Mind Over Body Athletics, LLC

Sport Psychology Consulting, Personal (Sport Specific) Training & Sport Injury Prevention

Services

Sport Psychology Consulting/Coaching

Adapting sport psychology principles to assist with the extensive knowledge that Laura possess’ assures:

Anxiety reduction

Better concentration

Confidence building

*Athletes will be educated on the mental components of sport psychology as well as the physical fundamentals that may have broken down somewhere in competition. Other strengths are assistance with transition. When any athlete’s transitions out of sport from injury and or/through retirement it is difficult. Even a simple transition from grade school sports to high school or high school to college. All transitions are stressful and with this stress can come possible injury, poor performance or undue anxiety.

Services Rendered: For Teams and Individuals

Lectures/Presentations
Phone consultations
On site (in Person) or Video analysis- to determine body language and concentration breakdowns.
Summary of activity during play will be documented and discussed upon the appointment with the athlete or client. All athletes and clients are treated as individual and all programs and/or assessment completely unique to each athlete/client.

This service does provide:

Relaxation/Anxiety Management
Dealing with Injury
Imagery
Goal Setting
Mental Training
Self-Talk
Slump Busting
Mental Toughness
Smooth Transitions

Other Offerings:
Basketball clinics, one on one training: build on the fundamentals of basketball while learning proper techniques of ball handling and shooting.

Laura Teaches basketball players the ins and outs of the game as well as the mental strategies necessary to utilize as part of the game...

Sport Injury Prevention Programs

Personal Training: This program is open to athletes and non-athletes. Personal training consists of a combination of exercises to increase flexibility, strength, muscular and cardiovascular endurance.

Knee Injury Prevention Program: This is a program used for the prevention of knee injuries in basketball and soccer. It consists of a series of exercises to strengthen and train areas that are proven to decrease the chances of an ACL injury, as well as increasing lower extremity and core strength.

Team Speed/Agility Training: This program focuses on the physical and physiological development of athletes for sport performance. A properly structured and progressed exercise regimen will help athletes become faster, stronger, and more flexible. The overall goal of these sessions is strength, endurance, and injury prevention.

Hip/Core Conditioning Program-

Developed to improve endurance and function of lumbar and abdominal musculature

Designed to increase core and hip strength and reduce the likelihood of injury in athletics

COMPLETELY DEPENDANT UPON NEEDS OF THE CLIENT/ATHLETE
This Service is not just geared to the athlete anyone who wants to get back into shape... private training is available. Small group classes are offered.

WILL COME TO YOUR HOME....

Psychology in Sports FAQ's

Frequently asked questions about Sports Psychology

What Role do Sport Psychology Consultants play in the lives of athletes?

Help athletes to enhance their performance by improving their mental well-being.
Educating coaches, athletes, physical therapists and certified athletic trainers about basic psychological techniques that may contribute to enhance performance
Working directly with athletes helping them to cope with stresses and improve their athletic performance.
Help them overcome their anxieties and stresses with performance
Assist them to cope with an injury, transitions and end of career.

What/Who can hurt athletes mentally?

A parent or coach who does not foster a positive environment.
Negative Role Modeling
One thing that should not be focused upon as cause of failure is the lack of ability. Only lack of effort should be discussed.
Placing unnecessary pressure on their children.
Dealing with injury worse than their child.
Pushing them too much…

What can parental pressure do to athletes?

Parents sometimes do not understand the stress placed upon their children just from their expectations.
Place unnecessary anxiety on them which in turn can cause them to loss self esteem, become depressed and/or be more susceptible to anxiety.
Make them possibly quit (just out of spite).

*****Remember Coaches teach and Parents ENCOURAGE!!!******

What can parents do to help their children?

Parents need to recognize their behaviors and assist in the cognitive development of their children though positive reinforcement no matter how good or bad their performance.
Know when to be involved and when not to be.
Realize it is their child's time to be an athlete and to be careful not to try and live vicariously through their children. This could cause pressure on the child and they may participate in sports for the wrong reasons.
By recognizing the difference between excessive anxiety and butterflies and assist their children with different techniques to alleviate such stress.
Make special efforts to stress your child's strengths

What can athletes do to build their own self-confidence?

Choose a highly skilled role model to emulate
Use cognitive strategies- mental training or techniques such as positive self talk, mental imagery and thought stopping (stop negative self-talk)
Be ready-nothing builds self-confidence like preparation. Learning from past mistakes, listening to coaches instruction, being in excellent physical condition
Have fun!!!
Learn more about sport psychology.

