The Sport Psychology Of

What common obstacles do parents face as they guide a young athlete throughout their career?

How can parents better manage the gut wrenching feeling of watching their children lose and fail?

What are fragile perfects, and how can parents avoid raising someone who’s vulnerable to adversity?

What are the pros and cons to participation trophies in youth sports?

How can a parent stay composed on the sideline and not add to the stress their child is experiencing?

To help me answer these questions today is Elliott Waksman, who is a Certified Consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and has consulted with professional organizations, NCAA teams, and thousands of athletes, including Olympians, professional athletes and student-athletes in youth sports, high school, and college. His time in the trenches with those high performers confirmed his philosophy that developing mental skills, like resiliency, optimism, focus, and confidence helps everyone perform better, regardless of the stage. Elliott, based out of Portland, Oregon, has worked in the field of sport & performance psychology since 2010, helping individuals and groups boost their mental toughness.

Elliott's website: https://portlandsportpsychology.com/

Here's a direct link to Elliott's workbook: https://portlandsportpsychology.com/waksmans-workbook/

Timestamps are below, enjoy!

(00:00) Episode introduction

(01:55) Introduction to Elliott Waksman

(04:24) Common obstacles parents in athletics

(15:48) Fragile perfects

(17:08) Unconditional love facilitating intrinsic motivation

(24:00) Scholarship mythbusting

(29:19) Participation trophy pros and cons

(38:58) Parenting from the sidelines during games

(44:49) Action Items

(45:10) Mantra (self-talk)

(47:04) Fostering motivation, avoiding burnout

(53:51) Controlling the controllables

(57:10) Reinforcing a growth mindset

(01:05:40) Postgame parenting

(01:12:29) Action items recap

(01:15:32) Outro

Follow The Sport Psychology Of on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to watch clips from each episode, including video. 

Email Gabe at [email protected] for any feedback or questions regarding the podcast.

Interested in taking your mental game to the next level? Try out 1 on 1 sport psychology coaching with Gabe Zelico by visiting my website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.zelicoperformance.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and sign up for a free introductory call. 

Music by Ben Zelico.

Disclaimer: The Sport Psychology Of podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not represent mental health care services, including the giving of mental health care advice. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining mental health care for any condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

Liz Robakiewicz gives insight on how to practice values, the mental skills and mindsets enhanced through this work, and how values help athletes trust themselves.

Liz is the owner of Momentum Mental Performance based out of Boise, Idaho. She works with youth and adult athletes across all sports, as well as stock market traders to leverage their strengths and values toward improved mindset and performance.

Liz's website: https://www.momentummp.com/

Timestamps are below, enjoy.

(00:00) Episode introduction

(01:09) Introduction to Liz Robakiewicz 

(05:01) What is a value?

(06:27) How to live through your values

(08:51) How to learn what you value

(15:54) Can you change what you value?

(22:06) Do athletes become complacent through values work?

(24:49) What mental skills and mindsets are enhanced through practicing values?

(26:55) Focus

(29:07) Motivation

(32:22) Resilience

(34:57) How athletes learn to trust themselves through values

(36:21) Differences between individuals and teams discovering their values

(38:39) How coaches determine team values

(41:52) What if a player doesn’t connect with their team’s values?

(44:19) Standout differences between two athletes, where one has done their values work, and the other hasn't

(49:06) Action items

(49:18) Training awareness of your values so you can put them into action

(54:15) Plan to respond to adversity through values

(55:00) Outro

Follow @thesportpsychologyof on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠. Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ to watch clips from each episode, including video. 

Email Gabe at [email protected] for any feedback or questions regarding the podcast.

Interested in taking your mental game to the next level? Try out 1 on 1 sport psychology coaching with Gabe Zelico by visiting my website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.zelicoperformance.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ and sign up for a free introductory call. 

Music by Ben Zelico.

Disclaimer: The Sport Psychology Of podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not represent mental health care services, including the giving of mental health care advice. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining mental health care for any condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

Jon Osborn and I dive deep into different mental skills and how they boost your mental game at the free-throw line.

