In sport psychology, we talk about making goals SMART. The acronym SMART helps you define your goal more clearly. A SMART goal is: S – Specific Your goal clearly tells what action you will take. M – Measurable You will will be able … Continue reading
Often the mental pain caused by your injury and the temporary or permanent loss of your sport can be far more devastating than the physical injury. This type of pain must be addressed and managed in order to recover quickly and … Continue reading
There are many benefits of a young child’s involvement in sport. Through sports, children learn physical skills, gain an appreciation of physical fitness, and grow emotionally and socially. Learning Physical Skills Young athletes learn both fundamental motor skills and sport-specific … Continue reading
Many parents come to me with questions about their children’s involvement in sports. When should children start sports? What sports should they do? When should sports get competitive? Expert Frank Eksten of the Franciscan Sports Medicine Institute in Indiana answers these … Continue reading
I recently read “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carol Dweck. In the book, the researcher shows us how we can learn to our full potential by developing a “growth mindset.” People with a growth mindset take on challenges … Continue reading
The relationship between anxiety and memory The relationship between anxiety and memory is complex and still uncertain, but research has established that memory formation and retrieval is influenced by emotions, particularly anxiety and stress. We may put traumatic events into … Continue reading
In most sports, there are situations in which an athlete would need to use focused attention and when that same athlete would need to use divided attention. Both are helpful to athletes and both can be detrimental to athletes. Let’s look a … Continue reading
What is Cognitive Psychology? Cognitive psychology is concerned with how we receive, process, store, and retrieve information. What does it have to do with sports? Cognitive psychology is linked to sports in that it allows us to acknowledge internal mental states … Continue reading
Parents want their child to have confidence and enjoy their sport, but they don’t want to over-praise. How can you best support your child in sport? Here are a 5 tips for supporting your child athlete: 1. Encourage self-motivation. Motivation must … Continue reading
