Mindset and performance coaching for athletes and other high achievers
Rebecca Smith, MA Sport Psychology What is a Sport Psychologist? According to the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), “A sport psychologist is someone who is trained in clinical or counseling psychology to provide individual or group therapy relative to a broad range of behavioral…
Dear Athlete, You’re about to walk out onto the field, court, pool deck, or gym floor. You feel a little sick to your stomach because you know it’s not gonna go well. You always fall apart when the pressure is on. No matter how hard…
This was my biggest problem as a gymnast, and ultimately what led me to quit the sport. It happened with my back walkover on the beam, with my back tumbling on the floor, and then when I started training a back hand spring on the…
Adolescents and teens are being told what to do all day, every day. Their natural reaction is to push back, especially against their parents. One of the primary needs of a young person is to discover who they are and determine their own individual priorities and…
Here’s an interview I did with Marty Griffin of Golf Strategy School.
We talked about imagery, nerves, melting down under pressure, and getting consistent.
Have a listen!
You know the feeling of going up a rollercoaster? That “click… click… click” of the climb. Your heart starts to pound, you get butterflies, a lump in your throat, you tense up, start to sweat, your chest tightens… the anticipation builds… And then, weeeeeee! Down…
Sports anxiety is something every sport family experiences at one point or another. When the pressure increases, kids get nervous. Some athletes switch into “go” mode and get excited to go out there and do their best. Other athletes get worried and tense up. They…
GET MOTIVATED! 101 easy ways to JUST KEEP SWIMMING There’s a reason you started swimming. There’s a reason you keep training. But sometimes, especially if you haven’t gotten a best time in a while, and it’s 4:45am, it’s hard to feel motivated. “I wouldn’t say anything…
Does gymnastics stunt your growth? It must… right? You might actually be surprised by the answer. Sports like gymnastics, tennis, swimming, ballet, and figure skating, require athletes to specialize at a really young age. That means little kids are doing rigorous training to reach elite…
Five young women walk into a gym… Are you leaning in to hear the punchline? There is no rest of the joke because five strong, confident gymnasts walked into the Olympic arena with shoulders back, heads held high, and steely focus in their determined eyes.…
