Sports Psychology For Dummies

Get your head in the game with this hands-on guide to the psychology of sport

There's more to getting into the right headspace for the big game or event than trying to think like a winner. Modern sports psychologists emphasize advanced strategies like biofeedback and neurofeedback, while encouraging the use of mindfulness and other mental health techniques.

In Sports Psychology For Dummies, 2nd Edition, a team of athletic performance experts and psychologists walks you through the mental side of intense competition and training. From the importance of focus to the tactics designed to restore and improve confidence after a loss, you'll explore ideas such as goal setting, self-perception, and self-talk. This book also covers:

• Personalized plans for athletic success
• Real-life examples of sports psychology changing the athletic experience in different sports
• The wide variety of careers available in the field of sports psychology and how to get started in them

Ideal for athletes, parents of student athletes, and coaches looking for ways to improve performance both on and off the field, Sports Psychology For Dummies is also the perfect resource for anyone interested in a career in this rapidly growing and evolving field.

Leif Smith, PsyD, is president of a sports psychology and performance consultancy. His work has been cited in publications such as The New York Times.

Todd Kays, PhD, is president of the Athletic Mind Institute, a sports and performance consulting firm. He’s a licensed psychologist whose training and guidance have helped thousands of athletes.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 3

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 4

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Getting the Winning Edge: Sports Psychology Fundamentals 5

Chapter 1: Introducing Sports Psychology and Mental Training 7

Honing Your Sharpest Weapon: Your Mind 8

Knowing how your mind influences your sports performance 9

Discovering your ideal mindset in sports performance 9

Building your ideal mindset with awareness and the right processes 10

Understanding your motivation 10

Understanding and building confidence for your athletic performance 10

Building, Preparing, and Practicing Your Mental Toolkit 11

Seeing Sports Psychology in Action 12

Knowing the Hot Trends in Sports Psychology Today 12

Becoming a Sports Psychology-Savvy Coach 13

Chapter 2: Starting with the End in Mind: Know Your Ideal Athlete Mindset 15

Tapping Into Your Ideal Mindset 16

Discovering your ideal performance mindset 17

Performing without thinking 19

Developing a Plan of Attack to Make it Consistent 19

Preparing your ideal mindset 21

Practicing your mindset 21

Assessing and improving your mindset 21

Avoiding the mindset of perfection 21

Slipping into the flow state or zone 22

Chapter 3: Setting Goals: Aiming High and Hitting the Bull’s Eye 23

Setting Effective Goals 25

Determining your goals 25

Making your goals specific 28

Setting goals that challenge you 28

Setting deadlines for each goal 29

Working with tiny goals 30

Tracking Your Success in Reaching Your Goals 30

Holding yourself accountable 31

Celebrating your achievements 31

Measuring your goals 32

Giving yourself permission to adjust your goals 33

Realizing that perfection doesn’t exist 34

Chapter 4: Stoking the Fire in Your Belly: How to Fan the Flames of Motivation 37

