What is Sport Psychology?

The field of sport psychology has exploded over the past 20 years. Sport psychologists now work with athletes from the youth sport to professional and Olympic levels. Unfortunately, most people don’t really know what sort psychology is or what sport psychologists do.  Sport psychology is really a field that has two basic aspects:

1. The effect of psychological factors on sport performance (e.g., confidence, anxiety, motivation, concentration, mental preparation). Most coaches and athletes are particularly interested in this area as they strive for excellence and attempt to reach their potential.

2. The effect of participation in sport or exercise and how that affects a person psychologically. For example, many people participate in sport and exercise to enhance self-esteem, improve confidence, reduce anxiety, build discipline, and just “to feel better.” Unfortunately, at times participation has a negative effect on a person psychologically (e.g., burnout, reduced self-esteem, lowered confidence, increased anxiety)

In terms of what sport psychologists’ do, the focus is on building mental skills to enhance  sport performance as well as improve psychological well-being. These mental skills can help athletes control their thoughts and emotions and thus perform at their best in most situations.  Some of these mental skills include the following:

• concentration
• anxiety management
• mental preparation
• confidence
• goal setting
• routines
• self-talk
• thought stopping
• decision-making

In essence, we are not psychiatrists and we don’t treat mental disorders. We work with “normal” individuals and help them reach their potential and become exceptional. More specifically, sport psyhchology can help you improve your own performance whle also help make you more successful in competition.

Before having you learn more about sport psychology, let me tell you a little about myself. My name is Dr. Robert Weinberg or" "Dr.Bob" as many of my clients call me. I live in the Cincinnati, Ohio area although I work with clients from all over the country.  If you're like some of my clients who live far from Cincinnati, we  can arrange a 1-2 Day intensive session and then follow-up with phone calls and e-mails. I understand that successful athletes surround themselves with specialists to help them reach their potential.  One of these speciality areas is sport psychology and developing mental skills. This has been shown to be essential for performance excellence. This is where I can help you.

 You can call me at 513 702-9002 or 513 529-2728 to explore your interests further.  Some of my background is listed below 

The Mental Advantage was founded by Robert Weinberg, PhD, who has approximately 30 years of experience consulting with elite performers in a wide variety of areas in both sport and business, developing mental skills to enhance performance and personal growth.   Some specific credentials and accomplishments include the following:

•  Voted on of the top 10 sport psychologists in North America by peers

•  Certified Consultant, Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology

•  Sport Psychology Registry - United States Olympic Committee

•  Past President  (a) Association for the Applied Sport Psychology, (b) North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity, and  (c) Sport Psychology Academy

•  Author - 8 books including the most popular sport psychology text in the world (Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology) and over 125 articles in scholarly refereed journals

•  Fellow - American Psychological Association; Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology ; American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education

More About Sport Psychology and gaining the Mental Advantage

Performers in all fields (not just sports) are always looking for an advantage over their competition. Gaining The Mental Advantage will help both individuals and teams reach their goals and maximize their performance while achieving personal growth. Specifically, we work with individuals and/or teams to develop a comprehensive mental training program and psychological skills to help them more consistently reach peak performance.

The Mental Advantage creates environments where  individual performers teams/organizations can achieve their goals and aspirations, and thus perform up to their highest potential.

Research and practice has clearly revealed that the people who become most successful, are the ones who are not only physically/technically competent, but also have the mental skills to complement and supplement their physical skills. This notion has  led hundreds of athletes/teams and corporations to employ consultants to help function and perform at a higher level. This involves an understanding of human performance and the psychology of excellence, which is our specialty.

Athletes/ Teams and Corporations/Managers can expect the following benefits from training through The Mental Advantage

•  Increased performance

•  More effective coping with stress

•  Improved motivation

•  Enhanced confidence

•  Improved communication and decision-making

•  Higher energy levels

•  Improved focus of attention

•  Increased loyalty and retention

Individualized to the needs of particular individuals and groups/teams, The Mental Advantage can provide Workshops/Presentations, Mental Skills (One-to-One Consulting), and Coaching of High Performance Teams