Sports Mastery

Need for Mental Health Services in Sport 1.Prevalence of clinical issues in sport *Anxiety, depression, eating disorders *Personality challenges/disorders *Issues with identity *Consequences of concussion history 2. How current structure of sport influences the need for services on all levels. *Multi-billion dollar industry *Pressure to succeed + stress *Life demands vs. sport demands 3. Social perspective and expectations of the "athlete" *How can we best service athletes at all levels. *Approaches and best practices *Rise of Clinical Sport Psychology *Clinical training vs. Sports Science vs. Knowledge in Both

In the fall of 2019, the NCAA decided to allow college athletes to earn compensation — but it says it's only starting to work out the details of how that would take place. The organization's board of governors said that it had voted unanimously to permit student-athletes to benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness. "We must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes," said Michael Drake, the NCAA board chair who is also president of Ohio State University. In a statement, Drake stressed the need for "additional flexibility" in the NCAA's approach. Drake added, "This modernization for the future is a natural extension of the numerous steps NCAA members have taken in recent years to improve support for student-athletes, including full cost of attendance and guaranteed scholarships." SPORTS California Governor Signs Bill Allowing College Athletes To Profit From Endorsements The NCAA, the national governing body for collegiate athletics, said its decision followed i

                 In this episode, Angela R. Lewis discusses The Female Presence In Sports College Recruiting Process Distractions Time Management Angela has traveled the country giving presentations at colleges, universities, k-12 schools and conferences. Given Angela’s global experiences she offers insightful keynotes addresses, workshops, panel discussions and seminars. She has also served as a consultant for various educational institutions regarding community development. Partial List of Past Events Include: I Define Me Girls Summit Florida State University Athletics St. Louis University University of Missouri St. Louis Riverview Gardens High School National Youth Summit on Justice, Education and Economics

SETTING GOALS IS NOT YOUR PROBLEM THE SECRET IS DOING Do. Or do not. There is no try. - YODA, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK It turns out that "JUST DO IT" is pretty shitty advice. It might make for a good marketing tag line and it's certainly one of the most commonly shrieked instructions from exasperated coaches, parents, and teachers, but the scientific reality is that this call to action is almost always ineffective. In fact, some evidence suggests that it can actually undermine motivation, confidence, and enjoyment. The sentiment behind just do it is perfectly well intentioned - stop overthinking it, stop talking about it, stop procrastinating, and stop forcing me to keep asking you to take action. We must turn our thoughts, ideas, and goals into action. A goal: An aim or action usually with a specific time limit. So having a specific timeline is important for goal setting. SMART goal (Specific, Measureable, Achievable/Adjustable, Realistic, Time (time-dependent)) Why athletes benefit from setting goals: Incre

I DON'T THINK I CAN Building Confidence & Self-Belief Whether you think you can, or you think you can't - you're right. Henry Ford Self-confidence is the psychological wonder drug! Everything improves when an athlete's confidence is high. Athletes with high confidence feel less anxious, relish adversity, set higher goals, try harder, tolerate more exertional pain, feel more in control, are more optimistic and enthusiastic, and do better under pressure. They also give less of a $#!+ when things don't go according to plan. And these are just outcomes that have been studied extensively. KEY TERMS: Self-Confidence - A feeling of trust in one's abilities, qualities, and judgement. Self-Esteem - Confidence in one's own worth or abilities; self respect Self-Efficacy - Refers to an individual's confidence in in their ability to complete a task of achieve a goal. Self-Worth - is based on deeply held feelings about your true value & worth as a person. What's the single-most -important psychological skill for an

YOU NEED TO HARDEN THE F*CK UP Learn To Embrace Life When It Sucks Alaskans might have 50 words for snow, but athletes have 51 words for suffering. One thing that sets most athletes apart from others is that their success depends in large part on their ability to tolerate exertional discomfort. Its a fancy way of describing the personal suffering that comes from increasing practice, training, or exercise intensity. The harder you push, the more it hurts. All other factors being equal, the one who can suffer the most will rise through the ranks of competition. If you're new to athletics, you need to learn the difference between pain and suffering. Stay tuned as we explain both.

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, success achieved. - Helen Keller   RESISTING THE URGE TO QUIT We've all been there. You've started a new training routine, joined a new team, learned a new position, or just something that is uncharted and challenging. Buoyed by adrenaline, motivation, and pride, everything seems to be going fine; perhaps you're even enjoying things. And then without much warning, things start heading south. The discomfort feels worse than normal, or perhaps the motivation to keep getting up early begins to wane. For some, it's the just the boredom of doing the same thing over and over again. Perhaps you don't actually stop but you mentally throw in the towel. You ease up or let the other athlete next to you win the sprints in team conditioning. It feels to hard to stay with him. You go into coast mode, even though you've got more in the tank. before long you just want it all to stop

