The life of an athlete can be a very challenging lifestyle with all the gruesome training and pressure to compete at a high level. As many athlete’s know too well, hundreds of hours are spent on perfecting their craft such as shooting a basketball, or hitting a baseball, or even trying to break their record in the 100 meter sprint. To help meet their goals, athletes hire personal trainers to help with their speed, strength, agility, and just for overall athleticism. However, the most important trainer for an athlete is a sports psychologist.

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In professional sports, athletes can feel the praise of a fan base that supports them because they play for their team. With that comes the loud boos and hate from fans of opposing fan bases or the loud haters who only want them to fail. To cope with all of the pressure of being a professional athlete, many turn to sports psychologists who guide them to be calm and focused on their competition and not on impressing or failing the fans.

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The job of a sports psychologist is to help athletes focus on having a positive mindset about themselves and their approach to playing the game. Just ask Russell Wilson, Quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks, who speaks highly about his sports psychologist “Trevor really challenges me mentally, gives me visions of where I want to go and who I want to be and how I want to do it.” Sessions such as the one Russell Wilson describes with his sports psychologists will consist of athletes discovering their Athlete’s Mental Aptitude Profile or (AMAP), which informs the athlete how strong their perseverance and overall mental competitiveness is. A series of questions are asked about an athlete’s love for the game and for how committed are they to their sport. With these questions, the focus is to help athletes find out what their strengths and weaknesses are mentally and what they can do to improve on the areas of perseverance and mental toughness, and competitiveness. As a competitor, Russell Wilson has won a Super Bowl and has led his team to many wins. He continues to utilize sports psychology as a source for motivation to be the best he can be.

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Russell Wilson, Quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks

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Another great athlete who was benefited from the services of a sports psychologist was Michael Jordan, the hall of fame guard for the Chicago Bulls. Jordan’s psychologist, George Mumford, challenged him to only have positive self-talk throughout his career as basketball player. This challenge became difficult to follow in moments when Jordan was not sure if he could ever win an NBA Championship because he could not overcome the Detroit Pistons during the first half of his career. The defeats to the Pistons left Jordan devastated as he worked hard all those seasons to live up to the potential that he knew he can be. With the help of his psychologist, he learned to focus his attention giving positive energy and relentless effort, “If you are trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” With the positive self-talk sessions that were enforced on Jordan and his drive to be the best player in basketball, Jordan turned his heart breaking moments into a legendary career. His effort and perseverance led him to 6-NBA championships and a total of five MVP awards.

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Michael Jordan, Guard for the Chicago Bulls from 1984-1993, 1995-1998

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There is a popular saying in sports, “Sports don’t build character. They reveal it.” This lies true to sports psychologists who find helping athletes reach their full potential mentally. Take for example Dr. John F. Murray, who has served hundreds of athletes throughout his career, “the problems of your past are your business. The problems of you future are my privilege.” His desire to see the athletes turn their mindset from average to great goes to show how important a

sports psychologist is for an athlete. They can be the ones who shape a healthy competitor in the highly-demanding sports world.

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Sports psychology is a field that is not really much considered by athletes or coaches. This career is built to serve those competitors who need guidance arranging their thoughts and learning to become more positive and mentally tough during struggling times. I wrote this article to raise awareness about the field for not only those who participate in athletics, but for those who are fans of sports. Athletes and coaches feel the pressures of living up to their potential every day. However, the great ones learn to channel their energy to doing their job and focusing on becoming the best version of themselves in their field and life. It is important to note that in sports and in life, ten percent of it is focused on your craft, whether it is playing a sport, teaching a class or building a skyscraper. The rest of it is all mental.

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Article by Jimmy Montoya