So much anecdotal evidence exists today of the impact that coaches and the “climate” in which they teach their young charges have on the performance and development of these youngsters. We have all heard of coaches who coach by fear, intimidation and the threat to bench a player. Believe me, in my 33 years of practice as a Professional Sport Psychologist, I have seen the unbelievable damage that such coaching causes on the self-esteem and confidence of young athletes. It’s the rare coach who takes the time to understand each athlete and treat her/him with respect and concern for the greater goal, rather than for whether they win.

Now, there is a wonderful study of exactly what characteristics lead to the best outcomes for youngsters who engage in sporting activities. As reported in the latest issue of “Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology,” the purpose of the study was to examine if the influence of youngsters’ perceptions of a “caring climate” in a summer sport camp program would predict psychological well being of those youngsters throughout their sports camp experience.

The results were amazing! Youngsters who perceived that their counselors/coaches truly cared about them (that is, they felt valued, supported, and accepted, (as opposed to judged or criticized) were much happier and much more coachable. These youngsters maintained hope in the face of failure, and remained happy, rather than sad or depressed. “Results suggest that equipping adults with strategies to create a positive and caring climate can reap significant rewards for young people with regard to their overall physical and psychological development.”

This proves the adage that a “sandwich” approach to coaching youngsters works wonders: Find something good to say about his/her performance, then give feedback about how she/he can improve, and finish it off with something else that is positive. this is the essence of providing a positive and caring climate in which youngsters can learn their sport. And that’s the winning ticket!

The effects of anxiety on performance (both harmful and beneficial) have been well documented in such diverse areas as athletics, public speaking, test-taking and acting. A relatively new area of research studies the impact of anxiety in the realm of music.

“Music performance anxiety” (MPA) is characterized as “the experience of persisting, distressful apprehension about and/or actual impairment of, performance skills in a public context, to a degree unwarranted, given the individual’s musical aptitude, training and level of preparation.”  Phew…what a mouthful that is!  What this boils down to is debilitating anxiety during auditions or performances. MPA affects musicians of all ages and abilities, just as performance anxiety affects athletes of all ages, from amateur to professional.

As with anxiety with athletes, all anxiety is not bad.  In fact, you may be surprised to know that being too relaxed can negatively impact performance as much as too much anxiety.  The key is to determine where the cutoff point is, so that one can prepare for a performance by allowing the development of just the right amount of anxiety to motivate and pump up (the singer or musician), but not so much that she/he will begin to worry about failing or disappointing, which will quickly lead to full-blown stage fright.

In a new study reported in Sport, Exercise & Performance Psychology, thirty-three musicians (including singers, pianists, string, bass and woodwind musicians) were put through a training program very similar to the work I do with elite athletes.  Half the participants were put in the “treatment group” and were taught how thoughts (e.g., “what if I stink up the place”), behaviors (e.g., breathing incorrectly) and feelings (e.g., fear of failure) interact.  The other half of the participants were considered the control group and had not formal training of the above.

The treatment group participated in four short training workshops, aimed at learning how to recognize negative self-talk, how to stop it immediately and how to use visualization (imagery) to maintain concentration, decrease anxiety, and improve concentration.

The results showed that the treatment group musicians had less anxiety and had significantly higher quality in their performances, than did the group that received no treatment.  I can substantiate these results, as I have used imagery and hypnosis to help musicians overcome pre-performance jitters and improve the quality of their performances.  Like athletes, if musicians visualize the ideal performance they wish to accomplish, as if they have just completed it and the audience is applauding, etc., they will be conditioning their subconscious minds to follow that lead.  Amazing you say?  It really works…just practice as hard as you do your music.

The more knowledge musicians have about what contributes to their MPA and how to reduce that anxiety to manageable levels, the more enjoyable and rich their careers will most likely be!

Dr. Jack Singer is a Certified Sport Psychologist and a Professional Speaker.  Contact Dr. Jack at: 1-800-497-9880 or by using the form below.

So, with all of the warnings about keeping our stress levels low, is there any stress that is actually good for us?  The answer is “absolutely!”  The key is the level or amount of stress in your life, because there is point for each of us, when our stress level moves beyond healthy to unhealthy.

