Welcome to the home of CGSA Sport Psychology!
John Scott (CGSA Coach & Sport Psychology Coach)
What is sport psychology?
Many athletes, coaches, and parents are now asking this question. Why are so many professional elite athletes and teams utilizing sport psychology?
The answer is:
Sport psychology is the understanding of the cognitive effect on physical performance and behavior in sport. Sport Psychology allows the individual to understand and re-learn mental scripts that initiate physical performance. Technical, tactical, coaching methods, exercise science etc. have all been utilized to enhance performance, and sport psychology is the next emerging field to have an effect on increasing athletic performance.
The increased demand of competition on athletes has led to increased heart rate, feelings of pressure, stress, loss of focus, diminished concentraion, physical complaints, and cold sweats etc. All these responses can negatively affect performance. Sport Psychology utilizes many tools and frameworks that tackle these ’typical’ responses and can also enhance performance.
As a coach, athlete, or parent, have you ever noticed within teams or athletes; trouble staying focused throughout a game, a lack of confidence, starting a game slow, performing well for periods of the game but not the whole game, performing against ’good’ opposition and not performing against ’poor’ opposition, inconsistent performance, choking under pressure, communication problems, athletes getting upset or mis-understanding your feedback, loss of concentration, over aggressive behavior, not understanding tactics, or being easily distracted? Sport Psychology can improve all these areas and help the athlete gain a winning edge that everybody talks about.
"The greatest discovery...is that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives" (William James).
Current Topics (Updated Bi-weekly):
Many questions emerge concerning the rise of violent behavior in professional and college sport. Is it because athletes are more aggressive, society more dysfunctional, rewarded by fans and coaches, it is macho, it is true aggression, what sport stars do, infantile, or something we accept ?
First aggression and assertiveness must be distinguished, aggression by definition includes a willingness or intent to inflict harm. An answer that could explain the emerging phenomenon could be the Revised Fustration-Agression theory (Berkowitz, Baron & Richardson). This would explain that athletes are becoming frustrated through goal blockage (not performing as they wish or as successfully), becoming more aroused (pain and anger emotions possibly), they then view aggression as acceptable to display, and react in a socially learned form. This leads them to react aggressively in sport in the professional setting and within the game. Hence, now that it has emerged in professional sport athletes replicate it in other professional and college sports, as it is socially acceptable and re-enforcing. So from a Basketball team acting aggressively in Indiana, we have a college football team from the South, other individual college players, and another Basketball team from Denver doing the same! So if we accept it, view it, and re-enforce it, youth players will view it as socially acceptable, and inevitably display similar forms of aggression in sport.
Burnout:
As we approach a spring season of soccer with CGSA, burnout becomes an issue. Why do so many athletes peak through
middle school and high school but then their development deteriorates? This could be a symptom of burnout. Why does your son/daughter excell in one sport for a season and then struggle the next season? This is burnout! Why does your son/daughter become susceptible to injuries or minor injuries? This is burnout! Why does your son/daughter lose interest in sport? This is burnout!
It is important that we monitor how many sports we play this spring. If you are playing three or more sports then you certainly need to monitor your workload and practice schedule. The overload period we do now might not be reactive immediately but could develop in later development at pre-college or college age. The English FA has numerous studies with youth internationals players and has led to academies monitoring and restrictinging a young athletes workload and participation in other sports or teams.
I will be working with CGSA to provide a positive and enhanced environment for coaches and athletes to develop to their full potential. There is no question too small or big. If you are an athlete, coach, or parent please feel free to send an email requesting any information. All inquiries will be dealt with in the strictist of confidentiality!
Resources and responses can be dealt with via Phone, Email, In person, Individual sessions, or Group (team) sessions. There is an enormous resource pool available for all athletes, coaches, and parents, please use it.
Private appointments and sessions are available during the 2007 season.
Sessions involve utilizing psychological skills in technical and tactical applied coaching sessions.
Current Interests: Reaction time differences between Attackers & Defenders in various sports, Coaching communication, goal setting techniques for in-game athletes, concentration & refocus techniques during in-game situations.
Qualifications:
FA Certified Soccer Coach
RFU Certified Rugby Coach
UK Bastketball Certified Coach
FA Sport Psychology of Soccer Awards
FA Injury Prevention Award
BSC Psychology
Currently working toward Graduate Studies in sport psychology
Relevant Experience : Newcastle East End Juniors Soccer Coach U10-16, High School Soccer Coach (St.Mary’s RC Comp, Newcastle), Football in the Community Soccer Coach, Challenger Sport Soccer Camp Director, CGSA coach U12 & U19, and various summer camp coaching clinics.
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