A
MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF PEAK
PERFORMANCE SPORTS
Issue 94 ................................................................. February 3, 2009
Welcome to Sports Insights Magazine
Welcome to Sports Insights Magazine! We are pleased to bring you practical, cutting-edge sports psychology and mental training tips to improve your mindset and performance. We thank you for being a subscriber of Sports Insights Magazine!
If you enjoy our free mental toughness newsletter, please click here to forward it to other athletes and coaches. Get powerful mental game strategies as a subscriber to Sports Insights Magazine!
Golfer's Mental Edge: An 8-Week Program for Ultimate Golf Confidence. Dr. Cohn's new CD and workbook program teaches you the top eight lessons to play with mental toughness on the course. Read more about how to improve confidence in golf...
Improve Kids Confidence with Kids' Sports Psychology! Kids' Sports Psychology is a one-stop, exclusive 10-step plan for boosting confidence and cultivating positive mental game skills in young athletes! Download age-specific confidence-boosting mental game strategies, e-books, videos, and audio programs produced specifically for young athletes. Learn how to boost sports kids' sports success...
Download a Free Mental Game Report! Golfers: Improve Your Preshot Routine. Baseball and Softball Players and Coaches: Improve At-Bat Routines. Tennis Players and Coaches: Improve Your Mindset Between Points!
Locker Room Talk
"More Relaxed and Confident in Myself!"
“The Golfer's Mental Edge Program has benefited me extremely well. I can say now that your program helped me in many ways. In fact, I managed to win the 2008 Sr. Player of the Year honor on the tour I play on. I also won more tournaments (3) than anyone else on tour in 2008! I entered each event with a calmer, more relaxed and confident belief in myself to not only play well without expectations but probably even more importantly, I was able to deal with the little adversities and speed bumps that happen along the way and not let that affect my rounds. Thanks to you and your programs for helping me open my eyes and develop and unshakable belief in myself.”
~Herb Joiner, Senior Professional Player
Feature Mental Game Article
Great Athletes "Step Up" in Big Games
By Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.
Two things grabbed my attention about this year's Super Bowl: (1) Momentum is critical in sports and you need it on your side to perform well, (2) big players step up in big games and it's not by chance. The end result: Pittsburgh beat Arizona 27-23 in a thrilling second-half finish during the Super Bowl, but it does not tell the entire story.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has been around the block and was prepared for momentum shifts in the game. "There's going to be ebb and flow. That is what the Super Bowl is supposed to be about. It was, and hopefully the fans of football enjoyed it," Tomlin said.
Pittsburgh appeared to have the momentum in the first half of the game scoring the first touchdown of the game and opening up a 10-point lead early. But you could see the momentum shift in the 2nd half of the game, especially when Warner completed a 64-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald with only 2:37 left in the game giving Arizona it’s first lead of the game, 23-20. But it didn't last long...
Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt was happy to see his team fight back: "One of the proudest things that I am of the football team is the way we responded, especially with that situation, because in the past, when we've had that kind of swing in momentum, especially before the half, it would have done the team in." But we fought back and we believed in what we were doing, and that's a credit to the progress that we've made," Whisenhunt said.
Big players step up in big games. Arizona’s Warner hit Fitzgerald with less than three minutes left in the game to take the lead. Then, Pittsburgh’s Roethlisberger hit Holmes in the end zone with less than one minute to play. “Santonio Holmes is just a guy who likes to deliver in big moments and in big games. In big moments, we know what we can get from him and we appreciate it,” coach Mike Tomlin said. Holmes was voted the most valuable player of the big game.
____________________________________________
Want to Become a Mental Game Coach to Athletes? Enroll in Our Unique
Mental Game Coaching Professional Certification Program!
Apply for the 2009 Summer 10-Week Course!
____________________________________________Quarterback Roethlisberger rallied the team with less than three minutes remaining in the game. "I said, 'It's now or never,' I told the guys that all the film study you put in doesn't matter unless you do it now. I'm really proud of the way they responded," Roethlisberger said.
Some athletes might fold under that pressure, but Holmes made big play after big play for the Steelers. For the game, he made 9 catches for 131 yards. Great players want the ball in their hands with two minutes left in the game. “I wanted to be the guy,” [with the ball], said Holmes. “Great players step up.” And he did step up by catching the game-winning touchdown pass.
Great players step up. Great football players want to make the game-winning play. Great basketball players want the ball in their hand with 10 seconds left in the game. Top golfers love the chance to make a winning putt on the last hole of the tournament. Gymnasts who thrive under pressure are “gamers” and want to do the final routine to win or lose the event.
The concepts of wanting the ball or stepping up are universal to any sport. What makes some players thrive under pressure, while others fold or choke at the end of a competition? Tiger Woods is the ideal athlete who thrives under pressure. The bigger the event, the better he performs.
After winning the 2008 US Open Tiger said he feels the pressure, but pressure is a good thing: “Well, playing in the US Open is pressure, there’s no doubt. I was nervous and that's a good thing. That means you care. You can try and use that energy as best you can to heighten your focus and then get into the right situation and it worked out great for me this week,” said Woods.
