Sport psychology is an integral part of the training program for most professional athletes. I believe that you can have all the physical ability in the world, but mental strength can make or break your performance. Mental prep should not only be for elite athletes but also novice and everything in-between!
I have taught sport and mental prep to athletes, teams, individual athletes, and performers for years. I’m not a sports psychologist, nor am I trained in that area. My program is based on strategies and techniques that I am trained in. Some of these include: breathwork, affirmations, centering, visualization, self-talk, goal-setting, and focus plans. I’ve developed a program that consists of:
Pre-Game Mental Strategies
- This section helps to identify how energized or relaxed you are before the competition and determines ways to change that state.
- Develops pre-competition rituals
- Teaches how to prevent or break negative feelings
- Provides technique to break negative self-talk and control negative emotions
The whole point of pre-game strategies is to do and think the right things to help get you into your ideal performance state.
1) In-Game Mental Strategies
- This section provides ways to keep us in our ideal performance state if something goes wrong
- We develop a competition focus plan
- Provides techniques we can use for external or internal distractions
- Develops a refocus statement
- Locates focal points to use for centering and releasing negativity
Example: Baseball is a game of failures. You strike out, walk people; it’s just part of the game. But, how you react to these failures is what sets you apart; it’s what determines your success.
2) Post-Game Mental Strategies
- This section discusses what our self-talk should be after the competition
- Incorporates visualization techniques
- Teaches characteristics of peak performers
- Develops short/long term goals
3) Mental Imagery Training
- In this section we learn the 4 elements involved in mental imagery
- Participants write their own personal imagery scripts.
What we see, is what we get!
These strategies help competitors stay relaxed under pressure and teaches them the ability to focus on what’s important and block everything else out. It’s about being able to quickly rebound after a mistake or bad call, and how to handle self-doubt and negative thinking. We will also learn about self-motivation and how to have a “go for it” attitude!
During my years of teaching this program I have witnessed great success. I saw a female hockey team playing in a boy’s league transition from last place in the league to finishing second after implementing my strategies. I've helped a dancer who was dealing with bad anxiety get back on the stage after a fall, helped a body builder competing in Nationals rank among the top 3, and helped a musician who suffered from performance anxiety get back on the stage. I have also worked with figure skaters, swim teams, baseball teams, and cheer teams. I have seen first-hand how implementing these tools increases our probability for success!
I believe that mental preparation is what separates the good from the best; after all, …
“what we think, we become!”
I’m available to work with teams, small groups, and individuals to prepare them to be mentally strong and develop individualized programs that will help unlock potential. For more information, you can contact me through email at: wendy@wendydemer.com
Until next time…