Coaches Guide to Sports Psychology, the mental game

          I'm Paul S. Palmer, Sports Motivation Clinic, Chicago, IL. author of Performing Under Pressure. Mandatory reading for every coaching staff.

    Has your team ever come out flat in the biggest game of their lives? You might want to know why.  Rituals, slogans, traditions and the "pep talk" have been your motivational tools since caveman days. How effective have they been with 3 clicks left on the clock?

     Have the luxury of recruiting the best physical talent in the land? Most teams don't. But teams with the biggest, fastest and strongest don't always win. They should but they don't, why? Because on game day 90% of the outcome is MENTAL.

Don't think. React!

     Ever told a player that? If you did, you were right. That is a very concise way of stating the proper mindset for those magic moments in competition. The automatic part of the brain needs to be in charge and the thinking part of the brain needs to get out of the way. Did you also teach them how to do that? How to do what? How to be in the proper state of mind on competition day? For years sports experts have referred to that magical mental place where athletes play at their best as the ZONE. Ever heard of it?

     Do you teach them how the best athletes in the world slip into that ZONE thing? Do you help them find their zone and teach them how to stay there during those critical moments in the game. Do you teach mental preparation at every practice knowing it's 90% of the outcome on game day. If the answer is no, you're a real DOPE but you are not alone. Most coaches are clueless when it comes to sports psychology. You need help, you need a friend in the business, you need to say "I know a guy". That's me, Mr. Palmer. I can teach your athletes or I can teach you how to teach your athletes.

How important is the mental side of sports?

     Here is a short list of terms you might be familiar with: Anger, Attitude, Anticipation, Anxiety, Chemistry, Concentration, Choking, Collapse, Commitment, Demoralize, Dominance, Effort, Ego, Execution, Focus, Fear, Flow, Game Face, Home Field Advantage, Hesitation, Instinct, Intimidation, Intensity, Jelling, Jitters, Killer Instinct, Momentum, Motivation, Mental Lapse, Pressure, Perfectionist, Peak Performance, Positive Attitude, Patience, Reaction Time, Respect, Rhythm, Synchronize, Slumps, Streaks, Superstitions, Swagger, Traditions, Yips, Zone. All the above are 100% mental. That's how important the mental side of sports performance is.

Do you work with the young ones?

     God bless you and you do it for free. Molding the youth is an awesome responsibility. They get their basics from you, the stuff they carry with them for the rest of their athletic careers. You need to know the rudiments of mental preparation the same as any other coach. Other countries start mental training exercises with their youngest athletes.
      Having a workshop for a pee wee league team doesn't make sense but I can teach you the basics. Then you can pass on that knowledge to them in small doses. Helping them discover their mental game (or that there even is a mental game) is the best gift you can give a developing player. Teach them early, then I won't have to fix them later.

An office session for any amature level coach is $250, for an hour and a half. Bring a second coach for only $50.

Call for an appointment today: 708-824-9057

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