Some topics we discuss include

Jon graduated from the University of Utah in 2017 with a Masters in Sport & Performance Psychology. As a professional, Jon works to improve mental toughness through the use of mental skills. Jon teaches memorable lessons & techniques to help others be more resilient, in control, and confident. Jon helped found RJ Performance Group in 2020 and works there as a Mental Performance Coach. He works with Real Salt Lake, Utah State & Westminster Athletics, Legacy Power, as well as several high school athletes. Prior to working for RJ Performance Group, Jon was employed in the education sector working as an administrator at Utah Virtual Academy. 

Timestamps are below, enjoy!

(00:00) Episode introduction

(01:56) Introduction to Jon Osborn

(07:35) Mental obstacles shooters face:

(07:55) Distractions

(17:23) Self-doubt/negative self-talk

(23:36) Thinking in the past/future

(33:20) Mental skills to boost your mental game at the line

(33:30) Awareness

(36:48) Imagery/visualization/Mental rehearsal

(50:10) Self-talk

(01:01:51) Relaxation techniques

(01:10:40) Pre-shot routine

(01:15:42) Guidelines for developing your pre-shot routine

(01:18:31) Examples of how to incorporate these mental skills into a pre-shot routine

(01:29:41) Outro

RJ Performance Group's Website

Jon's Instagram, Twitter

Follow @thesportpsychologyof on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠. Find us on ⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠ to watch clips from each episode, including video. 

Email Gabe at [email protected] for any feedback or questions regarding the podcast.

Interested in taking your mental game to the next level? Try out 1 on 1 sport psychology coaching with Gabe Zelico by visiting my website: ⁠⁠⁠www.zelicoperformance.com⁠⁠⁠ and sign up for a free introductory call. 

Music by Ben Zelico.

Disclaimer: The Sport Psychology Of podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not represent mental health care services, including the giving of mental health care advice. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining mental health care for any condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

Aaron Goldman helps us unpack all of the different ways to cultivate fun in sports. He is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant based out of Oregon and is the director of PLAYfree. A former high school and college athlete and longtime youth coach, Aaron collaborates directly with athletes on the development of mental and emotional life skills that help them thrive on and off the field; he also works together with coaches, parents, and program organizers to create safe, supportive, joyful, and developmentally appropriate competitive spaces. 

Timestamps are below, enjoy!

(0:00) Episode introduction

(1:48) Introduction to Aaron Goldman

(4:42) Type 1 fun

(5:30) Type 2 fun

(7:38) How does fun change as athletes age?

(21:59) Cultivating meaning and joy

(29:34) How playing a sport starts to feel like a chore

(31:17) How fun can boost performance

(41:11) How fun can hurt performance and limit potential

(53:45) Should you stay in a sport if you’re lacking joy in it?

(59:44) How values play into cultivating joy and managing burnout

(1:10:47) Healthy competitiveness 

(1:21:53) Compassion, curiosity, and humility facilitating a sense of joy

(1:27:47) Can you fake your way into having fun?

(1:33:20) Action items

(1:33:35) Reframing

(1:35:42) Reinterpreting stress

(1:37:14) Mindfulness 

(1:39:51) Invest in relationships

(1:41:36) Journaling

(1:44:30) Practicing gratitude

(1:48:43) Action items summary

(1:51:42) Outro

Aaron Goldman's website: https://playfreesport.com/

Follow @thesportpsychologyof on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠. Find us on ⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠ to watch clips from each episode, including video. 

Email Gabe at [email protected] for any feedback or questions regarding the podcast.

Interested in taking your mental game to the next level? Try out 1 on 1 sport psychology coaching with Gabe Zelico by visiting my website: ⁠⁠www.zelicoperformance.com⁠⁠ and sign up for a free introductory call. 

Music by Ben Zelico.

Disclaimer: The Sport Psychology Of podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not represent mental health care services, including the giving of mental health care advice. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining mental health care for any condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

Is it possible to get better at creating and sustaining momentum? What about stopping your opponents from gaining it? What is momentum, exactly, and how can we use this knowledge to leverage more control over it?

