Even today, some athletes and coaches don’t embrace sports psychology strategies. I think this has a lot to do with their lack of understanding about mental coaching and how it can help…

Your biggest challenge as a mental coach is helping athletes and coaches understand the real value of learning mental game strategies.

As a matter of fact, 53% of the coaches I surveyed reported that athletes resist mental training because they don’t understand how it can help them!

In today’s society that craves quick results, athletes and coaches don’t embrace sports psychology because they simply don’t understand how it can help them.

For this reason and a few others, such as lack of time, mental coaching is not a critical component of performance enhancement for athletes and teams…

Thus, in order to establish credibility in your circles, you must help potential athletes, coaches, and sports parents understand what sports psychology is and how it can help them perform better.

Education is the first step. You will find it difficult to teach athletes the mental game if they don’t understand it or how it can help. You must also debunk the myths related to sports psychology.

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Spring 2009 MGCP Course Update!

Early registration for the 2009 MGCP
course ends Monday, January 5. Enroll
today and save 10 percent on tuition!
————————————–

You must address two issues: (1) The scope of work you do as a mental coach, and (2) address the myths surrounding sports psychology before you can even get your foot in the door.

For example, here’s a belief that many athletes in the more “macho” sports adopt: “I don’t need to improve my mental toughness – I’m already mentally tough.”

Athletes are unwilling to accept sports psychology strategies if they hold on to misunderstandings and myths about it’s effectiveness.

I’ve spent 20 years of my career trying to simplify sports psychology and debunk the myths. And I need everyone’s help on this…

I can teach you how to define your role as a mental coach and the methods I use to debunk the myths surrounding sports psychology in my certification program for mental coaches.

The deadline for pre-registration is January 5, 2009 at 5:00 PM eastern time, first come first serve. I only take five students per semester and several people expressed interest in the Spring
2009 course.

To register, please complete an application at the MGCP website if you have not done so previously:

Apply to Become a Mental Game Coach

If you submitted your MGCP application, please email me to request the Spring 2009 enrollment forms.

You can call me anytime if you have any questions about the certification course at 888-742-7225.

Your Master Mental Game Coach,

Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.,

p.s. Want to hear what other mental coaches say about the program? Listen to six students talk about their experience in the course. You can listen to their stories here:

Listen to Mental Game Coaching Professional Success Stories

It was 17 years ago when I finished my Ph.D. in sports psychology. I was ready to conquer the world. But it wasn’t a smooth transition for me…

My education prepared me to teach college students sports psychology and I did just that as an assistant professor.

Two year later, I stopped teaching and started Peak Performance Sports in 1994. As a student and later professor, I learned a ton about how to improve athletes’ confidence, focus, and use goal setting.

But I didn’t really have a proven mental coaching system. And I didn’t really know, firsthand, what worked for athletes in the real world.

My biggest roadblock was that I didn’t have a methodology for helping my athletes succeed.

After about 10 years of trail and error, I began to understand what worked in the real world. I polished my delivery, developed my own mental game assessments, and learned how to help athletes take concepts to application.

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Spring 2009 MGCP Update! Preregistration
starts today for the Spring 2009 MGCP course.
Register by January 5, 2009 for a discount on tuition.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Today, I teach my mental coaching system to qualified coaches, therapists, life coaches, and psychologists…. I impart my experience by sharing my proven method for mental coaching.

What are the benefits of becoming a certified Mental Game Coaching Professional?

(1) You learn my complete system for mental coaching without the headaches of trail and error.

(2) You get access to my mental game assessment (AMAP) to help uncover your athletes’ mental barriers - the same assessment I use with my personal students and teams.

(3) You receive ready-made lesson summaries (or handouts) I use with my students, which help you stay organized and simplify the coaching process.

(4) You work closely with me and other mental coaches in the program as you start to get more work with athletes.

(5) You learn the top mental strategies I’ve taught to 1000s of athletes worldwide - strategies that I’ve already tested out in the real world.

(6) You continue to hone your skills and learn new tricks of the trade by getting continuing education as a premium member of Peaksports network, my online mental training program.

(7) You learn the basics of how to build credibility and get work with athletes.

I’ve spent 20 years of my career developing the MGCP program, which I share with you over a 10-week crash course.’

You can stop the trial and error. I can teach you my entire system for mental coaching and speed up your experience 10 fold. Enroll in my Spring 2008 MGCP course.

The deadline for pre-registration is January 5, 2009 at 5:00 PM eastern time, first come first serve. I only take five students per semester and several people expressed interest in the Spring 2009 course.

To register, please complete an application at the MGCP website if you have not done so previously:

Mental Game Coaching Professional Registration  

If you submitted your MGCP application, please email me to request the Spring 2009 enrollment forms.

Please call me if you have any questions about the certification course at 888-742-7225.

