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Struggling
athletes find secret to success is all in their heads
By Kristen Haunss
Sun-Sentinel
Posted February 15 2005
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Vince Spadea had quite a streak going -- eight months and 21 matches
without a win. After peaking at the No. 19 ranking on the ATP Tour
during the 1999 season, the Boca Raton resident started experiencing
tough times and quickly fell to No. 237. In 2001, he decided to seek help. He had heard of sport psychology and read some books on the subject but was skeptical. After reassurances that the field wasn't taboo, he relented and for two years worked with West Palm Beach-based John Murray, concentrating on visualization as well as relaxation and breathing techniques. Spadea is back, having finished the 2004 season ranked No. 19, and was a member of the U.S. Olympic tennis team. Although he no longer sees Murray, he said he continues to utilize some of the techniques he learned. "Anytime you have reinforcement ... it gives you confidence. Different aspects improve," Spadea said. "You go over all of the details in your tennis agendas, mental goals and mental skills, areas that are really important in life. Guidelines and encouragement are things I don't know if anyone can use enough of." In an age of quick gimmicks, flashy products and infomercials promising to make you stronger, happier, quicker and thinner, it's easy to get wrapped up in hype. But for some athletes looking for that extra edge -- dropping a second off their race time, hitting the ball a couple of extra feet, putting flawlessly -- the difference could be in their heads. "You can have the best equipment, can be highly trained, but if you can't pull out your best performance when it counts, the other stuff doesn't matter," said Kirsten Peterson, a sport psychologist with the U.S. Olympic Committee. Sports psychologists can help athletes with their on-field efforts and off-field concerns and with the emotions that accompany injuries. They help athletes learn to focus in high-stress situations and can help teams work on cohesion and communication, all skills transferable to life outside sports. Some also advise businesses and corporations. It is uncertain how many sport psychologists there are in the United States, but the two most prominent sport psychology organizations -- the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology and Division 47 of the American Psychological Association -- have about 2,170 full-time members combined. As the field has increased in prominence and respectability in the past 10 to 15 years, it has attracted the attention of prominent players and teams in major professional leagues, including the Marlins and the Dolphins, as well as the U.S. women's national soccer team. Sport psychology has also found a legion of disciples in Olympians. In research conducted by sport psychologist Dan Gould in conjunction with the USOC, 180 Olympic athletes and 30 Olympic coaches said sport psychology was one of the greatest factors in their success at the Sydney Games in 2000. "It is absolutely an area that gets neglected by many athletes and coaches," said Kimiko Soldati, the 2004 U.S. 3-meter diving champion, who has worked with USOC sport psychologist Peter Haberl, for two years. "When you get to the Olympic trials, the Olympic Games, everyone is physically trained and at the top of their sport. Who mentally can handle the pressure and not get caught up in outside things [will be successful.]" Growing acceptance Many athletes do not talk about their work with sport psychologists and, because of patient confidentiality laws, it is difficult to know when they were first used or how many athletes have used one. According to Frank Webbe, president of Division 47, Coleman Griffith of the University of Illinois is considered the father of North American sport psychology. He first did a major assessment of personality factors for the Chicago Cubs in the early 1920s. However, it was not until the 1960s that modern sports psychology consulting began with Bruce Ogilvie of San Jose State University describing the cause of athletes' problems. Over the next 40 years, more athletes have come forward to acknowledge their work with a sports psychologist. Members of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team said sports psychology contributed to their success, and in 1991 the work of Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz with Jack Llewellyn was highly publicized. Current athletes are seeing and receiving the benefits of sport psychology, in part because the stigma of leather couches and shrinks has been removed. But who are these "head doctors" and what do they do? "I want to improve overall well- being," said Murray, who has worked with members of the Dolphins. "I want that person to be more passionate, more content. I want to help that person grow as an individual and I also want to help that person gain greater success." After an initial evaluation that offers verbal and written feedback, Murray and a client discuss recent performances and the mental aspects related to them. Then they engage in visualization exercises and goal setting. "Part of our job is to help them focus on things they can control, whether it is their performance or preparation," said Doug Gardner, who has worked with the Green Bay Packers and the Boston Red Sox. "Athletes sometimes focus too much on the outcome or end result of what they want and they lose sight of the little things they do or have always done to give them the opportunity to have success." Gardner's sessions generally last about 90 minutes and take place at a sporting venue such as a basketball court or baseball field. He wants athletes to have accountability for their actions and spends much of an initial session asking questions, forcing athletes to think. Finding the focus Cincinnati Reds pitcher Josh Hancock is a believer. "I tell him more than I tell my girlfriend," Hancock said of Gardner. "You don't look at him as a sport psychologist, you look at him as a friend and that's always been the most important thing to me." Hancock and Gardner met when both were with Boston, but their relationship has grown as Hancock bounced between the minor leagues and the majors. "When I start getting into a rhythm in pitching, where I'm doing good, I'll stop doing the things I need to do and just start coasting," Hancock said. "So I'll call him up. The one thing he's always taught me -- when I'm out there pitching and things are racing through my mind -- is to focus on one pitch at a time, one hitter at a time. He makes me realize I know the stuff, he just has a way of bringing it out." Hancock started nine games and pitched in three more with the Reds after being traded by the Philadelphia Phillies this season. He finished with a 4.45 ERA. The previous two seasons he had pitched in only five games. Like Gardner's work