Institute for the Study of Youth Sports / Michigan State University
  • Mental Performance Consultant, USA Hockey National Team Development Program
  • An Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Certified Consultant and listed in the United States Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry, 2008-2012,
  • Larry was named one of the 100 Most Influential Sport Educators in America by the Institute for International Sport.
  • Author of an article that every parent should read on ‘Who’s coaching our Kids‘.

He’s kind of a big deal, and his passion is helping Coaches understand the mental skills.  If you coach kids of any age, and ability level, Larry is someone you should know.  You can connect with Sport Psychology Pro Larry Lauer here and here, and read his blogs on Tennis, and Hockey.

He’s here today on the Athlete’s Audio Academy to talk about some of the language that Sport Psychology professionals can use to help coaches understand the mental skills.

 

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Are you THAT parent?? Dr Robert Neff on Mental Training for Coaches, Athletes and Parents

September 25, 2011 By
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Live at the #AASP2011 Conference in Waikiki, the Athlete’s Audio Academy is one the scene, bringing you interviews and presentations from the greatest minds in Sport Psychology.

Dr Robert Neff, President of Mental Training, Inc. Is our guest today to talk about some of the groundbreaking work that he’s done in creating online mental training resources for coaches, parents, and athletes. You can learn more about the CAP Program mentioned in the interview at www.mtiCAP.com

Robert “Dr. Bob” earned his doctorate from the Sport Psychology program at Michigan State University. He has provided mental training services for athletes, performers, and business executives since 1990. His athlete clients include national junior and collegiate champions, professionals, world champions, and Olympic Gold Medalists. Dr. Bob is on the United States Olympic Committee sport psychology registry, is a Certified Mental Trainer® (CMT) and is also certified through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. Dr. Bob is a former college and professional athlete. Dr. Bob is based in the Dallas area and provides services globally via Skype.

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If you’re thinking negatively, you might as well punch yourself in the face.

August 15, 2011 By
Dr. Taryn Morgan | IMG Academies

Dr Taryn Morgan, PhD, of IMG Academies (and the business manager of two previous guests!) joins the Athlete’s Audio Academy today to talk some Mental Skills Conditioning.

Dr. Morgan outlines the basics of mental skills in a concise, easy to understand, and friendly manner. (Oh, and she’s DR. Morgan…so you know that she knows her stuff).  She was also a collegiate Tennis, and Volleyball athlete, of some repute, too.  She’s been there.  Done that.  Bought the T-Shirt.  Used it to wash her car.

Taryn has consulted with numerous junior, collegiate, and professional/Olympic athletes and teams. She has been the mental conditioning consultant for Texas A&M Women’s Soccer, University of Tennessee Women’s Soccer, Rowing and Swimming/Diving, Maryville College Volleyball, the Southeast Florida Figure Skating Club (including Amanda Evora, Olympic Pairs skater) in addition to all of the IMG sports.

 

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Dr Eddie O’Connor – Sport Psychologist with mental training tips for athletes.

February 24, 2011 By
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We’re lucky to have super-engaging guest Dr. Eddie O’Connor as our guest today on the Athlete’s Audio Academy. (He almost had his own show on the new Oprah Network!)  He’s quite a media presence, and you’ll quickly discover why.  Knowledgeable, personable, and just plain likeable, Dr Eddie discusses how his own challenges as an athlete led him to Sport Psychology, and two tips (from a list of 10 that he’d prepared!…check back for another interview!!) that can help athletes right away.

Dr Eddie is a fellow with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and on the Sports Psychology registry of the US Olympic Committe.   He’s been quoted recently at ESPN.com, and provides great advice for athletes and coaches on his Facebook page.

Over the last 15 years, Dr. Eddie has helped athletes and coaches at all levels achieve excellence in their sport. He has spent his life helping others achieve their very best in sport, health, personal, and professional lives. As a certified consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and Member of the American Psychological Association Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Dr. Eddie has the training and experience and to help you reach your potential consistently.

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More Lindsey Vonn

February 22, 2010 By

….US skier Lindsey Vonn, who explained in a conference call before the Olympics that she usually spends an hour’s preparation in visualizing her races, and then uses breathing exercises at the start gate to calm down…

What are you visualizing about your performance, race, job, life, or passion?

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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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