By Cheryl Coker, Ph.D, New Mexico State University, appearing in the Mind Games section of the USOC Olympic Coach E-Magazine, Winter 2008 issue. Here’s the link to the issue.
The importance of providing athletes feedback regarding their performance is without question. Unfortunately, a number of feedback traps exist that coaches can fall into. These traps reduce […]

If you have ever heard an interview with a winner on the PGA or LPGA Tour, at some time in the interview you will hear them describe how they just kept to their routine. They might say, “I was able to stay focused on each shot and stuck to my routine”. With all the distractions […]

We’ve all seen athletes performing ritual movements before competition and have heard stories about the baseball player with his lucky socks or the hockey player with his favorite stick. In fact, in pro sports, superstition and ritual is widespread and considered normal. To the onlooker, it may seem silly and strange, but if you consider […]