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Head Games
by Paul Spicer
Ask a room full of athletes -- from elite super-heroes to the average Joe -- the secret to top sport performance and you’ll get a barrage of different answers. Listen closely, however, and you’re likely to hear one common theme: Ramp up your mental game.
“I see athletes from a wide variety of sports,” says Blackmer. “Right
now I’m seeing a diver, a swimmer, a field hockey player, softball
player, tennis player, and someone who runs track and field.”
Article updated: 7/29/2010 5:27:54 PM
But here’s the rub, while almost everyone recognizes that the psychology of sport is key to success, only a handful of us actually know what mental skills to practice or how to practice them. That’s where Dana Blackmer, Ph.D., CC-AASP comes into play. Blackmer, founder of the sport psychology consulting business, The Extra Gear, is one of the Commonwealth’s only consultants certified by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology.
With over twenty years experience in clinical psychology, Blackmer began to note a growing need for sports psychology in Greater Richmond for athletes at all stages of the game. “There are two general misunderstandings about sport psychology,” explains Blackmer. “First, this is not about working with crazy athletes. And second, sport psychology is not just for elite or pro athletes.”
Blackmer, who is also an adjunct faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Sport Leadership Center, has stayed at the forefront of sports psychology in our area by giving clinics on mental skills for peak sport performance, serving as a certified USA Cycling coach, and assisting athletes who range from teens preparing for college sports to Masters-level athletes recovering from injury.
“I see athletes from a wide variety of sports,” says Blackmer. “Right now I’m seeing a diver, a swimmer, a field hockey player, softball player, tennis player, and someone who runs track and field.”
By enlisting the help of a certified consultant, Blackmer says that athletes can acquire practical, research-based mental training techniques. “There are no magic bullets,” he explains, “no empty promises or one-size-fits-all training plans.” Instead, Blackmer utilizes pragmatic mental training tactics that can quickly be applied to any sport at any level.
“A good consultant,” says Blackmer, “always uses scientifically-tested training procedures such as goal-setting, thought control strategies, imagery, and intensity regulation techniques.” As for the end result, Blackmer says “athletes can learn to sharpen their concentration, strengthen their motivation, excel under pressure, and overcome setbacks.”
In order to increase the overall understanding of sport psychology Blackmer is offering the Richmond area a library of free videos, training articles, 4-week training plans (on his web site and on YouTube), and newsletters to improve mental toughness.
“Like physical skills, mental abilities are determined from a combination of what you are born with and what you do with your abilities,” says Blackmer. “While some athletes may naturally have greater focus self-confidence, all athletes can improve on their mental abilities with practice.”
Got Motivation? Here are Dr. Blackmer’s Quick Tips:
Set Goals Write down your ultimate goals for this season, and then list all the things you have to do now to reach them. Post your list on the refrigerator or bathroom mirror.
Remember Your Passion Think hard about why you compete, what you love about it, what really gets you psyched up. Get as vivid an image of this in your head as you can and call it up anytime you need a little push to go out and train.
Get A Partner It’s more difficult to miss a training session if you’ve planned to train with someone else. Get a training partner or do group training to keep one another motivated.
Sing A Song Music can be very motivating. Find a high-octane song that gets your heart pounding, and then set your alarm to play the song in the morning to get you pumped up when you’re feeling flat.
Think Positive Think of an inspiring phrase that goes along with your music and the image you created that represents your passion about your sport. Repeat this phrase to yourself whenever the couch looks more inviting than the gym.
Article first appeared in SBQ Issue #14, May/June | 2010