Since we lived in caves, the stressors in our lives served stimulate our nervous system to be vigilant and avoid dangerous situations, rather than have us passively sit back and get devoured by a predator.  So, daily stressors keep us alert, motivate us and put us in the best position to succeed at tasks, as long as we keep them at a manageable level.

Think about taking an audition or performing on stage.  If you are confident about your lines and acting ability, that stressor will pump you up and excite you about the experience you are about to engage in and the anticipated positive results.  This feeling is similar to the effects of aerobic exercise.

On the other hand, if you tell yourself that you may forget your lines, or may be embarrassed by your upcoming performance, those thoughts will propel your stress level beyond healthy, toward threatening levels.  You may feel weak-kneed, dizzy and begin to hyperventilate, with rising blood pressure. These sensations may be similar to those you feel when you are in a fit of anger.

Perception of the stressors in your life makes all the difference.  It is noted by many researchers in the field that your stress level is 10 per cent what is happening to you at any time and 90 per cent how you interpret (i.e., what you say to yourself about) what is happening to you.  When feeling nervous before an upcoming performance is interpreted as normal excitement, people perform much better than whey they tell themselves that the nervousness means they are going to have a problem.

Identify your stress levels.

So, picture a scale in your mind that ranges from 1 to 10.  Stress levels below 3 will keep you relaxed and enable you to sleep, but such a level will not help you to perform your best.  Levels above 7 will definitely keep you from performing your best.  Consider a level between 4 and 6 to be your “power zone,” where you will be most efficient.

The key is learning to “dial back” harmful stress to manageable and healthy levels.  The most efficient way to do that is to give yourself positive thoughts

about whatever situation you are in, anticipate and expect good outcomes, learn to breath slowly and deeply through your diaphragm (like singers and musicians do) and build aerobic types of exercise into your weekly regimen.

Doing these things will put you in the best opportunity to stay in your power zone, for life!

We all know the stereotype.  The great athlete didn’t spend much time honing his intellectual skills; instead, all of his efforts were spent on the athletic field and thus, he tends to be lacking in the brains department.  Like all stereotypes, this idea does not encompass all athletes, but still seems to be pervasive, especially among football players, where we all chuckle about the easy courses they take in college, etc.  For example, it seems like 90 % of football players are Sociology majors, often the easiest curriculum at the university.

However, some new research cited in Scientific American is stereotype breaking. 

Here are some of the findings:

• Students who have the highest aerobic capacity and lowest body fat tend to perform well in school and on standardized tests.
• Exercise  has been found to turbocharge  the formation of new connections between brain cells, causing greater intellectual capacity.

Did you know that Elementary school teachers constantly force “active” children to sit still and they are quick to recommend these youngsters be placed on drugs to control their restlessness?  The ADHD epidemic of diagnoses speaks to this point.

Budgetary constraints in schools these days frequently target P.E. classes, as if they are not as important as academic classes.  Teachers having to be accountable for the standardized test scores of their students push those teachers to emphasize academic curricula and de-emphasize physical education.

Now, with these new research findings, hopefully school administrators will realize the intellectual value of physical education and sports team participation for youngsters.

I am also available for phone consultations with athletes around the U.S. and in-person visits with athletes in Southern California. Call today toll free at 1-800-497-9880 for a free 20 minute telephone consultation with Dr. Jack Singer.

Jack N. Singer, Ph.D.
Certified and Licensed Sport and Clinical Psychologist
Diplomate, National Institute of Sports Professionals, Division of Psychologists
Diplomate, American Academy of Behavioral Medicine
Certified Hypnotherapist, American Academy of Clinical Hypnosis

We all have known coaches throughout our lives who have used “fear” as a motivator.  Whether they insulted the athlete or threatened not to play him, the key component of their style was insulting, threatening and punitive screaming.  Often such coaches believed in that style because that’s how their coaches treated them and “look how well I did in my sport.”

Now, research reported in the Monitor on Psychology shows that the best way to develop athletic motivation and effort is to focus on skill development and anxiety reduction.  This method involves creating an environment where athletes have fun and keep their anxiety levels acceptable.  In this environment, they’re trying to improve, give maximum effort and have good relationships with their coaches, so they are more likely to listen to what you tell them.

