Exercise Science

From the Editor: Brainspotting is an emerging treatment modality used by a growing collection of mental health practitioners originally designed and developed for treating trauma – including, but not limited to, sports trauma.  Sports like gymnastics, diving, cheer competitions and the like have gained notoriety for some of the problems these athletes have developed...
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There are many features that make PETTLEP a fully functional aspect of mental conditioning especially for athletes of sports that require fine motor coordination (aka. gymnastics, diving, high jumpers, pole vaulters etc).  However, it should also be known that even endurance athletes can employ methods that reinforce the experience of “going with the flow”...
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Thanks to Dan Peterson from 80percent mental – for his great interview with Peter Vint Peter Vint is the High Performance Director for the United States Olympic Committee. His responsibilities include leading and coordinating the efforts of sport science and medical professionals focused on the Olympic sports of swimming, track and field, shooting, equestrian,...
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by Stephen Walker, PhD, CC-AASP, USOC Registry of Sport Psychologists People have a pretty clear understanding that to succeed in sports at the highest level one must be committed, have a clear understanding of the task at hand, and marshal their resources effectively if they are to achieve their potential and perform their best. ...
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There are dozens of highlights at every AASP conference and they include the great research presented, successes recognized, new horizons pursued by people who almost without exception favor the tenets of positive psychology in practice.  One of the most insightful experiences in this meeting came from Jim Loehr, EdD, CEO of the Human Performance...
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By Dr. Stephen Walker Do you get uncontrollable “jitters” prior to competing?  Do you sometimes want to throw up before a race? The “Centering Breath” is a stress control technique employed to reduce an individual’s experience of nervousness and/or anxiety and enable them to “control” how much their ‘butterflies’ affect them. This article provides...
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Kristen Dieffenbach PhD is an assistant professor of athletic coaching education at West Virginia University. She has a Ph.D. in exercise science with an emphasis in exercise and sport psychology from the University of North Carolina – Greensboro and is an Association of Applied Sport Psychology certified consultant. Currently she serves as advisory board...
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