Sports Psychology

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

September 25, 2011 By admin

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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.

Filed Under: Blog, Interviews Tagged With: #AASP2011, AASP, athlete, Interview, Mental Skills Training, no-feat, Olympics, Parenting, Sports Psychology

Do you make worse decisions as the day goes on?

September 18, 2011 By admin

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A great deal of research has gone into the idea of decision fatigue, and Sport Psychologist Dr. Michelle Cleere (of ShareCare.com and DrMichelleCleere.com) is with us on the Athlete’s Audio Academy to talk about it.

The impetus for our conversation was an article in the New York Times measuring a number of different fields, and the impact that time of day, and number of previous decisions had on outcomes. There’s another factor that contributes to the quality of your decision, too…but you have to watch to find out!

Dr Cleere has joined us before to talk about the difference between Sport Psychology, and Exercise Psychology, and she’s a practiced expert in both.

Dr. Michelle Cleere is a Clinical Psychologist who specializes in breaking emotional patterns that hold people from achieving their physical goals; whether the motivation is to get healthier or beat the competition.

With a PhD in Clinical Psychology and an MA in Sports Psychology, Dr. Michelle is one of the leading experts in exercise and sports psychology. She serves on the faculty of JFK University, works with Doctor Oz and has written for Triathlete Magazine and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is also the author of: The Experience of Participating in a Triathlon: from the perspective of two women and Shifting Gears: How Women Triathletes Balance Life with Sport.

Dr Cleere’s Twitter & Facebook

Filed Under: Blog, Interviews Tagged With: decision fatigue, Emotion Control, goal setting, Life Skils, Memory, Mental Skills Training, no-feat, self-talk, Sports Psychology

Different kinds of goals for different stages of sports performance

September 18, 2011 By admin

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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 Mental Conditioning Division, managing a staff of 9 consultants and developing programs for junior and professional athletes and coaches. Through his understanding and application of skills, Angus trains athletes in group and individual settings, across a wide range of sports and consulting with NCAA Division 1 programs, athletes from the WTA and ATP tour, NFL and NBA.

Filed Under: Blog, Interviews Tagged With: AASP, athlete, Confidence, Dr Rob Bell, goal setting, Imagery, IMG Academies, Interview, Life Skils, Memory, mental imagery, Mental Training, Motivation, no-feat, Sports Psychology

‘Train to Trust’ and the Tour de You | KC Wilder

September 18, 2011 By admin

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A Sport Psychology book for kids, (called Tour de You) using cycling as the theme hit the stands in the last year, and KC Wilder, PhD, knows both ends of that spectrum….the cycling, and the Sport Psychology.

She’s a PhD in Sport Psychology from Virginia, and a National champion cyclist.

Today, on the Athlete’s Audio Academy, it’s KC’s second visit, (first one’s here) and we discuss the idea of ‘Training to Trust’. That is, planning, preparing, and practicing in your training sessions so that you can just let it flow, and trust in your skills when the flag drops.

kcwilderco.com is her website, and she has articles, and additional information about her book there.

K.C. began her career with a 1989 Brown University bachelor’s degree in organizational behavior and management. She then focused on sport psychology, earning masters and doctoral degrees in that field from the University of Virginia. Her own athletic career is distinguished, with All-American cycling honors at UVA, a top twenty U.S. professional cycling ranking, two national Master’s championships, and a top ten finish in the Masters World Track championships among her numerous accomplishments.

Filed Under: Blog, Interviews Tagged With: athlete, Emotion Control, goal setting, Interview, Mental Skills Training, Mental Training, Motivation, no-feat, self-talk, Sports Psychology, Tour de You, Train to Trust, Visualization

Wait…I have to (gulp) WORK OUT?? | Exercise Psych w/ Dr Michelle Cleere

August 29, 2011 By admin

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Many of the guests that we visit with on the Athlete’s Audio Academy are Sport Psychologists or Mental Conditioning Coaches, and primarily focus their work with athletes, helping them improve their performance. Get better, faster, stronger, and more focused, and calm.

But what if you’re thinking about getting healthier, or maybe just heard from your doctor “You need to start exercising…or you may be at serious risk of disease or death”?

Oh, God…now I have to go to the (gulp) gym?? Worse….do I have to hire a trainer??

Intimidation factor = RED ALERT!

Getting your mind around working out is really the specialty of an Exercise Psychologist, and a great one is our guest today. Meet Dr. Michelle Cleere.

Dr. Cleere is a Clinical Psychologist who specializes in breaking emotional patterns that hold people from achieving their physical goals; whether the motivation is to get healthier or beat the competition.