Your Master Mental Game Coach,

Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.,

p.s. Gene, who completed his masters in sports psychology in the 1980s just emailed his first reaction after taking the MGCP course:

“It is likely that I will get my ‘Applied Sport Psychology’ class off the ground for next year - possibly next semester…. I cannot thank you enough.  You’ve brought meaning to my Sport Psychology degree!”

~Gene Rochette, Dean of Students at The Community School of Naples, FL

You can read other comments from MGCPs here:

Comments from Mental Game Coaching Professionals

Every year peaksports members can join six live mental game classes. This fall, you can get live mental game coaching with myself as I cover three popular sports psychology topics…

Here is the kicker… It’s all done over the phone via Teleconference–called a Teleclass! Just phone in…

What is a Teleclass? Each class is about 50 minutes in length. I coach you and other like-minded athletes and coaches on a specific topics in sports psychology.

Participants just dial into a conference line (at a specified time) to be connected to the live class… from anywhere in the world!

Here is the schedule for the Fall 2008 Teleclass Series:

Class #1: November 11, 2008 (7:00 PM EST)

Fear of Injury: How to Overcome Your Fears & Perform Your Best

Class #2: November 18, 2008 (7:00 PM EST)

How to Motivate Young Athletes: Instill Positive Motivation without Pressure

Class #3: November 20, 2008 (7:00 PM EST)

Keep Your Head in the Game: How to Cope Better with Mistakes

In addition, we recorded all the past mental game teleclasses (30 and growing). We make these available for Peaksports Members too.

Become a member today and access six live Teleclasses per year and over 30 recorded Teleclasses. But that’s not all!

You’ll get exclusive access to hours and hours of audio and video programs that will take months to absorb:

• 550 pages of mental training strategies
• 8 Mental Training E-books
• 44 interviews with top athletes and coaches
• AMAQ online mental game assessment
• Sports psychology videos and podcasts
• And a ton of other perks!

Read more about the Fall 2008 Teleclass Programs:

http://www.peaksports.com/mental_toughness_classes.php

Become a peaksports member today and access of 30 recorded classes:

Online Mental Toughness and Sports Psychology Training

If you are already an exclusive peaksports network member, please visit the following page and login to access conference line for the Fall Teleclasses starting November 11:

http://www.peaksportsnetwork.com/members/department45.cfm

Your Mental Game Coach,

Dr. Patrick J. Cohn

p.s. Are you a Peaksports member? In addition to accessing 6 live and 30 recorded Teleclasses, you receive 30 percent off retail on the popular Confident Athlete CD programs. Become a member today and join us live in November for three one-hour Teleclasses:

http://www.peaksportsnetwork.com/public/10.cfm

OK, I just received an email from a frustrated player that I think applies to every athlete…

Playing sports is supposed to be fun, right. Some people think sports is an escape from the doldrums of life. We can immerse ourselves for a few precious moments or hours in an enjoyable diversion, right?

Sports can be a blast, especially when you win a tight match.

But there is just one small catch… What if your sport is causing more emotional pain than fun?

Here’s the email that I received from a golfer that applies to so many athletes I work with:

“I get extremely frustrated and angry when I hit a bad shot and it stresses me out. How can I release my anger and stress so I can enjoy my sport again?”

Heck, you work hard at your sport. Practice and prepare for hours. You even feel confident at the start of competition about performing well…

And wham! One costly mistake. You’re frozen in turmoil by your own negative emotions. You’re so upset you can’t see straight. You beat yourself up endlessly for the mistake. Your unrelenting anger causes you to blow the next play, shot, or pitch.

By this time, you start to hate the sport that is supposed to be fun.

But wait a minute… This athlete sounds as if he is a victim of his own anger and frustration… As if he has no control.

Now instead of being a victim, shouldn’t he win back control over his mental state, squashing the anger and bringing back the fun of playing a game?

Yes, but old habits are hard to break for many of my students.

And that’s the big battle within - can you break old habits of thinking and replace them with positive habits?

Let me tell you, there’s no better feeling you can have than being in control of your mental game and not being a puppet to your own frustration. That’s why I develop The Confident Athlete CD programs…

I produced the third program, “The Composed Athlete,” for the exact purpose of freeing you from the shackles of frustration and anger.

The Confident Athlete programs are so powerful it’s like having your own mental game coach (without the big cost). I have many testimonials from athletes and coaches who have used my new CD programs successfully.

Ready to get started? Do yourself (and your family) a favor and start enjoying your game again:

Boost Composure with The Composed Athlete

Your Confidence Coach,

Dr. Patrick Cohn

Fact is, I know two kinds of athletes: Those who feel victim to their own frustration and those who take action to get their heads in the game. The Composed Athlete teaches you step-by-step how to take action:

Boost Composure with The Composed Athlete  

US Ryder Cup team captain Paul Azinger poured his heart and soul into planning the 2008 Ryder Cup team. But the plan was not about redemption from past loses…

His plan was to develop teamwork, have a blast, and get the fans and players’ families involved…

“This is a group effort that required some team building and for these guys to bind to a concept,” said Azinger.

