Being Benched can Help Me Play BETTER?!

You weren’t playing your finest (or maybe you were!), and now….you’ve been benched. Is it the end of the world?  It can sure feel like it (but it’s not). Is it permanent?  Nope, but again… it can sure feel that way. Consider some different perspectives and associated tips to turn bench time into your secret weapon on the court. [...]

Simple & Effective Practices for Performance Enhancement

Below are some of the mental skills practices that we regularly train for resilience and performance. They can be used in isolation or integrated as you hone the skills! Paced Breathing There is much research that supports the impact our breath has on our ability to perform. Practicing paced breathing regularly (per the guidance of a biofeedback expert such [...]

Physical Injury, Mental Pain

Emotional pain from your injury will typically heal once rehab is complete. When emotional changes trickle into life outside of sport, lasting beyond rehab, you may be showing signs of greater mental health concerns. If you’re struggling with mental health issues post-injury, you are not alone. Frances Altick, a professional and NCAA tennis champion struggled with intense depression, anxiety, [...]

No Excuses: The Case for Continuing Education in Ethics

Check out the article discussing continuing education in ethics that featured Dr. Herzog and colleagues in the July 2019 AASP Newsletter! Tim Herzog, EdD, LCPC, CMPC, BCB – Reaching Ahead LLC Chelsea Wooding, Ph.D., CMPC – National University  Amber M. Shipherd, Ph.D., CMPC, Texas A&M University – Kingsville Ethics allow us to dig into deeper level phenomena regarding the [...]

2019-07-18T14:58:01+00:00By |Career, Mental Skills|

Mental Imagery and Injury: Using your mind to heal your body

You’ve probably heard of mental imagery for performance training. This well-researched technique enhances performance by “practicing” technical skills (in the mind’s eye) and simulating environments to boost familiarity in specific contexts (e.g., a soccer field in France, a sailing venue in Tokyo, or a basketball court in the next town over). Imagery also improves motivation, reduces competitive anxiety, and [...]

Emotions: The Mental “Ouch” from Injury

Athletic injuries can take a toll, not just on the body, but also on the psyche. For some athletes, their identity revolves around their sport; being injured can lead to feeling lost and big questions such as “Who am I?” Why are your emotional reactions to injury important? The body is attached to the brain and the heart. In [...]

Goal-Setting in the 21st Century

I am working with many clients these days on goal-setting. That, by itself, is not a big switch. We still focus on SMART Goals.  We focus on setting process goals that are within one's control. The switch is that we're using a really cool tool called "Goalscape."  You can see it pictured below.  With Goalscape, we're able to prioritize [...]