Sports Psychology Articles

What Makes World-Class Athletes Successful?

Success in Sports

What Makes Top Athletes Successful? Mike Robbins should know. He went to school with three top athletes and dated one of them… I interviewed retired pro athlete Mike Robbins for my members. Mike was drafted by the New York Yankees out of high school, but instead played for Stanford and the College World Series. After college, Mike spent … Sport Psychology Article…

Sports Psychology: Do You Crave Approval?

Social Approval

Athletes And Social Approval One big challenge for many athletes today is the fact that they worry so much about what others think when they perform that it becomes a huge distraction. I must first say that it is important to care about other people. However it becomes unhealthy when athletes worry too much about what others think … Sport Psychology Article…

Mental Toughness And Self-Confidence in Sports

Self Talk in Sports

Why You Should Avoid Negative Self-Talk I recently worked with a high school athlete who was plagued by those nasty inner gremlins. You know the type “ that little guy or gal inside your head what would not shut up and kept asking irrelevant questions. This kept my student from developing confidence and playing to his full potential. … Sport Psychology Article…

Sports Psychology and Athlete’s Fear of Failure

Fear of Failure

What is Wrong With The Fear of Failure? One of my mental coaching students, Joe (not his real name) had a unique gift (or so he thought). Since he was overly concerned with what other people thought (coach, teammates, parents, spectators, etc.) about his performance, he often engaged in a process I call mind reading when performing. While … Sport Psychology Article…

Pre-Game Jitters: Perform Under Pressure

Pregame Jitters

Embrace The Pregame Jitters Do you ever get butterflies in your stomach before you compete called pregame jitters? Do you get really nervous before the start of a big match or game and can’t relax after the game starts? Most athletes have felt the negative effects of pressure during their athletic career. Even the best athletes feel pressure … Sport Psychology Article…

Applying Mental Toughness Daily is Not Easy

Mental Toughness

How to Apply Mental Toughness to Your Game Sports psychology experts often talk about the importance of learning mental toughness to improve your performance. However, my 15 years of teaching the mental game to students makes me think that understanding mental toughness skills is not the whole enchilada. To be successful with mental toughness training, athletes must learn … Sport Psychology Article…