Debunking Common Myths about Motivation 38

You can get your motivation from other people 38

Fame and fortune are great motivators 38

Motivation alone can lead to success 40

Defining Motivation 40

Understanding the two types of motivation: Internal and external 40

Identifying which type of motivation is better 42

Knowing your own personal motivations 42

Assessing and Understanding Your Current Motivation Level 43

Measuring your motivation 43

Making sense of your motivation 43

Building an effective motivation plan 45

Maximizing Your Motivation: How Small Sparks Can Become Bonfires 45

Being completely honest with yourself 46

Thinking about why you play the game 46

Being curious and non-judgmental 46

Focusing on tasks, not ego 47

Finding ways to experience success 47

Mixing up your training 48

Surrounding yourself with highly motivated people 48

Being disciplined 48

Seeking support 49

Moving on from your mistakes 49

Thinking positive 49

Overcoming Obstacles to Staying Motivated 49

When your role on the team has changed 50

When you’re burned out 50

When you’re being pulled in different directions 51

When you’re not seeing eye to eye with your coaches and teammates 52

When your priorities in life change 53

Chapter 5: Swagger: The Art and Science of Building Real Confidence 55

Understanding What Confidence Is and Why It Matters 56

Debunking Myths about Confidence: Don’t Believe

Everything You See or Hear 57

Tapping into the Confidence Cycle 59

Thinking positively 60

Taking risks 61

Experiencing success 62

Building Your Confidence 63

Focusing on day-to-day success 63

Concentrating on process, not outcomes 64

Tackling the Obstacles That Get in the Way of Confidence 66

When you have a bad game 67

When you’re not getting playing time 68

When you’re sick or injured 68

When you aren’t as prepared as you could be 70

When you are feeling pessimistic and negative 71

Part 2: Your Mental Toolkit for Success 73

Chapter 6: Tool #1: Mastering the Art of Focus 75

Understanding What Focus Is and Why It Matters 76

Where your mind goes, your energy flows 76

Limiting distractions and focusing 77

Knowing the Zones of Focus 80

Focusing on What Matters 81

Relevant points of focus 82

Irrelevant points of focus 82

Using Focus to Reduce or Eliminate Pressure 86

Overcoming the Obstacles to Focus 87

Thinking about outcomes 87

Getting caught up overthinking and overanalyzing 88

Getting too emotional 89

Letting off-the-field stuff get in the way 90

Dealing with fans, officials, and coaches 91

Developing Tools and Habits for Improving Focus 92

Chapter 7: Tool #2: Seeing Is Believing: Employing Imagery 95

Introducing Imagery 96

How imagery helps change and build better mindsets 97

Internal imagery: From your own point of view 98

External imagery: Looking at yourself from the outside 98

Determining What Type of Imager You Are 99

Visual: Monkey see, monkey do 99

Auditory: I hear you loud and clear 100

Physical: I feel you, man 100

Considering the Key Characteristics of Ideal Images 101

Painting images with vivid detail 101

Picturing images of your success 103

Getting Started with Imagery 104

What to imagine 105

When to use imagery 107

Where to use imagery 110

Setting up an imagery program 111

Evaluating the Success of Your Imagery 111

Chapter 8: Tool #3: Self-Talk: Don’t Yell in Your Own Ear 115

Your Inner Critic Is Not You 116

Considering the Consequences of Self-Talk 117

The two types of self-talk: Positive and negative 117

How self-talk affects performance, mindset, and mood 118

Changing the Channel on Ineffective Self-Talk 121

Paying attention to the messages you send yourself 122

Stopping the negativity 124

Replacing ineffective self-talk with effective self-talk 125

Using Self-Talk to Improve Your Performance 128

Journaling and practicing self-talk before, during, and after practice 128

Coming up with cue words, mental anchors, and mantras 129

Creating a mental recovery routine 131

Practicing effective imagery to improve self-talk 132

Chapter 9: Tool #4: Winning Habits: How Routines Improve Performance in Competition 133

Identifying How Routines Improve Focus and Performance 136

Recognizing the Difference between Routines and Superstitions 137

Exploring the Routines of Elite Athletes 139

Example #1: First on the field 139

Example #2: Leisurely and relaxed 140

Example #3: Movies and meditation 141

Coming Up with Effective Practice and Game-Day Routines 141

Practice routines 142

Game-readiness routines 146

Post-game routines 148

Knowing When and How to Adjust Your Routines 149

Modifying your routines 150

Learning great routines from others (and making them your own) 151

Chapter 10: Tool #5: Handling Pressure: Playing with Fire without Getting Burned 153

Probing into Pressure: What It Is and Why It Occurs 154

The signs of pressure 155

What causes pressure in sports 156

Why some athletes choke under pressure 158

Pressure exists only in the mind 159

Pressure is energy steered in an ineffective direction 159

Understanding the Difference between Arousal and Pressure 160

Developing Your Ideal Mindset for Competition 164

Handling Pressure Like a Pro 164

Preparing your mind and heart to manage pressure 165

Focusing on the task at hand 165

Being prepared in every way 165

Getting perspective 167

Changing your self-talk 168

Understanding what you can control 169

Journaling 170

Breathing and stretching 171

Developing your personal plan for managing pressure 173

Chapter 11: Tool #6: Handling Adversity: The Art of Resilience 175

Resilience: Returning to a Better Mindset after a Struggle 176

Accepting adversity and mistakes as opportunities 176

Knowing that perfection is a myth 177

Developing your ideal mindset builds resilience 177

Looking at Loss Differently 178

Recognizing that loss isn’t necessarily failure 178

Knowing the difference between getting beat and losing 179

Pulling Yourself Out of Slumps 180

Understanding why slumps happen 180

Focusing on fundamentals 181

Being mindful 181

Bouncing Back after Mistakes in Competition 184

Knowing what happens mentally after a mistake 184

Establishing a post-mistake routine 186

Dealing with Injuries 189

Preventing injuries 189

Coping with injuries 192

Dealing with the Fear of Reinjury 196

Chapter 12: Tool #7: Sharpening Awareness: Being Mindful 199

Being Mindful in the Moment 200

Using mindfulness to change your mind, heart, and body 201

Improving your sports performance 202

Slowing down your thoughts and emotions 202

Practicing Mindfulness 203

Practicing mindfulness off the field 203

Practicing mindfulness on the field 206

Developing a plan of action for improving mindfulness 207

Part 3: Hot Topics in Sports Psychology 209

Chapter 13: Talking About Mental Health Issues 211

Reality Check: Mental Health Issues Affect Today’s Athletes 212

Debunking Mental Health Stigmas 212

Mental health issues are a sign of weakness 213

If you are mentally strong, you don’t need to see a therapist/sports psychologist 213

Sports psychologists and therapists will “mess up your head” if you talk to them 213

