Sports Psychology

by Dariusz Nowicki, chief coordinator of psychological preparation for all Polish Olympic teams, author of Gold Medal Mental Workout For many years outstanding athletes, coaches, and scientists have striven for greater sports mastery to ensure success in competition. Once the potential for improvement through better sports technique and methodology of training is fully exploited, those […]

by Artur Poczwardowski, Ph.D., performance enhancement consultant Being seriously involved in some competitive sport, you probably consider every means of enhancing your athletic performance. Smart practice, appropriate diet, strength training, and stretching (e.g., see the works published by Stadion Publishing) are likely examples of what you have used to excel in your sport. Here is

by Thomas Kurz This article is an excerpt from Mental Training Makes Winners. There is a simple way to tell if the mental training offered by sports psychology can improve your performance. If you answer yes to either or both of the questions below, it can. — Do you do well in practice but not

by Thomas Kurz In the previous article you learned how eye focus of sports experts or champions is different from that of nonexperts. In many sports, being able to correctly focus on a single object (i.e., target) is not enough. One has to simultaneously track multiple objects, such as fast movements of several players and

by Thomas Kurz In the previous article you learned that what you look at and when is a major factor in consistent high performance. Now, a bit about what differentiates sports experts or champions from nonexperts or also-rans. Compared to nonexperts, experts — focus their eyes on fewer spots; — focus their eyes on a

by Thomas Kurz How athletes control their gaze affects their performance–because the control of gaze is the control of attention. Focusing your eyes means focusing your mind. Yes, your attention is where your gaze is, and as the gaze focuses, so does your attention. When your eyes wander, so does your mind. A steady gaze

by Artur Poczwardowski You can do it if you just have a little confidence. —D. L. Feltz, Understanding Motivation This is Part IV of a four-part article that explains what self-confidence is, what can happen if you are over-confident or not confident enough, and how to develop, maintain, and in the case of an athlete

by Artur Poczwardowski You can do it if you just have a little confidence. —D. L. Feltz, Understanding Motivation This is Part III of a four-part article that explains what self-confidence is, what can happen if you are over-confident or not confident enough, and how to develop, maintain, and in the case of an athlete

by Artur Poczwardowski You can do it if you just have a little confidence. —D. L. Feltz, Understanding Motivation This is Part II of a four-part article that explains what self-confidence is, what can happen if you are over-confident or not confident enough, and how to develop, maintain, and in the case of an athlete