The Sports Mastermind

The Focus four for How to build Confidence after a bad practice or competition are:Hit the RESET ButtonBe BETTER THAN YESTERDAYSET REALISTIC GOALSFOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL

This episode starts the 1st of three in the confidence series. This first episode is tailored more for coaches and specifically discusses how to build confidence in your athletes. The second episode will shift back to the athletes perspective. Specifically, how to build confidence after a bad practice or competition. The third episode will go into more detail about self-efficacy, what it is and how it relates to sports and sports confidence.The Focus four for Coaches and how to build confidence in your athletes are:Use psychological skills training skills, such as goal setting, Mental Imagery or Visualization, Positive Self-Talk and focusing on the right thing at the right timeCreate situations within the training environment to provide athletes opportunities for successTake into account individual differences between athletes and help athlete's identify individual strengthsTrack an athlete's progress across time for a visual representation of overall increase in skill level and performance

Hello and welcome back to the sports mastermind. Last week we used PETTLEP to break down serving a ball in beach volleyball. In this final episode of the series, we will be going over the sequence of events leading up to shooting a free throw in basketball. For those of you that are new to the series, see episode 46 for more details on PETTLEP imagery. 

Hello and welcome back to the sports mastermind. This is the FIFTIETH episode today, so I am going to be doing the beach volleyball bonus episode of PETTLEP. Last week we used PETTLEP to break down taking a shot on goal in soccer. This episode we will be going over the sequence of events leading up to serving the ball in beach volleyball. For those of you that are new to the series, see episode 46 for more details on PETTLEP imagery. 

Hello and welcome back to the sports mastermind. Last week we used PETTLEP to break down hitting a pitch in baseball. This episode we will be going over the sequence of events leading up to shooting a penalty kick in soccer. For those of you that are new to the series, see episode 46 for more details on PETTLEP imagery. 

Hello and welcome back to the sports mastermind. Last week we used PETTLEP to break down passing a serve in indoor volleyball. This episode we will be going over the sequence of events leading up to hitting a pitch in baseball. For those of you that are new to the series, see episode 46 for more details on PETTLEP imagery. 

Over the course of the next several weeks, I will be taking one skill and running you through PETTLEP imagery. The series will be as follows: 1. Indoor Volleyball - Passing a serve 2. Baseball - Hitting a pitch 3. Soccer - Taking a shot on Goal 4. Basketball - Shooting a free throw and a Bonus episode: Beach Volleyball - Passing a Serve

In episode 9 we talked about mental imagery in broad terms. Today we are going to break down one specific type - PETTLEP. In this series, we will break down what it is and how to use it. 

How to self-motivate (increasing internal motivation)

How do you motivate a teammate 

How do you stay motivated in difficult situations - Words Matter

Decision-Making when you are learning a new skill

What is your purpose? Finding your ikigai - Maccabi Series Closing Thoughts  

Are YOU a Leader - Maccabi Series

It's Not Fair! - Maccabi Series

Strategies for Working with Mixed skill levels from the coach perspective - Maccabi Series

Making the most of a new experience

What is your compliment sandwich made of? - Effective coach communication.

Communicating with your coach when you think they're wrong

Communicating with teammates during critical moments

Communication with a teammate in partner sports

How to reward yourself for reaching goals

When and how to reevaluate your goal

Welcome to our first in a series of 3 podcasts on goal setting. In this week's topic, we will be discussing what a realistic goal is, why it is important to set realistic goals and how you know if your goal is realistic.

No more eligibility - now what? Transitioning past your Senior Sport Season

In this episode Laura looks closely at strategies for managing emotions.

Imagine playing with people that are not supportive. Would you have fun? And then, if you knew the people you were playing or training with were not going to be supportive and you were to adjust your expectations, would it help? Would it matter if you were winning or losing? How do you find the balance between good competition and a positive experience. 

In this third episode in the Injury Miniseries Laura will lay out ways to support injured athletes

In this episode Laura gives you a plan for returning to training after an injury

First in a three part series on mental strategies for dealing with injuries.

In this episode Laura discusses mindfulness and a few keys to help you integrate it into your daily practice.

In this episode Laura discusses best practices for dealing with uncertainty in sports and life.

A discussion of coaching styles, which is right and which is most effective.

Whether you are new to sport and athletics or a seasoned pro learning from your peers and those who have gone before you can be an invaluable asset.

In this episode Laura details what you can expect when meeting with a mental coach in a team setting.

What is a one on one mental coaching session like? Laura breaks down the process for what to expect when meeting with a mental training professional

Are you still enjoying your sport? How do you keep your head up and focused on getting better every single day.Welcome to The Sports Mastermind, where we work to bring Sports Psychology to every athlete in simple and straightforward language in less than ten minutes. 

In this episode Laura delves into team dynamics and helps you better understand how they work and how you can master them.

Relaxation, what is it? Why is it important? When and how do you do it? In this episode Laura breaks down relaxation and provides the steps to integrate it into your training.

You may have heard the term psychological skills training or P S T, but what is PST really? In this episode Laura goes into detail and outlines what PST is and gives you the tools to begin to add it into your training.

What is communication? How do you communicate? Communication is defined as passing on information from one place person or group to another. We communicate all the time and in many different ways. We talk to our coaches and to our teammates at practice. In this episode Laura breaks down the types of communication and how you can master them.

In this episode Laura breaks down Sports Leadership

Laura details how to give 100% even when you feel less than your best.

Laura provides the best advice on getting yourself ready for tryouts

Utilizing the ability of the mind to practice specific skills, away from the practice field, is a key component of every top performer. In this weeks episode Laura will show you how to add Mental Imagery into your daily training routine for success in whatever sport you play.

Third in the Olympic Series looking at the best ways to handle pressure situations in sport.

What exactly is a preperformance routine and how do you develop one to get you in the right mindset to perform at your best?  In this second episode of our Olympic Series Laura details the steps to develop your own, personal, preperformace routine.

Olympic Series: 1 - Competition - How to increase situation specific competition and what to do when you or your athletes are struggling with competitiveness

What is Confidence in sport and how do you master it? Join Laura as she lays out the four key steps to integrate Confidence into your daily practice and move yourself to the next level in sport.

Focus and Concentration are two of the most challenging areas of the mental side in any sport.  At any given time on the practice court or in live games there are hundreds of things trying to get your attention. Trying to take your focus off the routine, or shot, or the touch of the ball.  How do you stay in the moment? How do you deal with distractions? What tools are there to help you get better at focus and concentration? How can you learn to see past these distractions and perform at your best no matter the venue?On the podcast this week our resident expert Laura Ratto will look in depth at Focus and Concentration. Two often overlooked and oversimplified challenges athletes face in performing their best. Laura will lay out the techniques and habits you can put into practice today to begin to master Focus and Concentration in your game.

In this episode Laura gets into the often ignored subject of self-talk and lays out specific steps for everyone to get all the voices in your head going in the same direction. This is a critical component of success in sport and life and these step by step instructions will prove valuable no matter your age, your sport or how much training you've had.