Trigger warning: This story explores suicide, including the details of how the author’s mother took her own life. If you are at risk, please stop here and contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for support. 800-273-8255 Many people may not show any signs of intent to harm themselves before doing so, but some actions can be a sign that a person needs help. People in crisis may show behaviors that indicate a risk of self-harm. The following can all be warning signs: Appearing sad or depressed most of the time Hopelessness; feeling like there’s no way out Anxiety, agitation, sleeplessness, or mood swings Feeling as if there is no reason to live Feeling excessive guilt, shame, or sense of failure Rage or anger Engaging in risky activities without thinking Losing interest in hobbies, work, or school Increasing alcohol or drug misuse Neglecting personal welfare; a deteriorating physical appearance Withdrawing from family and friends Showing violent behavior, like punching a hole in the wall or getting int

IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE OUTCOMES YOU ARE CURRENTLY GETTING, THERE ARE TWO BASIC CHOICES YOU CAN MAKE. 1. You can blame the event (E) for your lack of results (O). In other words, you can blame the referee, the weather, a teammate, your parents, the coaching staff, racism, gender bias, the lack of support, the political climate, the system, and so on. If you’re a golfer, you’ve probably even blamed your clubs and the course MAKE THE MOST OF SETBACKS E (event) + R (response) = O (outcome) The basic idea is that every outcome you experience in life (whether it is success or failure, wealth or poverty, health or illness, intimacy or estrangement, joy or frustration) is the result of how you have responded to an earlier event or events in your life. No doubt all these factors do exist, but if they were the deciding factor, nobody would ever succeed. Lots of people overcome these so-called limiting factors, so it can’t be the limiting factors that limit you. It is not the external conditions and circumstances tha

Confidence in Sports Confidence defined: Believing that you can successfully perform a desired behavior or act. For example: “I have confidence to perform that jump shot.”Confidence actually has a direct correlation/link to success, but not saying they cause one another – instead there is a relationship between the two. Another definition of confidence: A person’s belief that they can do whatever it takes to be successful In their sport (Williams & Krane, 2014, p. 275) Confident athletes and even any performer believes in themselves, their ability to handle tasks and challenges – often you can see their confidence by the way they walk, their demeanor or body language. Building confidence: How? Before we begin on the how… confidence does not happen by chance instead athlete/performer/individual goes through a process at which athlete must commit and persist. Goals, strategies, and focus needs to be set, but first an athlete needs to choose confidence. Also take advantage of mental skills like goal settin

Relationships never get tested until they get tested. People are of infinite complexity and you can spend a lifetime watching them without ever fully understanding them. So it is all the more important, then, to begin your education now. In doing so you must also keep one principle in mind: Never discriminate as to whom you study and whom you trust. Never trust anyone completely and study everyone, including friends and loved ones. How can we better prepare for the dark side of others. We must first look within and better understand our own troubling emotions. What if we could understand why we are so compelled to desire what other people have, or to identify so strongly with a group that we feel contempt for those on the outside? What if we could find out what causes us to lie about who we are, or to inadvertently push people away. HOME WORK: Define Hindsight Define Insight Define Foresight

Mental toughness is… …when you, your body, the competition, nature, or the environment has the best of you so that you’re physically tapped out and need to figure out how to pull something out of yourself… not in a robotic way—in a way that’s mentally aware and engaged. It’s not just the ability to keep moving but to keep doing it in a way that’s engaged and competitive in the environment you’re in, whether that’s competing against the clock or other human beings. It’s easy when you feel good physically. It’s when that physicality leaves you. Why you’re stronger than you think you are... What you’re physically capable of in athletic environment is more determined by your mental strength than your physical capabilities… your body can go beyond what your physical perceptions of tiredness or fatigue are. Your brain will be telling you “You’re tired. Stop.” It’s trying to stop you from killing yourself. The mental limitations kick in before the physical limitations. On training for mental toughness Visualization

How do you spot the potential in something thats looks ordinary? What does potential which has not yet found expression look like? How do you spot a superstar who is not yet a superstar? What does talent that whispers look like? These are some of the questions that we tackle during this episode. You'll also hear from two collegiate athletes that share a story of hard work, diligence, and belief. CONSIDERATIONS It's not about the performance - it's about the story behind the performance Understand the difference between a fatal flaw and an opportunity Put passion above skills What you should never forget about TALENT IDENTIFICATION The world is full of overlooked talent. If you look in the same way and in the same places as everybody else, you'll get what everybody else gets. Great potential does not necessarily manifest itself in current top performance. Hire for skills and fire for attitude. Talent identification is not about talking. It's about listening. Listen for what you can't tread in a resume.

