Building the Scholastic Athlete

Marshall L. Mintz, Psy.D.Clinical and Sport Psycholgy

Springfield Psychological Associates, L.L.P.765 Rt 10 East Randolph, NJ

973-366-9444and

675 Morris Ave Springfield, NJ 973-467-9409

Overview of Presentation

• Obstacles in Sport: Pressures and Causes of Dropout

• Fallout from Pressure and Poor Preparation

• What is Really Important as a Scholastic Athlete

• Understanding the Five Spheres of Strength

• How to Build and Improve Your Strengths

• What is Unique about Being a Female Athlete

Estimated Probability of Competing in Athletics Beyond the

         High School Interscholastic Level Student-Athlete High School

• M/Basketball W/Basketball Football Baseball Ice Hockey Soccer 549,500  456,900 983,600 455,300 29,900 321,400

• Student-Athletes High School Senior         

Basketball Basketball Football Baseball Ice Hockey Soccer   157,000  130,500 281,000 130,100 8,500 91,800

• Student-Athletes NCAA  Basketball Basketball Football Baseball Ice Hockey Soccer

    15,700     14,400   56,500   25,700 3,700 18,200 • Student-Athletes NCAA Freshman  Roster Positions  Basketball Basketball Football Baseball Ice Hockey Soccer    4,500      4,100   16,200    7,300 1,100   5,200

NCAA Senior Student-Athletes

• Basketball Basketball Football Baseball Ice Hockey Soccer      3,500      3,200   12,600    5,700 800   4,100

NCAA Student-Athletes Drafted        

• Basketball Basketball Football Baseball Ice Hockey Soccer            44         32      250 600     33    76

Percent High  School to NCAA •  Basketball Basketball Football Baseball Ice Hockey Soccer    2.9        3.1      5.8    5.6 12.9     5.7

Percent NCAA to  Professional

• Basketball Basketball Football Baseball Ice Hockey Soccer      1.3        1.0    2.0     10.5 4.1     1.9

• Percent High School to  Professional       Basketball Basketball Football Baseball Ice Hockey Soccer   

    0.03     0.02   0.09     0.5 0.4    0.08

Why do Athletes Dropout?

• Want to do other activities

• Talent

• It is not fun

• Dislike the coach

Different Coaching Stressors

• Too much emphasis on winning• No playing time• Substitute after a mistake• Not talking to team after a loss• Relating performance to self-worth• Making “friendship” conditional on

performance • Playing Favorites

What then are the strategies or steps to take

Intensity Performance Curve

Poor

Optimal

Performance

Intensity

Low Moderate High

Level Of Excellence

Arousal Regulation

“WE’VE GOT THEM” GEN. GEORGE A. CUSTER,ON BEING ATTACKED AT THE

LITTLE BIGHORN, 1876

THE DESIRED RESULT OF PROPER PREPARATION

IS OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE

UNDER PRESSURE

Once Comitted to Play… What Next

BUILDING SELF-CONFIDENCE

• IT HAS UPS AND DOWNS• I CAN DO IT MYSELF• ONLY HARD WORK WILL

DO• I AM NEVER AS GOOD AS

I WILL BE

• PRACTICE AS IF YOU ARE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP

• HAVE A PLAN• LEARN FROM WINNING,

LOSING, AND SETBACKS• FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS

FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS

STAY TUNNEL

VISIONED AND

NEAR SIGHTED

But What Can Happen If It Fails?

The Foundation of Successful Performance

Essentials for Success in Retail

Location

Location

Location

ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS INPERFORMANCE

Awareness

Awareness

Awareness

PERSONAL AWARENESS

Personal awareness refers to your ability to know yourself as an athlete and person.

When you possess this quality, you are aware of your strong points, limitations, and developmental needs.

STRONG POINTS, LIMITATIONS, DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS

Strong points are the mental skills and physical skills that help you perform during training and competition

Limitations are the skills that you do not now possess, but need to have to improve in your sport and performance. They also have to do with your physical makeup such as height, weight, strength, coordination, etc.

Developmental needs reflect the specific mental and physical skills that you must work on to reach anotherlevel and become better. You can always develop your strong points further.

What are the Areas of Focus?

EMOTIONAL

PHYSICAL

SPIRITUALITY

SOCIAL

INTIMATE RELATION

S

CHECK YOUR BETS

BEHAVIORS: THE MOST VISIBLE SIGN OF STRESS OR CONFIDENCE

EMOTIONSEMOTIONS:

EXTERNALLY AND INTERNALLY OBSERVED, THE WILEY FORCE

THOUGHTSTHOUGHTS:

INTERNAL AND THE FORCE TO MANAGE THE MOMENTWhat is Unique

About Female Athletes?

The Male vs Female Cultures

• Males identity defined by a sense of living separate from others as opposed to

• Feminine identity defined by a basic sense of living connected to others.

(e.g. the greeting, finish line)

Qualities of Male/Female Competiveness

• Both want to win and both want results

HOWEVER

• Males learn to view the world as a hierarchical social order, valuing independence

• Boys battle to achieve success

Qualities of Male/Female Competiveness

• Females view the world as a web of relationships, with views of oneself linked to ones place in that web

• Girls come to the training site seeking to bond as the means to success. They want to be cared about as people not just athletes.

• Women enter a workplace predisposed to connect to achieve goals. Men compete to achieve goals

Differing Values and Fears

• Males value autonomy, latitude, and winning• Females value attachment, intimacy, and

interdependence• Males fear helplessness (just ask them to

listen to a problem)• Females fear rejection, isolation, and

abandonment which equal lonliness/failure• Males bond through activity, females through

conversation (action vs interaction)

Outcomes vs Process

• Outcomes identify winners and losers and label successes and failures.

• Process is continuous and ongoing, a journey rather then a destination

Which gender values which orientation?

Competitive Behavior

• Female: Acceptance-Struggle-Performance

• Male: Struggle-Performance-Acceptance

Awareness, Self-Confidence, and Managing Focus

Orientation Impact on Training

• Female teams train more effectively using drill based training, males in competition

They want a competition while the girls want a bonding, interactive experience.

• This contrast in style can impact competition in which males feed on the competitive setting and women are more easily distracted.

Role of Conversation

For Males: good natured sparring, teasing, comments are declarative/combative, stories of action not emotion, problem-solving focused

For Females: an opportunity for sharing, develop relationships, much more empathic, stories cover emotions, observation, reactions. Subtle nuances. Solving the problem not crucial