He took a team philosophy that required everyone’s involvement:

“My philosophy was to have this be a great experience for the players and their families; parents, cousins and uncles, whoever the heck, children and wives, and for my assistants; for it to be a great experience for them. That was my goal.”

What did Azinger do that created a team atmosphere? He divided the team into small groups of four players each.

“I’ve had this idea for about five years, if I was ever the captain, how I would try to approach the team. You know, we just decided to come together in small groups, that was it,” said Azinger.

He picked four players that would gel and have the most fun playing together:

“We put four guys together in practice rounds and they played together every day, and they were the four guys that stayed together the whole week and they were never going to come out of their little group. That’s the way I did it,” said Azinger.

Azinger’s approach was not to be a baby-sitter. His goal was to get every player to buy into his team concept.

“They embraced a concept, they embraced the pressure and they embraced this crowd, and they did it, not me. They did it,” said Azinger.

Azinger’s philosophy worked well, especially for Kenny Perry who had the experience of his life:

“I birdied four holes right out of the gate, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and I had the putting touch of Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus. I was in a zone. I had such a calm and coolness about me, and the fans here are just unbelievable,” said Perry after the US Ryder Cup win.

Team captain Azinger got a little help from a special guest: Lou Holtz. Holtz came with a special message to help the team focus under adversity:

“Holtz came in with a great message. One of the messages was ‘what’s important now.’ We stuck to that message… If they got in trouble, I brought it up; remember Lou Holtz talked about what’s important now, and let’s forget what’s behind us,” said Azinger.

Focus on what’s important now, teamwork, positive emotion, fun, and embrace the pressure. Sounds like a wining formula to me.

Your Golf Confidence Coach,

Dr. Patrick Cohn

p.s. A premium option I have for a winning mental game formula is my Confident Athlete series CD programs. Just as powerful as having your own personal mental coach, my new programs improve confidence, focus, composure, and trust in your skills:

 Boost Confidence with The Confident Athlete Series 

Let’s face it: Golf is a huge mental game… When playing with a lot of confidence, golf is easy, fun, and feels effortless for most players.

When playing with no confidence because of mistakes or poor play, a strong mental game is needed most.

Your biggest challenge is to stay positive (and keep confidence) when not playing up to your expectations. Your own mental gremlins want to punish you for not performing well…

 ”I should never make bogey on that easy hole.”

 ”I need to find another sport to play after missing yet another three-footer.”

 ”I’ll probably dump this ball in the water because I’m hitting the ball so poorly today.”

PGA Tour player Tim Simpson was asked: “What’s the hardest thing to do in sports?”

He said to play relaxed and keep the mind quiet is the hardest thing to do in sports:

 ”To play totally relaxed. I’ve talked to Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Mike Schmidt about it. Any athlete performs at his best when the mind is the quietest. That’s all sports psychology is — trying to quiet the mind to let your body play instinctively.”

~Tim Simpson

I agree with Tim - at least for some players. A quiet mind is essential for peak performance especially for golfers who over analyze and over control their performance.

However, I can think of many layers of a quiet mind…

One layer of a quiet mind is coping with poor shots or poor play. I recently published a CD program called *The Relaxed Athlete* to help players perform with a calm mind.

I think the hardest thing to do in golf is remain confident, composed, and not let your inner gremlins win when you under perform.

Fragile confidence can block any talented golfer from realizing his talent. If you have fragile confidence, you ride the confidence roller-coaster.

With fragile confidence, confidence decreases after one bad shot! When confidence wanes after poor shots, you can’t play with a quiet mind….

 Doubt can overtake your thoughts. When working with my students, I make sure we address how to overcome doubt. This is a must if you want to ride a steady wave of confidence.

You might be unaware when doubt strikes. Your doubt may be just a tough habit to break. Or your doubt might even be a form of self-punishment after mistakes.

In any case, you must cap doubt quickly before it erodes confidence. Your first step is to recognize when your negative thoughts are over active.

To learn all my confidence-boosting strategies I teach my personal coaching students, I highly suggest you join my new confidence coaching program: Golfer’s Mental Edge course.

During my new course, I assess your mental game, give you a prescription to improve, coach you for eight weeks, and give you 365 days of continuing education.

Get all the details here:

Golfer’s Mental Edge Program 

 Your Golf Confidence Coach,

 Dr. Patrick Cohn

 p.s. The Golfer’s Mental Edge Program  coaching program starts this week. The last day to enroll is Tuesday, September 16 because we begin on Thursday this week. This is the most comprehensive golf psychology course I have ever given:

Golfer’s Mental Edge Program