Blog
Using Visualization to Improve Learning and Performance
September 30, 2020Visualization (also known as imagery) is an area of study in sport psychology that has received a great deal of attention over the last few decades. It is often discussed from the perspective of players and how they can use it for mental rehearsal and preparation. Novak Djokovic is a good example of a player […]
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Being Competitive
September 17, 2020Over the years, I have heard many people describe themselves as being “so competitive.” But if the definition of competitive is solely concerned with beating others and/or winning, then it’s off the mark. To me, being competitive is a process oriented pursuit of mastery in which results are data points to help you improve. I […]
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What To Do When You’re Losing
September 16, 2020At some point in your athletic career, you are going to find yourself in a losing situation in a game or match. That moment is a test of your mental toughness. How will you handle it? What can you do to turn the situation around? For some players, losing results in a loss of motivation […]
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Why We Need Sports
July 17, 2020Most people today can agree that sports are a great and significant part of human culture. They’re fun, they’re exciting, they’re good for you, both for the players and the spectators alike. But, while these ideas seem self-evident, have you ever asked yourself if we need sports? Or, more specifically, why we need them? This isn’t […]
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Discipline Equals Freedom – Your Path to Greatness
June 24, 2020Discipline equals freedom. Have you heard this phrase before? If you’ve read the book Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Bain, then you are familiar with the concept and this post will be a refresher. Otherwise, you may be confused about the relationship between discipline and freedom. On the face of it, discipline and […]
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The Necessity of Surrender for Growth
June 18, 2020The pursuit of mastery requires many things, but one of the most important is surrender, specifically, the necessity and willingness to surrender. It may sound strange, but surrender is actually necessary for victory. Now, this may be an unintuitive thought, but keep in mind what kind of surrendering we’re actually talking about. We don’t mean […]
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Choose To Be Tougher: Your Path To Mental Toughness
June 12, 2020Being a competitor requires a certain level of toughness and courage. You have to be willing to risk failure without letting it affect your self-esteem or self-identity. That’s hard. Sometimes you may feel like a bad player, especially after a poor performance. But if you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know […]
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Black Lives Matter
June 5, 2020As a sport psychology professional, I have an ethical obligation to address multicultural issues such as racism in our society. But I am also an Amercian and a human being, and given what is happening in America today, I want to communicate my thoughts on this topic and reiterate my firm belief that Black Lives […]
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A Look at Cheating in Sports
June 4, 2020In the philosophy of sport, the issue of cheating takes a particular place of prominence. Every competitor, amateur or professional, has dealt with cheating in their sport and will continue to do so as long as the game is played. Now, everyone can agree that to cheat is to commit the highest form of moral […]
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The Cognitive Revolution Hits Sports
May 11, 2020Something really interesting happened in the world of psychology during the 1950s. Students of psychology know it as: The Cognitive Revolution. Before this, a school of thought called “behaviorism” was rooted in the psychological status quo. This approach was, unsurprisingly, focused on the behavior of humans and animals. Think of Pavlov’s famous experiment with the […]
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