Talking about depression and anxiety makes you less of a person 214

Understanding Anxiety Issues 214

Defining anxiety 214

Identifying common anxiety disorders 214

Understanding Depression Issues 216

Defining depression 217

Identifying common depressive disorders 217

Understanding Eating Disorders 218

Identifying common eating disorders 219

Understanding how eating disorders affect athletes 220

Determining when you need professional help 220

Additional Mental Health Issues Facing Athletes Today 221

Loss of athletics and identity to athletics 222

Recovery from injury 222

Reliance on performance enhancing drugs 222

Retirement from sports 223

Knowing Where to Turn for Help 223

Chapter 14: Managing Stress Better 225

Setting Priorities 226

Striving for Balance 226

Adding Meditation to Your Routine 227

Using Imagery to Reduce Stress 228

Managing Your Thoughts and Emotions 229

Exercising for Stress Relief 230

Making Sleep a Priority 231

Cultivating a Support Network 233

Laughing 233

Practicing Gratitude 234

Chapter 15: Making the Shift from High School to Collegiate Sports 237

Determining What Division Level to Play in College and Where to Start 238

Choosing the division that suits you 238

Seeking out advice 239

Understanding the “Recruiting Game:” Getting Noticed by Colleges 240

Finding Your Perfect Fit: What to Look for in a Coach and Program 242

Making the Jump to Collegiate Athletics 243

Approaching your first year 243

Handling first year challenges 244

Balancing Sports, Academics, and Your Social Life 245

Chapter 16: Using Sports Psychology Skills in Daily Life 247

Preparing for the Workday 247

Defining Your Career Success 248

Balancing Work and Personal Life 249

Concentrating Amid Distractions 250

Taking a Timeout from Stress 251

Performing Well Under Pressure 251

Developing Effective Work Routines 253

Focusing on Tasks Rather Than Outcomes 253

Coping with Adversity and Conflict on the Job 254

Enlisting Your Support Team 256

Chapter 17: Exploring a Career as a Sports Psychologist 257

Understanding What a Sports Psychologist Does 258

What is a sports psychologist anyway? 258

Where do sports psychologists work? 259

Sports psychologist versus mental skills consultant 260

The path to becoming a sports psychologist 260

The path to becoming a sports psychology or performance consultant 262

Determining the Right Career to Pursue 263

The clinical/counseling path: pros and cons 263

The mental skills or performance consultant path: pros and cons 264

Investigating opportunities for internships 265

Job and Career Options in Sports Psychology 265

Understanding Whether You Are Ready for a Career in Sports Psychology 266

Part 4: The Sports Psychology-Savvy Coach 269

Chapter 18: Coaching Today’s Athletes 271

Improving Your Athletes’ Focus 272

Preparing athletes for practice 272

Keeping athletes focused 274

Evaluating and tracking your athletes’ focus 275

Teaching Your Athletes to Perform under Pressure 276

Simulating competition 276

Using imagery before, during, and after practice 277

Creating pressure-packed drills 278

Motivating Your Athletes 280

Showing athletes the big picture 281

Designing fast-moving practices 282

Finding inspiration 284

Getting Your Athletes to Play as a Team 286

Discussing the common mission everyday 286

Demonstrating how “we” is better than “me” 287

Giving teamwork more than lip service 289

Chapter 19: Mental Drills to Use with Athletes and Teams 291

Drills for Dealing with Pressure 292

Selecting material about managing pressure 292

Having your players take control of the topic 292

Creating pressure drills 292

Simulating game like-conditions 293

Bringing imagery drills to practice 293

Creating drills where the athletes do not need to think 293

Drills for Bringing Teams Together 294

Drills for Improving Communication 296

Drills for Improving Problem-Solving 297

Drills for Leadership Development 298

Part 5: The Part of Tens 301

Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Be a Better Competitor 303

Evaluate Where You Are 303

Know What Motivates You 304

Define Your Goals 304

Set an Action Plan 305

Improve Gradually and Consistently 306

Train Your Mind Daily 306

Improve Your Athletic Skills 307

Tweak Your Methods 307

Develop and Maintain Your Fitness 308

Seek Out Pressure 308

Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Parent an Athlete 311

Decide Whether to Specialize 312

Choose the Right League 313

Know What to Say after a Loss 314

Be a Fan, not a Coach 315

Cheer, Don’t Yell 316

Talk with Your Kid’s Coach 317

Reward the Things That Matter 317

Budget Your Time and Money 318

Focus on Learning Life Skills 319

Live Your Own Life instead of Living through Your Kid 320

Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Be a Better Leader for Your Team 321

Know Your Style 321

Know Your Teammates 322

Choose Your Moments 323

Understand Motivation 324

Find Your Sweet Spot as a Leader 324

Communicate More Effectively 325

Be Brave 327

Know When to Lead and When to Back Off 327

Take the Blame 328

Spread the Fame 328

Index 329 

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