I heard Michael Jordan say something similar to Woods. He stated that he feels nervous before a big basketball game, but once the game starts his confidence and instinct take over and he is no longer nervous at tip off.
Billie Jean King wrote a book titled: “Pressure is a Privilege.” Billie Jean King sent a text message to encourage Maria Sharapova prior to 2008 Australian Open final. The text message said: "Champions take chances, and pressure is a privilege."
Looking through my sports psychology colored glasses, most great athletes live to be in pressure situations. They are all “gamers” and want the ball with two minutes left in the game. Pressure or big games motivate them to succeed. Top athletes are able to focus even better under pressure. Woods uses the pressure to help give him a boost of adrenaline or energy.
Do great athletes “step up” in big games because they want the fame and fortune? I don’t think so – they are not motivated by this. Do great athletes step up because they are afraid of losing or embarrassing themselves? That’s the last thing on their mind. Why do they step up in the big games? I think they truly love the competition and the intensity of the moment. They thrive because their mental toughness overcomes the pressure of big-game moments. I think they step up and perform well because of the confidence they have in their abilities.
Staying composed in big games is one mental strategy you need to step up under pressure. Check out The Composed Athlete in the Confident Athlete Sports Psychology CD programs - to boost your confidence, composure, focus, and trust before and during competition!
Sports Specific Mental Training Tip
"If I want something bad enough, I'm going to get there!"
Despite the recent criticism Phelps has gotten in the media for his recent mistake of smoking dope, he is still considered a mentally tough competitor. He "steps up" when on the big stage of the Olympics. His focus and determination to achieve his goals is unmatched by other swimmers.
“When I'm focused, there is not one single thing, person, anything that can stand in my way of doing something. There is not. Never has been. If I want something bad enough, then I'm gonna get there. That's just how I always have been.”
~Michael Phelps
Podcasts of the Month
The Tennis Psychology Podcast of the Month!
In this tennis psychology podcast, Dr. Cohn discusses the concept of self-confidence for tennis juniors. Many young tennis players lack self-confidence in their game. In this psychology session, Dr. Cohn helps sports parents and coaches improve their tennis players’ confidence. The Tennis Psychology Podcast by Dr. Patrick Cohn helps tournament players, tennis coaches and parents improve confidence, focus, and composure.Show me the Tennis Psychology Podcast of the Month!
Tennis Players and Coaches: Improve your mental game between points with this free report!
The Golf Psychology Podcast of the Month!
In this week's golf psychology session, mental game of golf expert and author of The Mental Game of Golf, Dr. Cohn, helps golfers learn how to play without strict expectations that put pressure yourself to perform. Many golfers have high expectations for their performance. This can lead to added pressure or cause golfers to tighten up and play tentatively. Learn how to let go of high expectations and play with confidence.Show me the Golf Psychology Podcast of the Month!
Golfers: Download a free golf psychology report and improve your preshot routine overnight!
Pro Athlete Quote of the Month
"Challenge Yourself to Play a Perfect Game."
“Mentally, I like to go out and challenge myself to play a perfect basketball game. Although I know you can’t do that, it’s practically impossible to play a perfect game, but that does not mean you can’t challenge yourself to do that.”
~Michael Jordan
Ask Doc Cohn
"How can I help my daughter refocus?"
Gymnastics Parent:
I have twin twelve-year-old girls who figure skate competitively. One of the girls is focusing all of her efforts on thinking her twin is better than her in all aspects of school, sports, friends, and almost everything. How can I get her to refocus? She is actually as good or better in some of the skating moves. If she would just refocus she would probably be the better skater of the two.
Most Valuable Product (MVP)
Golfers Mental Edge: An 8-Week Plan for Ultimate Golf Confidence NEW!
Golfer's Mental Edge: An 8-Week Plan for Ultimate Golf Confidence. What's the one big sign that your mental game is the weak link in your golf game? When you can't play consistently as well as you can perform in practice! The “Golfer's Mental Edge Program” is a complete brain dump of the TOP eight mental training sessions Dr. Cohn teaches his personal students to help them boost their mental game and improve consistency on the course. In each of his 8 coaching sessions, you eavesdrop as Dr. Cohn teach four golfers his top mental strategies and learn right along side his students.
Read more about The Golfer's Mental Edge CD Program!
Not a peaksports member yet? Go demo our New Online Mental Training Site at Peaksports!
Dr. Patrick J. Cohn
Master Mental Game Coach
Boost Your Success with The Confident Athlete Series!
|
|||||
NEW! The
Confident Athlete Series by Peak Performance Sports brings
you the latest cutting-edge mental training strategies
in a practical step-by-step 14-day achievement plan. Each
program consists of 2 Audio CDs and an easy to
follow workbook to help you apply the mental strategies.
Perfect for any competitive athlete or team coach! Buy
All 4 Programs and Get "The Relaxed Athlete" FREE! |
Peaksports.com Quick Links
|
|
teamwork
:: confidence :: focus :: composure |
|
©
2008 Peak Performance Sports, LLC 7380 Sand Lake Rd. PMB 5012,
Orlando, Florida 32819 (www.peaksports.com) You
are receiving this email because you have requested Sports
Insights Magazine newsletter at Peaksports.com. |
|