SPORT SPECIALIZATION CONSIDERATIONS Skill Acquisition and Motor Performance Perspective Perhaps the greatest and most obvious benefit of specialization is the acquisition, development, and proficiency of motor skills related to success in a given sport. An athlete who practices a skill or set of skills with increased frequency and duration, considering he or she does so in a scientifically appropriate manner, may become more proficient at the skills than one who practices them periodically and irregularly, as may be the case with diversification. With the relatively short career of most athletes and a perceived finite amount of time with which an individual can reach peak physical performance, many athletes and coaches believe that it is foolish not to specialize. However, studies from the former Soviet Union, in which early specialization was widely practiced, have provided evidence against its effectiveness. It’s widely recognized that only a minority of Soviet athletes from single sport backgrounds were

Nevada shooting guard Jazz Johnson is looking forward to his senior season. He was the Wolf Pack's leading 3-point shooter last season. In a candid interview, he sits down with me and co-host Leland Johnson (Father) to discuss: Overcoming Adversity Training Mental Toughness After coming off the bench for all but one of his 33 appearances last season, Johnson was named the Mountain West's sixth man of the year. He averaged 11.0 points in 28.6 minutes per game. Stay tuned!

Self-talk is your internal dialogue. It’s influenced by your subconscious mind, and it reveals your thoughts, beliefs, questions, and ideas. Self-talk can be both negative and positive. It can be encouraging, and it can be distressing. Much of your self-talk depends on your personality. If you’re an optimist, your self-talk may be more hopeful and positive. The opposite is generally true if you tend to be a pessimist. Positive thinking and optimism can be effective stress management tools. Indeed, having a more positive outlook on life can provide you with plenty of benefits.  If you believe your self-talk is too negative, or if you want to emphasize positive self-talk, you can learn to shift that inner dialogue. It can help you be a more positive person, and it may improve your health. Why is it good for you? Self-talk can enhance your performance and general well-being. Research shows self-talk can help athletes with performance. It may help them with endurance or to power through a set of heavy weights. I

HOW TO HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE… A positive attitude–optimism, expectancy, and enthusiasm–makes everything in academics, sport, and life easier. A positive attitude will fuel you when you’re down and supercharge you when you’re already “in the zone.” Here’s how to cultivate a positive attitude, regardless of what’s happening at school, practice, or at home: #1 Link positivity, creativity and attention. In addition to physical benefits, a positive attitude produces a “broad, flexible cognitive organization and ability to integrate diverse material.” These effects improve your attention, creativity, and ability to learn. Positive emotions also improve a person’s ability to cope with minimal playtime, upsets, and a difficult coach. #2 Reframe negative moments as positive ones. Take time to reflect on your latest bouts with negative self-talk. Spend some time reframing these negative self-discussions in a way where you can get positive emotions out of these experiences. For example, if you experienced your coach

HOW TO HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE...   A positive attitude--optimism, expectancy, and enthusiasm--makes everything in academics, sport, and life easier. A positive attitude will fuel you when you're down and supercharge you when you're already "in the zone." Here's how to cultivate a positive attitude, regardless of what's happening at school, practice, or at home: #1 Link positivity, creativity and attention. In addition to physical benefits, a positive attitude produces a “broad, flexible cognitive organization and ability to integrate diverse material.”  These effects improve your attention, creativity, and ability to learn. Positive emotions also improve a person’s ability to cope with minimal playtime, upsets, and a difficult coach.   #2 Reframe negative moments as positive ones. Take time to reflect on your latest bouts with negative self-talk. Spend some time reframing these negative self-discussions in a way where you can get positive emotions out of these experiences. For example, if you experienced y

Coachable athletes are obedient athletes. Being obedient means a player not only listens to coach's instruction, but is willing to complete the responsibilities of his role in that instruction. In an athlete, obedience breeds discipline, and discipline is a requirement for anyone hoping to reach their full potential. There are not a lot of paths to a player becoming his best. Discipline makes a player trust worthy in the eyes of his coach, and that trustworthiness reboots the process from the beginning, motivating the coach to find new ways for his player to grow and succeed. Sports-parents. The goal you should have for your student-athlete is for the sports experience to prepare them life. Most likely, working under a coach will be preparation for working under a boss someday. It's not hard to draw some parallels between the experience of being coached and a future on the job.

How To Overcome Adversity #3 Travis Daugherty explains in his book, THE LENS that the ability to overcome adversity is a hidden talent. He further explains that the ability to overcome adversity can be taught, developed, and cultivated in a student-athlete. Listen in as we supply the sports parent with answers to help their student-athlete overcome adversity. Below are 5 ways to help you get through adverse situations in sport or life. 1. Have the right mindset. Your thoughts are essential; they frame the triumphs or tragedies of your life. Getting past adversity requires a change in your belief about challenges. It is not what happens to you, but how you respond to it that is important here. 2. Stop making excuses. Excuses are the lies we tell ourselves when we’re too afraid of the future. Whatever you tell your mind will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you don’t achieve your dreams, it will be because you made the decision to be detained by excuses. 3. Have faith. It takes more energy to live a life f