Essentially, the method involves the coaches completing a self-monitoring form after each practice and this monitoring system enables them to estimate the percentage of times they provided technical instruction when a player made a mistake, offered encouragement, and praised good performance and effort.  This method can be eye opening for the coach, since most do not praise good effort; instead, they criticize performance.  The authors have developed a coaching technique that coaches can learn, entitled “the positive sandwich.”  When a player makes a mistake during a game, the coach does NOT get angry or insulting.  Instead, he or she finds some behavior to compliment about the play, then gives a specific technical correction and ends it with a note of encouragement.

On the average, 35 percent of young athletes drop out of sports following one season of “traditional coaching.” When the positive sandwich technique is employed, only 5 percent dropped out of the sport the following year.

With this method, even children with low self-esteem responded positively to highly supportive coaches.

Although most coaches have the goal of winning as a priority, using this method they will “save” some potential superstars who would otherwise have quit and never realized their potential.

I am also available for phone consultations with athletes around the U.S. and in-person visits with athletes in Southern California.

Jack N. Singer, Ph.D.
Certified and Licensed Sport and Clinical Psychologist
Diplomate, National Institute of Sports Professionals, Division of Psychologists
Diplomate, American Academy of Behavioral Medicine
Certified Hypnotherapist, American Academy of Clinical Hypnosis

Hypnosis for athletes was something that was unheard of some years ago, but is now considered an important tool in the elite athlete’s arsenal. This applies to all activities from football to poker!

Did you know that hypnosis and self-hypnosis are actually commonplace occurrences that most of us engage in on a regular basis without realizing it?

How many times have you noticed that when you are driving, you are surprised when you arrive at your destination without observing the familiar scenery or landmarks along the way? It was almost as if you were driving on automatic pilot, while your conscious mind was focused elsewhere. This highway hypnosis is an example of going into a trance while your eyes are wide open, and is similar to an athlete using self-hypnosis during a game or match.

And think about all of those times in school when you were in a boring class and found yourself daydreaming or thinking about your girlfriend or boyfriend. This mental visualization is also a type of hypnotic state. So, most of us actually have been hypnotized thousands of times without realizing we were engaging in self-hypnosis.

Although the amazing power of hypnosis for U.S. athletes has been largely overlooked until recently, for years Eastern European nations have been realizing the amazing difference that sports hypnosis can have on athletic performance. In the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, the Russians brought a team of eleven hypnotists with them, to instill confidence and the will to win in the Russian athletes.  And we all know how powerful the Russian teams have been over the years.

The power of hypnosis on focus and performance was also displayed beautifully in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Summer Games, when Olympic diver Greg Louganis hit his head on the board while performing a complicated dive during the 3 meter final. In what is considered one of the greatest feats in sporting history, Louganis, his head gushing blood, had the wound treated while he put earphones on to listen to hypnosis tapes. Amazingly, Greg then went out to score a perfect dive the second time, enough to earn him the gold medal. That dive is still shown on television today. In fact, I saw it yesterday.

Among Certified Sports Psychologists, there are only a handful of us who are also Certified Sports Hypnosis Experts. We teach hypnotic techniques to athletes in literally all sports; to enhance such important individual dynamics as intensity, focus, consistency, concentration and anxiety control and to enhance team dynamics, such as working toward the common goal and intrateam cohesion.

In my work with elite athletes I have seen the amazing power of hypnotic techniques produce amazing results.

• Quarterbacks developed imagery, footwork and anxiety control during oncoming rushes.
• Basketball players increased their free throw percentage.
• Police Olympic shooters dramatically increased their accuracy.
• Tennis players skyrocketed their intensity, confidence and strength during changeovers.
• Golfers learned to ignore past errors and stayed in the moment on each hole.
• Hockey players learned to visualize setting up scoring plays during their shifts.
• And athletes with chronic, debilitating pain learned how to actually eliminate their pain!

I invite you to download my FREE “Hypnosis for Sports Success” below:

Power Breathing

Breathing correctly is the key to athletic success. In less than 3 minutes, top sports psychologist Dr. Jack Singer will improve your breathing for maximum relaxation and performance. Download a FREE MP3 file or a ZIP file hypnosis sample.