What is Mental Toughness and how do you get it?

Being mentally tough is the ability to consistently perform at your best regardless of the expected or unexpected competitive circumstances.
Toughness training is being able to increase your ability to handle all different kinds of stress.
The key to it is to be able to recover from stressful events.
It is also staying positive in all aspects from emotionally to mentally to the self talk generated in your own thoughts.
Be physically ready… If you are not, then your mind will break down…
Mental toughness= physical + mental … The two MUST go hand in hand.

Do you get enough SLEEP?

Sleep is key to performance

"MOST STUDENTS ARE CHRONICALLY SLEEP DEPRIVED"

What can be done to assist an athlete in regulating stress (ors)?

Coaches and/or parents should be careful not to over react to an athlete's mistakes… this may cause the athlete to lose concentration.
Mental Plans-Preparation is the key.
Being in condition.

How to cope with day to day pressure?

Anxiety is due to Athletes fear failure and as a result social disapproval and or rejection from coaches, teammates and/or peers.
Concerns of expectations from others

show techniques that assist with anxiety or nervousness

Relaxation Techniques

Helping athletes relax has been recognized as a way to help them alleviate stress and cope with the demands of sport and sport injury
There are many different ways in which to relax
Dependent on individual
Examples:
      Relaxing breathing
      Imagery
      Muscle relaxation
Distractions: find a distraction that takes you away from the pressure of constant thought of competition.

Mental Training/Imagery

Also known as visualization, mental imagery, or mental rehearsal
Can be used to alleviate stress, reduce pain, or to improve performance
Picturing themselves performing athletic tasks in games and competitions first as themselves and then as a spectator.
Get into a comfortable position in a quiet environment.
Create a motion picture in your mind of performing a task perfectly.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

One of the most common methods used to help athletes relax

The routine consists of a series of muscle contractions and relaxations

A muscle group is contracted at 100% effort for about 5 sec and then relaxed for about 20 sec.

The athlete should also concentrate on rhythmical, deep breathing.

What makes an athlete successful?

Unique habits they perform before and during the contest
Mental rehearsal
Strategies before competition
Do not fear their opponent…
Being prepared
Cope better with pain during competition as well as sport related stress
IT IS ALL A STATE OF MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EMPOWER YOURSELF NOT OTHERS!!!!!!

References:

Brewer, B. A., M., & VanRaalte, J. (2005). Psychological apsects of sport injury rehabilitation: Toward a biopsychosocial approach., Springfield College.

Brewer, B. W., Jeffers, K. E., Petitpas, A. J., & Van Raalte, J. L. (1994). "Perceptions of psychological interventions in the context of sport injury rehabilitation " The Sport Psychologist 8: 176-188.

Brewer, B. W., Jeffers, K. E., Petitpas, A. J., & Van Raalte, J. L. (1994). "Perceptions of psychological interventions in the context of sport injury rehabilitation " The Sport Psychologist 8: 176-188.

Cox, R. H. (2002). Sport psychology: Concepts and applications. New York, NY, McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Cramer, J. L., & Perna, F. M. (2000). "Psychology/counseling: A universal competency in athletic training." Journal of Athletic Training 35(4): 458-465.

Evans, L., Hardy, L., & Fleming, S. (2000). Intervention strategies: With injured athletes An Action research study. The Sport Psychologist, 14, 188-206.

Heil, J. (1993). Psychology of sport injury. Champaign: IL; Human Kinetics.

Leddy, Lambert & Oles (December, 1994). Psychological consequences of athletic injury among high level competitors." Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 65, 347-354.

MacNeil, K. (2001). A look into the needs of injured athletes: Implications and recommendations as retrieved from www.planetfield hockey.com on February 8th, 2008.

Murphy, S. M. (1995). Sport psychology interventions. Champaign, IL, Human Kinetics.

Schwenz, S. (2002). "Psychology of Injury and Rehabilitation." Athletic Therapy Today(6): 44-45.

Taylor, J., & Taylor, S. (1997). Psychological Approaches to Sports Injury and Rehabilitation Aspen: CO Aspen Publishers.

Weiss-Bjornstal, D., Smith.A., Schaffer, S., & Morrey, M. (1998). An integrated model of response to injury. Psychological and sociological dynamics. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 10, 66-69.