Written by: Sarah Greene-Falk, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Note: I work with a wide variety of ‘performers’ such as musicians, C-level executives, and those in the performing arts, but for this article, I will focus on athletes within the context of Sport and Performance Psychology.
“As much as we pump iron and we run to build our strength up, we need to build our mental strength up so we can focus so we can be in concert with one another.” ‒ Phil Jackson
Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) defines applied sport and exercise psychology as extending theory and research into the field to educate coaches, athletes, parents, exercisers, fitness professionals, and athletic trainers about the psychological aspects of their sport or activity. A primary goal of professionals in applied sport and exercise psychology is to facilitate optimal involvement, performance, and enjoyment in sport and exercise.
Utilizing the benefits of a sport and performance psychology consultant often separates good athletes from great athletes because they choose to work on their mental training as well as their physical training. Taking advantage of sport and performance psychology means you care about improving your performance and you want to utilize every tool to be the best! People are born with their minds and body, but no guidebook on how to train the mental and physical to reach goals and aspirations. Therefore, we use our mindful intention of energy to reach out to professionals for guidance, coaching, learning skills, and support. Improving our mental game is crucial to maximizing potential!
Using sports psychology specialists started in the 1980s and by 2000, more than half of all professional and college, athletic teams had a sports psychology specialist on staff or as a consultant. Once Covid catapulted mental health to the forefront of society in 2020, the athletic world answered at the very top, showing the critical importance of mental health.
“The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today formally announced the formation and membership of an external Mental Health Taskforce to support Team USA athletes and the coaches, officials, and administrators who serve them address mental health concerns and promote sustained and holistic well-being throughout their complete athlete journey.
The 13-member task force is comprised of U.S. Olympians, Paralympians, coaches, and medical and mental health professionals who are charged with developing best practices, resources, and action plans to support the mental health needs of Team USA athletes before, during, and after competition and advise USOPC staff who frequently engage with athletes, on and off the field of play. The group was organized in February 2020 and meets monthly with additional touchpoints, as needed” (www.teamusa.org).
I believe everyone can benefit from Sports and Performance Psychology skills. In essence, these are psychological skills and mindsets that teach us how to manage our emotions move through challenging times and even succeed with greater ease and confidence in the face of pressure and adversity. Want to learn how to manage your performance anxiety to not only perform well but also enjoy your performance? By having the skills to use when things are challenging and using them repeatedly, we can feel more confident. How about using a loss to learn and improve to come back and win? This is a key to resilience. These are just a few of the life lessons that I can provide my clients by using sports and performance psychology.
Consider these questions:
Do you consistently perform better in practice than in games or competitions?
Do you feel your performance or game isn’t improving despite the hard work you put into it?
Is your confidence low or inconsistent?
Do you struggle to bounce back from a bad performance or a bad play?
Is it becoming harder for you to get or stay motivated?
Are you overly concerned about performing poorly or “choking”?
Are you enjoying your sport less than you used to?
Sport and Performance Psychology is also about teaching athletes transferable skills in work and family life, such as helping athletes to manage the transition and deal with communication, relationships, injury, and retirement. Athletes can be particularly vulnerable to mental health problems due to the intense pressure associated with the competition. We’ve heard athletes say, “I don’t have any problems or issues, so why would I need sports psychology support?” Sports Psychology is not just to help people when things go wrong. Sports Psychology is a field to move athletes to the next level with confidence, resilience, and growth of character.
There are several athletes who will be seeing a sports psychologist every week to not just talk about problems, but to learn basic psychological tools such as goal setting, mental imagery, self-talk, and mindfulness to become the best possible athlete and self; To learn how to manage their family, work, and sport life. Why achieve your goals when you can exceed them?
Sarah Greene-Falk, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sarah is a licensed counselor specialized in sport and performance psychology with a unique background in physical therapy, massage therapy and personal training. Using psychological skills and mental training, she helps athletes, performers, and leaders of all walks of life create their ‘mental game plans’; Specifically helping with emotional regulation, performance anxiety, performance enhancement and to be happy. Her 5 module online mental training program for confidence and resilience, available for purchase on her website, teaches clients this process in a workshop webinar. Sarah has worked with all levels of athletes including D1 and Olympians, as well as C-level executives, expert musicians, and professionals in the performing arts.