Hypnosis for Sports Success

Dr. Jack Singer, sports psychologist to athletes, coaches, and professional teams created Core Sports Performance, Accelerated Sports Healing, and Advanced Sports Pain Management for The Hypnosis Network.  If you would like to improve your performance, heal more quickly, or manage nagging sports pain so you can get back in the game, “Dr.  Jack” is the best in the business at bringing the mind into harmony with the body.

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Jack N. Singer, Ph.D.
Certified and Licensed Sport and Clinical Psychologist
Diplomate, National Institute of Sports Professionals, Division of Psychologists
Diplomate, American Academy of Behavioral Medicine
Certified Hypnotherapist, American Academy of Clinical Hypnosis

Are you a serious poker player who wants to raise your game and perform at peak levels consistently?

“In more than 20 years of coaching competitive tennis players I have never had a more effective tool for mentally preparing players for intense competition than Dr. Jack Singer’s Psychology programs. I certainly wish I had these tools when I was on the pro circut!

~ Harmann Pappas, Former ATP tour Player, Professional Tennis Coach

Now you can learn to apply the same secrets that Sport Psychologists use to train elite athletes to skyrocket your Poker success and maintain the “winner’s edge”.

Would you like to:

• Stop repeating the same mental mistakes over and over again?
• Be mentally tough every time you compete?
• Stay motivated to persist and achieve?
• Instantly rebound out of performance slumps?
• Remain optimistic despite setbacks?
• Learn the exact mental training secrets that top athletes use?

All of the skills of the poker superstar are exactly the same skills that separate good athletes from world-class, elite athletes.

As a professional Sports Psychologist I train world champions in many sports. Now, you can learn to develop the precise mental and emotional skills that will maximize your poker performance, consistently. You can learn how to develop the mental toughness, confidence, consistency, motivation and attitudes of elite athletes in order to turbo charge your poker performance.

I will also teach you the ultimate “unfair advantage…” Sports Hypnosis! Imagine how powerful your game will be once you learn how to use the power of self-hypnosis to master your skills, consistently.

Please be aware that I do not encourage gambling, nor do I work with clients I suspect may have gambling addictions. If this is an issue, I will refer you to an addictions specialist for immediate and successful treatment.

I am also available for phone consultations with athletes around the U.S. and in-person visits with athletes in Southern California.

Jack N. Singer, Ph.D.
Certified and Licensed Sport and Clinical Psychologist
Diplomate, National Institute of Sports Professionals, Division of Psychologists
Diplomate, American Academy of Behavioral Medicine
Certified Hypnotherapist, American Academy of Clinical Hypnosis

The Fear of Failure

You just split sets with a tough opponent. You won the first easily and he won a close second set. As you begin the third set, you become aware of subtle changes in your approach to each point. You’ve been in this situation before. You are playing it “safe” or playing “not to lose.” As usual, you lose the third set and the match, leaving you frustrated and upset at yourself for falling back into this negative habit.

Note that this “Fear of Failing” syndrome applies to every athlete in every sport. We see it in basketball, soccer and hockey players who prefer to pass rather than take an open shot. We see it in baseball and softball players, who freeze in the batter’s box, on the pitcher’s mound or in the infield, rather than charging a ball, for example. In this article, I am focusing on tennis players.

The fear of making a mistake, looking foolish or being embarrassed by losing overcame your natural aggressiveness and the trust you had in your game plan and style, which worked well for you in the first set. Why does this happen and what can you do about it?

Perfectionism and All or Nothing Thinking

Many fine athletes tend to be perfectionists. Because they have been highly successful, their belief is that their success is due to paying attention to every detail and they see any defeat as a poor reflection of them. They tend to think rigidly, in black/while dichotomies, believing that if they don’t do something perfectly, they have failed. They rarely give themselves a break or accept the fact that nothing in this world is perfect.

Self-Talk and the Mind-Body Connection

It is a known axiom that an athlete’s performance at any given time equals her/his natural talent, minus distractions. Distractions can be external, such as being distracted by the cheering for your opponent. But the most common distractions we all face are internal – our internal dialogue.

