SPA 042: Why You Are Not Crazy to See a Sports Psychologist
Guys who might not be superstars but because of their hustle, because of the little things they do, these are the guys who can really mean the difference between winning and losing.
Dwayne Wade
As mentioned, for these few episodes, I will bring you guys back to basics with the works of your mind to bring benefit to your sport and life.
Have you heard of this saying: “Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist oughta have their head examined.”
This classic joke underscores the unfortunate, still-alive social stigma that people who seek mental help must either be inept, inherently mentally weak or just plain crazy. Athletes who see sports psychologists are sometimes ridiculed and are thought to lack the proper innate mental capabilities — the “right stuff”. In some sports, athletes who use sports psychologists are actually ostracized.
This negative, critical approach is incredibly sad. It’s also incorrect and ignorant.
It shows an amazing lack of knowledge about the wide-ranging extent sports psychologists are embraced by many, many athletes — from beginners to champions — in almost every sport in the world. It also maintains age-old destructive myths and misunderstandings about the value and workings of the sport psychology field.
This show’s purpose is to help athletes, parents and coaches understand and come to terms with their reluctance to utilize the services of sports psychologists. It dispels many of the myths that surround what happens in a sports psychology coaching session and explains the benefits of working with a sports psychologist.
Be mindful that top pro golf stars like Ernie Els, Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam, Mark O’Meara, Greg Norman, David Duval, Vijay Singh and Jack Nicklaus all have used, or are currently using sports psychologists on their coaching teams.
In fact the list is long including pro-game players as follows: Steve Elkington, Denis Watson, Kirk Triplett, Dave Stockton, Lee Janzen, Cameron Beckman, Brandie Burton, Stephen Ames, Chip Beck, Davis Love III, Nick Price, Brad Faxon, John Daly, Brian Barnes, Christian Cevaer, Hollis Stacy, Beth Daniel, Woody Austin, Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington, Michael Campbell, Frank Lickliter II, Fred Funk, E.J. Pfister, Kirk Triplett, Scott McCarron, Payne Stewart, Corey Pavin, Ben Crenshaw, Bob Estes, Donna Andrews, Justin Leonard, Hank Kuehne, Michelle McCann, Brandi Burton, Mark McCumber, Rachael Teske, Ju-Yun Kim, Nancy Scranton, Bill Glasson, Brian Gay, Charles Howell III, Ty Tryon, Luke Donald, Jim Carter, Frank Nobilo, David Morland IV, John Cook, David Frost, Mike Grob, David Ogrin, Matt Weibring, Gary Nicklaus, Billy Andrade and Stewart Cink.
I want to be honest with you that this particular content did not come from me but republished from William B. Cole’s article. He has already done the hard work to come up with this. Thank you William. I think most of what he did is valuable for you to understand first before we dive even deeper to the mindful strategies I will be sharing more in future episodes.
Find out more at StarPlayerAcademy.com/42
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