Peter Vidmar, an Olympic gymnast, used specificity training to prepare for the 1984 Olympics. Peter's goal was to make his practice as close to a real meet as possible. He wanted to practice with the same distractions and emotions that go with competition. Peter and his teammates simulated the
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Sports Psychology Tip
Applying the Mental Game to Practice
Young athletes should practice with intention and complete focus. Focused practice should mimic the level of focus that is required in competition. Your kids should mimic what happens in competition with the same level of focus. This requires a baseball player to use the same intensity and focus in
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Motivating Your Athletes
For athletes and coaches alike, the motivation to excel in one's sport starts with a dream. The best athletes in the world have a commitment to greatness, which is often fueled by their mission. Motivation is the drive to strive for a goal, to improve daily, to practice hard day after day, and the
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Don’t Forget About Practice Goals
Setting goals are an important part of structuring practice and improving the quality of your performance. You wan to have clear goals about what you want to achieve in sport. However, when it comes to training and practice sessions, many athletes do not have well defined goals and this can help you
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Improving Athletes’ Self-Confidence
Self-confidence is one of the most critical mental skills for success in sports and life. It is how strongly athletes believe in their ability to execute a physical skill or perform a task. Athletes gain confidence from many sources, including their past performances, training, and preparation. For
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Crunch-Time Strategies
The best athletes in the world use pressure to their advantage and can perform their best in crunch time. However, even the best athletes in the world sometimes struggle with confidence and closing out a match. The athletes with the most confidence in crunch time and willing to lay it on the line,
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Playing with a Fear of Failure
Athletes who play with a fear of failure are usually very dedicated athletes that really want to win, but are afraid to make mistakes and lose the game. It is Ironic that athletes who want to win so badly are the most afraid to lose or make errors. This causes them to have an avoidance mindset
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Advantages of Pregame Routines
Athletes benefit from routines to prepare mentally for practice and competition. The goal of mental preparation is to be mentally prepared to perform their best. With a routine, for example, your players will prepare and think consistently before each game.
Encourage your athletes to establish
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