Every athlete engages in self-talk, before, during and after the match. The problem is that unless you are keeping a careful record of your thoughts prior to and during critical points in your match, you will not be aware of the mental traps you in which you place yourself. There is a broad body of research showing that thoughts translate instantly to every cell (and muscle) in the body. Whereas positive thoughts “switch on” the nervous system that relaxes the body, negative thoughts “switch on” the emergency preparedness nervous system, which immediately tightens up muscles.

With this in mind, think about what happens when you are getting ready for a third set and you say the following to yourself, “I hope I don’t blow this,” or “I’d better be careful or I will lose the match.” Such negative, self-destructive statements immediately lead to getting tight and you no longer are can consistently control your shots. What’s worse is that when you lose the set and match, you are prone to tell yourself, “See, I knew I was going to blow the match.” Thus, your original thought becomes a negative self-fulfilling prophesy, likely to continue happening in future matches, unless you recognize what’s happening.

Relationship Between Fear of Failure and Self-Confidence

Self-doubts become devastating self-fulfilling prophesies, which erode your self-confidence. Fear of failure is like every other fear—it is irrational. First, it is irrational, because losing a tennis match is not failure—it can be success, if you learn what adjustments to make the next time you are in this situation. Moreover, there are many parts of a losing match in which you were successful. You can build on those successful moments. So when you learn something you can use in future matches, a loss can actually be considered an opportunity to improve your game and your emotional approach.

The problem for many players is that a loss negatively impacts their self-confidence. and a lack of self-confidence leads to more negative self-talk, so the circle of unfortunate outcomes continues. Below are two major steps you can take to overcome this fear.

The Thought Stopping Technique

The first step in overcoming the Fear of Failure pattern is to recognize the specific negative, distorted thoughts that you habitually use before and during matches. Keep a notebook in your bag and as soon as you have cooled down (physically and mentally) after a match, write down every negative thought you can recall from the match. The more specific the thought and exactly where in the match it occurred, the better you will be able to prevent it from interfering in future matches.

Once you see your pattern of negative thinking, you are ready to stop this habit. For your next match, use a fat rubber band that fits comfortably on your wrist and snap it as soon as a negative thought enters your mind. The snapping will stop the thought, but because these thoughts are often persistent, you may need to repeatedly snap away. Once the thought stops, take a series of deep, relaxing breaths, in through your nose and out your mouth, stretch your quads and tell yourself to relax. Step three is replacing the negative thought with a positive one, such as:

“I will continue to play aggressively, regardless of the score because that is one of my strengths.

” I won several games by coming to the net for a winner volley and I will continue to do that in the third set.”

“I trust my body and I will just relax and let my talent take over.”

The Practice Simulation Technique

Practice visualizing yourself in a stress- packed situation (i.e., a third set tiebreak) and try to allow the tension to build as if it was the real thing. Then practice telling snapping the rubber band, relaxing yourself and giving yourself positive messages, such as “I will stay with what got me here…aggressive play and taking every opportunity that presents itself.” Have a portion of every practice session be a simulated tie break situation and tell your partner to be ruthless with you. Practice letting the tension build and then calm it down, staying positive and aggressive.

Maintaining your desire to be successful greater than your fear of losing, will consistently help your performance. Embrace each situation and use a strong game plan to overcome the fear of losing. Tell yourself that the style and plan which has served you well earlier in the match will continue to serve you well throughout the match, regardless of the score or whether the match is on the line. Focus on your plan for each point and never fear the outcome of the game, set or match. When you do lose, take the lessons learned from that match into the next match, so that in essence, every loss is a gain!

Remember these truths:

Negative Self-Talk (Playing Not to Lose) –>Negative Emotions –> Getting Tight –>Inconsistent Racquet Control –>Inconsistent Focus & Performance

Positive Self-Talk (Playing to Succeed) –> Positive Emotions –>Relaxed Muscles –> Good Racquet Control –>Consistently Positive Focus & Performance

Jack N. Singer, Ph.D.
Certified and Licensed Sport and Clinical Psychologist
Diplomate, National Institute of Sports Professionals, Division of Psychologists
Diplomate, American Academy of Behavioral Medicine
Certified Hypnotherapist, American Academy of Clinical Hypnosis