I’m joined by Mike Howard as we talk all things momentum. You’ll hear answers to questions like

Mike is a native Oregonian who currently lives in Hood River, Oregon. He received his master's degree in Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University and has a background in utilizing sport and performance psychology to not only enhance the performance and well-being of competitive athletes, but also to benefit underserved youth through life-skills development in various urban and rural communities. Mike also has experience working with professional and collegiate athletes, as well as working as a performance and resilience enhancement specialist with the United States Army. Mike is also a registered Certified Mental Performance Consultant with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. 

If you' like to reach out to Mike, his email is [email protected]

Timestamps are below. Enjoy!

(01:38) Introduction to Mike Howard

(04:29) What is momentum

(07:45) The difference in momentum between team and individual sports

(11:09) Short-term and long-term momentum

(15:05) Negative facilitation and positive inhibition

(18:42) Mike discusses his graduate thesis on momentum

(25:03) Is there a difference between synchronicity and alignment within a team?

(27:45) Mental factors that influence momentum

(27:56) Confidence

(31:48) Resilience

(35:33) Motivation

(40:38) Self-talk

(44:19) Flow-state and being present

(49:11) Action items

(49:27) Training awareness

(52:26) Routines

(56:07) Confidence

(57:21) Self-talk

(59:02) Outro

Follow @thesportpsychologyof on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, and ⁠TikTok⁠. Find us on ⁠Youtube⁠ to watch clips from each episode, including video. 

Email Gabe at [email protected] for any feedback or questions regarding the podcast.

Interested in taking your mental game to the next level? Try out 1 on 1 sport psychology coaching with Gabe Zelico by visiting my website: ⁠www.zelicoperformance.com⁠ and sign up for a free introductory call. 

Music by Ben Zelico.

Disclaimer:The Sport Psychology Of podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not represent mental health care services, including the giving of mental health care advice. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining mental health care for any condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

To help me unpack the sport psychology of going to bat with bases loaded is Austin Byler, the Founder and CEO of Major League University, a top-tier mindset and leadership training company for student-athletes, teams, and businesses. Major League University focuses on positively enhancing student-athletes' performance on and off the playing surface through 1on1, team, and group training sessions. Their vision is to positively impact millions of athletes, coaches, and families to become the best version of themselves. 

Timestamps are below, Enjoy!

(00:00) Episode Introduction

(01:34) Introduction to Austin Byler

(03:16) The Sport Psychology Of Going To Bat With Bases Loaded

(06:08) What mental obstacles do batters face?

(08:09) Thinking in the future, and its impact on performance

(11:04) Thinking in the past, and its impact on performance

(14:28) What kind of distractions is a batter vulnerable to?

(18:30) The stress response and how it impacts performance

(23:17) Action Items

(23:38) Mental Rehearsal (Imagery/Visualization)

(29:41) Breathing and how it manages the stress response

(33:53) Body language

(38:13) Reframing thoughts

(43:02) Focal point

(45:11) Pre-hit routine

(48:03) Post-hit routine

(51:29) Action items summary

(53:05) Outro

Follow @thesportpsychologyof on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Find us on Youtube to watch clips from each episode, including video. 

Email Gabe at [email protected] for any feedback or questions regarding the podcast.

Interested in taking your mental game to the next level? Try out 1 on 1 sport psychology coaching with me, Gabe Zelico, by visiting my website: www.zelicoperformance.com and sign up for a free introductory call. 

Music by Ben Zelico

Disclaimer:
The Sport Psychology Of podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not represent mental health care services, including the giving of mental health care advice. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining mental health care for any condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

What to expect in The Sport Psychology Of: questions you'll get answers to, guests you can expect to hear, and a bit more about who I am.

Join me, Gabe Zelico, as I break down the mental side of your favorite sports and strengthen your mental game along the way. 

Follow The Sport Psychology Of on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Find us on Youtube to watch clips from each episode, including video. 

Email Gabe at [email protected] for any feedback or questions regarding the podcast.

Interested in taking your mental game to the next level? Try out 1 on 1 sport psychology coaching with me, Gabe Zelico, by visiting my website www.zelicoperformance.com and sign up for a free introductory call. 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/thesportpsychof

Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_sport_psychology_of?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@thesportpsychologyof

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thesportpsychologyof

Disclaimer:The Sport Psychology Of podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not represent mental health care services, including the giving of mental health care advice. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining mental health care for any condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.