Mindset Monday 9/20/10 - 3 Purposes of Sport Psychology

The 3 Purposes of Sport/Performance Psychology
1. Help you determine what you want- Your Goal.
2. Help you create a plan of action to get to your goal.
3. Help you to get out of your own way.

Step 1 is to determine what it is you want to accomplish. Lou Holtz always says everyone needs 4 things in this world (1) something to do (2) someone to love (3) something to believe in (4) something to hope for. He was talking about goals. Determine what you love. What is your passion? Or, what is an area of your life you wish to get control over?

Step 2. Many people, and most athletes have step 1 completed. (If you don’t, that’s ok, just work on step 1 first then). They know what they love and what they want to accomplish. The next step is to write out a full and comprehensive plan of action that will take you from point A (where you are now) to point B (your goal). You must determine all the important aspects of your sport or activity- mental and physical. There should be several physical areas you must work on ie. technique, strength, conditioning, etc. as well as several mental areas you must improve ie. Confidence, staying relaxed, positive self-talk, etc. Then once you have all the areas of your field down, you must write out a very specific way in which you will improve them. You cannot just say “my conditioning needs to get better, so I will work harder.” This is a great goal, but the plan to get in better shape must be specific- I will run 10 sprints after every practice or I will make sure I am the hardest worker in the room- first one in, last one out.

Step 3 is a lifelong journey- stepping out of your own way. Believe it or not, we are the major obstacle between ourselves and our own success. We often think negatively, doubt our abilities, try to impress others, over think things, get distracted, lose focus, etc. etc. If we can overcome ourselves, we can accomplish anything. There are proven ways to help you succeed in Step 3, but they must be practiced and lived on a regular basis. We all battle demons in our own way. I always tell my athletes not to worry about beating their opponents. If they can win the battle within, they can beat anyone. Sport Psychology Experts main job is this step. Make sure you know how to master this area, or get someone who can assist you in doing so-

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/