She is a contributor, blogger, and resource at ShareCare.com, and works with Dr. Oz. She’s also a Certified USA Triathlon Level I Coach, NASM-CPT, and regularly contributes articles to USA Triathlon, and AmateurEndurance.com

With a PhD in Clinical Psychology and an MA in Sports Psychology, Dr. Michelle is one of the leading experts in exercise and sports psychology. She has written for Triathlete Magazine and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is also the author of: The Experience of Participating in a Triathlon: from the perspective of two women and Shifting Gears: How Women Triathletes Balance Life with Sport.

Dr Cleere works with new exercisers, emotional eating, weight management, athletes, coaches, and trainers, and can be found at DrMichelleCleere.com or on FaceBook, and Twitter.

Filed Under: Blog, Interviews Tagged With: AASP, athlete, Emotion Control, emotional eating, Exercise, goal setting, Interview, Memory, mental rehearsal, Mental Skills Training, Multi-Sport, no-feat, self-talk, Sports Psychology, Triathlon, Weight loss

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

August 15, 2011 By admin

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.

Filed Under: Blog, Interviews Tagged With: AASP, Affirmations, athlete, Confidence, goal setting, Imagery, Life Skils, Mental Skills Training, Motivation, no-feat, Olympics, Performing Arts, Practice, self-talk, Sports Psychology

Why is the mental game such a mystery when we see it MASTERED!?

August 15, 2011 By admin

…even in what’s called a ‘loss’

The CBS (and All of the networks’) golf announcers all seem to be just amazed at how together, non-plussed by pressure situations, calm, fearless, and able to execute the current crop of young PGA Tour golfers are when wrapping up a tournament. I’m sure that Gary McCord, David Feherty, Johnny Miller, and Jim Nantz all place themselves in the shoes of those young players when they were that age, and remember how they’d have felt in that situation…

But Keegan Bradley mentions Dr. Bob Rotella in his post-round interview….

…and Jason Dufner works with another BIG TIME (albeit elusive) Sport Psychologist.

Hey, announcers (and fans, and amateur players)…It’s not a shock that they can be calm at crunch time! THEY PRACTICE THEIR MENTAL SKILLS EVERY DAY! It’s just like a bucket of balls, or a putting drill. Practice makes permanent.

The PGA Championship was another study in the importance of mental toughness. ESPN’s headline read ‘Jason Dufner reflects positively on loss’. To hear Jason talk about it…sure it was disappointing, but it doesn’t sound like it’s a loss to him..(Even the headline ‘reflect positive’ is a mental skill…reframing!) Here’s the rest:

Frequent visitors to our Athlete’s Audio Academy video interview series will hear the themes that our Sport Psychology professionals bring up all the time.

Focus on controllables
Remaining Positive
Keeping an even keel
Learning from non-ideal events
Persevering
Doing what you love, and having fun
Letting go, and relaxing…

…gust to name a few of the key mental skills that Keegan and Jason showed as the round wound down.

Kudos, young guns. You’re teaching everyone about mental skills training without even trying!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Emotion Control, goal setting, Goals, Golf, Mental Skills Training, Motivation, Practice, Sports Psychology

Wait…WHAT was I just thinking?? | 4 types of Focus | Tomas Adalsteinsson

August 1, 2011 By admin

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We loved what he said about failure so much that we had him back to talk about focus! Meet Tomas Adalsteinsson, the founder of TheSportBrain.com.

Tomas joins us to talk about his graduate work on sustained attention for athletes. You WILL lose your focus in competition, as the research shows that optimal focus only exists for 1-4 seconds. We fluctuate in various degrees of focus throughout all of our activity.

Your focus moves and switches all the time between the following four types of focus:

1.) Attentional Orienting – Where am I generally looking?

2.) Selective Attention – I’m going to choose to direct my attention towards in that environment or direction?

3.) Divided Attention – I’m focused on a couple of things…

4.) Sustained Attention – How long can I maintain my gaze, or attention to that (or those) things?

He works as a Sport Psychology Consultant and College coach in Minnesota, having recently relocated. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Iceland (2007) and is a candidate for a Master’s degree in Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University (April, 2011). He helps teams and individuals develop a strong performance plan.

Tomas is a member of the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). He has experience working with athletes in sports such as golf, tennis, softball, and soccer, and has also taught life skills to incarcerated young men. He is a certified youth soccer coach from the Football Association of Iceland, and has coached golf at the beginner, intermediate, and junior levels.