with Hancock, a portion of sports psychology helps athletes separate themselves from distractions and the stress of competition. Another aspect of sports psychology is identifying what elements and feelings lead to a successful performance. Soldati and teammate Laura Wilkinson, a 2000 and 2004 Olympic platform diving gold medalist, said a lot of their work with Haberl is spent preparing so every possible scenario is accounted for. He also helped Soldati identify what elements helped her perform well. Was she having fun? Was she upbeat? What type of music was she listening to? When she recognized that, she was able to replicate those feelings in meets. Soldati also identified the negative thoughts that hurt her diving: fear, anxiety, worrying about results. Being able to separate and control those thoughts in stressful situations has been crucial for her, she said. Another aspect of sports psychology involves imagery and visualizations, or picturing how you want to perform. Colleen Hacker has been the sports psychology consultant for the U.S. women's soccer team for nine years. Using DVDs and CDs, she has been able to help the team with imagery. To motivate the players, a DVD might be made up of quick vignettes from the movies Rocky, Hoosiers and The Legend of Bagger Vance. The individualized CDs take players through key performances they will need to make during a game. Similarly, Mary Ellen Clark, a two-time Olympic bronze medalist in platform diving and former Fort Lauderdale resident, had a tape she would watch. It was a video of her successfully completing dives in the order she would perform them during competition. Off-field issues Another area many athletes discuss with sports psychologists is their life outside the arena, believing that what happens off the field can greatly affect what happens on the field. Many sport psychologists say they spend about 50 percent of their sessions talking about this other area of athletes' lives. "Trying to deal with a guy's real problems as people, not just ballplayers -- could be arbitration, could be free agency, could be a death in the family -- [is important]," said Harvey Dorfman, who has worked with the Marlins and is contracted for clients of agent Scott Boras. "If you never get to that, it's like taking an aspirin when you're suffering from cancer." Marlins reliever Tim Spooneybarger, a client of Boras who has worked with Dorfman and Don Carman, said that a lot of his time has been spent talking about issues off the field and how to deal with people in the game. Missing much of the past two seasons with an injury, he has discussed with Carman the frustrations of dealing with being away from the game. He said his confidence has improved and he is ready to use some of the principles he has learned this season. "Pitching is probably 95 percent confidence," he said. "I've realized, as a reliever, that if you come in with confidence, that's what gets people out." Jose Cruz Jr., an outfielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks, began working with Jim Fannin in hopes of becoming more consistent. Two years later, he said he has seen an improvement in his personal life; he spends more time with his family and kids. Sports psychology is not for everyone, however. Hall of Fame golfer Beth Daniel, a Delray Beach resident, said she is not a huge fan of the field because she has seen too many psychologists try to change a player's game. But Daniel found the right fit in Boca Raton-based Rick Jensen, whom she has worked with for three years. "I think [athletes] should look for someone who works with what they want to do, not only in terms of the game, but in life," said Daniel. "You sometimes work with someone and they try to tell you what to do and how to play your sport. That's probably not a good match. You need to find someone that is a good match ... and then it works very, very well." Gardner said a few reasons coaches and athletes do not see the merits of sports psychology involve the negative stigma attached to the term psychology, oversimplification of the field and the use of unqualified individuals. "Hire a moron and then there is a belief that the entire field is full of morons," he said. At the college level, only a few schools have full-time sports psychologists, including Penn State, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Washington State. Boston University recently created a Sport Psychology Services Unit. "I don't think you could ever take the student out of student-athlete. Likewise, I don't think you could take the athlete out of student-athlete," said Dave Yukelson, the Penn State sport psychologist of 16 years. "There are a variety of different issues. I just try to separate that. You walk into practice, it's time to be the ultimate athlete. You leave practice and put on school [mode], and it is time to dedicate yourself to your studies. Then you go out and enjoy yourself as a person with your friends. That is really what my role is -- to try and maintain balance between those three different [areas]." Jennifer Carter, who runs the sports psychology program at Ohio State, said she and two colleagues saw about one out of every six athletes for individual counseling sessions last school year. Sometimes it was to talk about performance enhancement. Other times it was for depression, eating disorders or relationship problems. Working with collegians No Florida school has a full-time sports psychologist, although some teams have used them. Murray recently spoke to athletes at Florida Atlantic. Miami football coach Larry Coker said his team meets about once a month with Kevin Elko, who worked with the Dolphins. Barry's teams utilize assistant professor Gualberto Cremades, whom golf coach Jimmy Stobs credits for much of his team's turnaround -- from No. 99 in Division II to No. 8 in two years. Teams at Florida, Florida State and Nova Southeastern also have used one. Sports psychologists are expensive and a relatively new phenomenon, so many schools may be slow to add a full-time staff member. Fannin charges $30,000 per year, or $7,500 per day with a 30-day phone and e-mail follow-up for a one-on-one session. If an individual decides to continue working with Fannin, that fee can be applied to a full year of coaching. Fannin said that a seminar for multiple people could cost about $12,500. For those who can't afford the individualized attention, Fannin offers a one-year online tutorial for $95 and CDs for $29.99. An individual meeting with Murray would cost $450 for an initial evaluation that lasts about two hours. Rates for teams vary based on travel and other factors. But for some athletes, it's worth it. "It keeps you from thinking about the negatives," golfer Donna Andrews said. "It helps you think more positive, picture a positive shot, picture where you want the ball to finish. It really helps you finish on the positive." |
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