When I tell people that I have a Masters Degree in Sport Psychology and that working with athletes is my full time job, they usually say something like, “Cool! I have never heard of that, didn’t know there was such a thing.” When I talk to former athletes about the field of sport psychology, they usually say something like, “Man, I could have used someone like you back when I was in college/high school/competitive athletics!”
How do we know it works?
1- Because of the high level of success in our athletes – About 75% of our athletes find us through word of mouth referrals! It’s common for us to hold a workshop for a team or group and then have some athletes come to see us individually afterwards. All of our consultants have playing, coaching, and parenting experience so we really relate to each athlete. The majority of our athletes report improvement in confidence, control, focus, performance and more after meeting with us.
2- Because of our relationships. We have been working for numerous years with organizations like University of Portland, Wilson High School baseball, Windell’s Academy, Tualatin Hills United Soccer Club, and the Portland Timbers and Thorns RTC program. These organizations highly value the mental game for their organization, teams, coaches, parents, and of course their athletes, and have included SPINw as a key component of their success.
3 – Because we are seeing it more and more in the pros, as I wrote about last year. Performance in sports can be broken down into 4 main “pillars:” Technical, Tactical, Physical, and Mental. Players must be proficient in each area to perform at their maximum. As the level of play rises, the differences between them become smaller and smaller, and in most cases, the difference between being a good player and a great player is in the mental game. Be on the look out in the next month reading the sports page or Sports Illustrated or watching ESPN, and notice how often “Mental Toughness” or “an emotional win” or “mental mistakes” come up. Sport psychology works because it gives athletes the tools to gain an advantage in this area of sports.
Let SPINw work for you! Contact us to talk about how we can help your athlete, coach, team, or organization today.