Follow Tomas on Twitter

Filed Under: Blog, Interviews Tagged With: AASP, athlete, Attention, Confidence, Focus, Goal type, Golf, Mental Skills Training, Mental Training, Motivation, no-feat, Practice, Sports Psychology, Sustained Attention, Triathlon

A 5-point system to make you a Star | Dr. Jack Bowman | Mind Plus Muscle

July 25, 2011 By admin

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Wouldn’t it be AWESOME if there was a quick visual reference for optimal mental performance?? Something that would keep you from having to read, remember, and think about a bunch of things…when you’re trying to NOT THINK!?

We’re lucky to be joined today by one of the most recognized Sports Psychologists in the profession, and a pioneer in distance learning programs for mental training. He’s created (and describes here) the ‘Perform Like a Star’ program for athletes of all ages, and ability levels.

UPDATE!! Dr Bowman has published a pdf of the Perform Like a Star program on his Facebook Page. Here’s a link to the pdf.

Meet Dr. Jack Bowman, Founder of the Mind Plus Muscle Institute in Suffolk County, NY.

Dr. Bowman has been a guest with us twice before, discussing internships for young Sport Psychologists, and trying to separate the good info from the hooey with regards to mental training on the web.

He’s a certified consultant with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology, and he’s listed on the United States Olympic Committee‘s registry of Sport Psychologists. An advocate of Sport Psychology Training at all levels of sport, Dr. Bowman has been a pioneer in the application of Telecommunications and Information Technology to make Mental Training and Sport Hypnosis accessible to all athletes

In addition to the ‘Perform Like a Star’ program, Dr. Bowman created the Mental Training Room, an online learning program in 1993. Yep…1993, and he’s been involved in numerous programs at AASP, and at the Suffolk County Psychological Association, including the creation of a Mental Training manual for marathon preparation (which you can download here), and a podcast with Dr. Richard Lustberg on Sports Psychology. Dr. Bowman is also board certified as a clinical hypnotherapist, and offers customized Sports Hypnosis recordings.

Dr Bowman details two important components to any mental skills training program, Goal Setting, and Mental Rehearsal(or Imagery). At the Mind Plus Muscle Institute, Dr. Bowman offers Mental Rehearsal programs for Baseball, Ice Hockey, Basketball, Lacrosse, Body Building, Running, Football, Soccer, Volleyball, Sped Training, Wrestling, Triathlon, Tennis, and Swimming. He’s also got some good advice for athletes to know what to look for in mental training, and what to look out for.

Dr. Jack Bowman is the Director of the Mind Plus Muscle Institute for Applied Sport Psychology in Port Jefferson Station, New York. Since 1980 Dr. Bowman has served on the graduate faculty at the State University of New York at Stony Brook where he teaches the Psychology of Sport. In 1981 he founded the Mind Plus Muscle Institute where he has developed numerous performance enhancement programs, including the Mental Training Room that is currently being utilized by athletes at major universities and Olympic training centers world wide.

Filed Under: Blog, Interviews Tagged With: AASP, athlete, Confidence, Emotion Control, Goals, Imagery, Interview, mental rehearsal, Mental Skills Training, Motivation, no-feat, self-talk, Sports Psychology, Visualization

Utopia for Athletes | Angus Mugford of IMG Academies

July 11, 2011 By admin

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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 and strength training, the IMG Performance Institute houses Angus, and the other 7 mental skills coaching professionals.

Angus also shares some info about Combine360.com, an new online community that IMG, and UnderArmour have started to create a benchmark for measuring and improving athletic performance. Cool. Here’s the assessment and philosophy.

Angus holds a PhD in Sport Studies (specialization in sport/counseling psychology) from the University of Kansas,(and I published the interview EVEN THOUGH I went to Mizzou!) and is a Certified Consultant with Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and British Association of Sport & Exercise Sciences (BASES), which are two of the world’s top sport psychology professional organizations. He is also a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Sport Psychology registry.

Find more information on twitter for Angus & IMG, and dial in to the IMG Performance Blog, or Facebook page.

Filed Under: Blog, Interviews Tagged With: AASP, athlete, Confidence, goal setting, IMG, Interview, mental imagery, mental rehearsal, Mental Skills Training, Mental Training, Motivation, no-feat, Practice, self-talk, Sports Psychology

Hey, announcers (and fans, and amateur players)…It’s not a shock that they can be calm at crunch time! THEY PRACTICE THEIR MENTAL SKILLS EVERY DAY! It’s just like a bucket of balls, or a putting drill. Practice makes permanent.

We’re pretty friendly…

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