When people talk about baseball they usually mention the physical aspects of the sport such as, hitting, arm-strength, and power. The primary focus of athletes in the past has been to improve their physical game to compete at a higher level. The physical component of the game is so emphasized that a good handful of professional ball players began using illegal performance enhancement supplements to gain a competitive edge. The physical component of baseball is important, but it’s also highly overrated, especially in higher levels of competition. I say this because all professional ball players have the physical tools Sports Psychology Article
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06
Oct
2012
Mental Toughness Makes Olympic Champions
Study shows the right mix of mental toughness makes Olympic champions… Why is it that some sport performers are able to withstand the pressures associated with the Olympics and attain peak performances whereas others succumb to the demands and under-perform? Sport and Performance Psychologists (Dr David Fletcher and Mustafa Sarkar) at Loughborough University aimed to address this question in a recent study by interviewing twelve Olympic champions from a range of sports regarding their experiences of withstanding pressure during their sporting careers. They found that the world’s best athletes shared a unique mental resilience characterized by five key psychological Sports Psychology Article
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17
Sep
2012
Football Mental Toughness
Mental Toughness – Understanding Football Psychology What do, top-level athletes, all have in common? They have mastered the skill of mental toughness and have a strong football mind. An often-asked question is how does mental toughness relate to football? Firstly, it is important to know that mental toughness is a learned skill, that it is a necessity for all athletes to master and needs to be trained as frequently and seriously as you would train your body physically. This skill allows athletes to remain calm under pressure, not be affected by an opponent’s size, reputation or team, to be Sports Psychology Article
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11
Mar
2011
The Mental Game of Golf
Golf is a mental game, especially at the higher levels. This is why it’s important for golfer’s to develop a strong inner game or mental toughness. You see players all the time who have “great talent”, but rarely play up to their potential. The problem is that golfers are not educated about the mental game mostly because their instructors or coaches didn’t stress the importance of mental toughness when their student’s were learning to play. In Golf your decisions, thoughts, images, and feelings set up each swing. Mental training helps players develop key mental skills to compliment the mechanics Sports Psychology Article
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