Sport and Performance Psychology
Page Contents
Sport Psychology in NYC – Overview
The involvement in sport, especially competitive sport brings many challenges. The memories of the first competition, the emotional anxiety and the sensation in the body, the expectation, the pressure, the uncertainty, the flooding thoughts and other aspects may form psychological schema that on one hand push us to excel and on the other hand may hold us back.
The competitive and professional sport amplifies the psychological challenge and brings us to emotional and physiological edge, putting us in our uncomfortable zoom. It exposes us to our “upper limit,” which can break us or transform us to become a better, more successful sportsperson.
From very early age, we learn the technical and tactical aspects of sport, but frequently the psychological aspect is neglected. Moshe Ratson from spiral2grow helps individuals, groups and teams build the psychological resiliency that is so needed to bring players to another level.
While often behind the scenes, sport and performance coaches help individual players or even entire teams realize their potential. They mainly focuses on psychological factors that are getting in the way of success and build the mental tools to improve performance.
Sport psychology incorporates training in the development and use of psychological skills for optimal performance of athletes, in the well-being of athletes, in the systemic issues associated with sports settings and organizations and in developmental and social aspects of sports participation. Sport and performance psychology consists of empirically-based techniques and skills that can help you perform better as an athlete or performer, cope with problems and setbacks, and maintain consistent, high-level performance.
spiral2grow of New York City works also with executives and managers while utilizing cutting-edge coaching-psychology methods to develop key leadership dimensions. Moshe Ratson (MBA, MS MFT, LMFT), a member of International Coaching Federation (ICF), has worked with international and national professional and amateur-level athletes, as well as performing artists, business people and other professionals to enhance performance, ability and coping skills. Moshe also has been a professional basketball player and a coach. In addition, Moshe Ratson has extensive experience in managing change and leading people through change and transformation. He serves as a coach, facilitator, motivator, consultant and sounding board dealing with personal and professional goals.
Moshe Ratson offers sport psychology services to athletes who want to improve their performance and reach a higher level of accomplishment and success. His client list includes athletes competing in many sports including professional in the NBA, MFL and NHL. Moshe Ratson has a served as a consultant to organizations such as UCLA, Adidas Basketball Camp, Duke University Iona College team, NYC Department Of Education (DOE) – Athletic Department, and other programs. His expertise has been featured in various media outlets such as The New York Times, YES Network, MSNBC, New York Post, Men’s Health and others. His work has also presented at numerous academic, professional and industry conferences.
The potential clients list of performance psychology includes:
Professional and Elite athletes, Amateur athletes, Sporting teams at all levels, Beginner and committed exercisers, Performing artists (e.g., musicians, actors, dancers), Business Professionals (e.g., business people, CEO’s, company executives and directors, managers). Also, individuals and teams that are exposed to intense pressure such as surgeons, firefighters, law enforcement officers, military personnel, and others.
Harness Your Mental Power to Unlock Your Best Performance
You can learn to train your mind and build the mental skills to perform at your best in competition with sports psychology coaching. You can master core mental skills and gain a winning edge in sport and life. We put great emphasis on training our body for competition, yet to get to the next level, you need to train your mind. Elite athletes, from professionals in the NBA, MLB, NFL, Tennis to Olympic athletes, work with sport psychologists and engage with mental training to gain a competitive advantage and be their best self. You too, at whatever level can incorporate mental training to become the best at your profession. Whatever your personal or professional goal is, sports psychology coaching will help you attain peak performance by improving your skills while developing the necessary confidence under pressure. It will provide you the mental tools to face and overcome any challenge you face. So, if are you ready to achieve greatness, now is the time to discover your untapped potential and work with spiral2grow. You can work directly with Moshe Ratson, the founder of spiral2grow, who has been a professional basketball player, a basketball coach, a military officer and a secret service expert.
Short Explanation of Sport and Performance Psychology
Most people are not aware that in addition to the professionals’ superior physical ability and psychomotor skills, they must perform under intense pressure, which requires mental toughness. They overlook the fact that these individuals are not born with the physical prowess and mental resilience that is necessary to perform at such a high level.
There is a large amount of preparation and training that goes into performing at this level – success requires both physical and mental strength with the ability to endure high-stakes situations.
Sport and performance psychology focuses on identifying and applying psychological principles that facilitate peak performance, enhance the physical ability and achieve optimal human execution. The key is to tap into the potential of human performance, so they can enhance their resilience skills and perform at their best.
All of these psychological principles can be applied beyond the sports arena. In boardrooms and on Broadway, performance counts, and more and more professionals of all backgrounds are seeking partnerships with psychologists or coaches who can get them there and help them improve their mental aspect for greater achievement.
Sport and Performance Psychology Delivers Peak Performance
Sport and performance psychologists concentrate on recognizing psychological challenges and applying psychological methods that facilitate peak sport performance, enhance people’s motivation to participate and improve physical activities and help athletes achieve optimal performance.
Sport and performance psychologists are specialists in assisting athletes and professionals to conquer challenges that hinder performance. But athletes aren’t the only clients. Consider an aspiring actress or a company’s executives, surgeons, doctors, performers such as actors or comedians and many more. They all aspire to be at their best and win the game of life. They want to tap into the potential of human performance, be resilient and perform at their best.
Results you may expect of Sport and Performance Psychology
The following are the results you may expect when working with a sport and performance psychologist and a coach:
- Improve performance
- Develop greater self-compassion and ability to deal with mistakes and adversity
- Increased positivity and focus on possibilities
- Greater capacity to focus, be attentive and mindful
- Master your thoughts, feelings and actions
- Gain more respect from teammates, coaches, teammates, co-workers, managers etc.
- Improve energy and motivation towards your goals
- Focus on what is important to you
- Design the life and performance that you aspire to
Who We Work With
Whether you age group or professional level looking to set a new personal record or an Olympic athlete competing for a medal, we understand the critical role your mind plays in success and can help you compete at your best, fulfilling your potential. Below are just a few examples of the athletes we work with and have helped with mental training.
SKILL: Basketball, Baseball, Tennis, Football, Soccer, Golf, Fencing
ENDURANCE: Running, Triathlon, Cycling, Rowing
POWER: CrossFit/Olympic Lifting, Gymnastics, MMA, Volleyball
Competitive athletes face many unique challenges. Developing the mental skills to effectively cope with the pressure to perform is critical to the athlete who wishes to reach his or her full athletic potential.
spiral2grow – Sport Psychology services include:
- Developing Self Confidence
- Improving Motivation and Sustaining it
- Creating Realistic Goals and Creating the Path to Achieve it
- Coping with Pressure
- Changing Negative Self-Talks to Positive Ones
- Developing Relaxation Tools
- Establishing Performance Habits and Routines
- Managing Anger
- Focusing on Emotional Intelligence in Sports
Physiological and Mental Training for Older Age
As a mental coach, people come to me with weaknesses and lack of abilities and always find out that weaknesses are not committed to reality. Mental muscles can be trained so that they overcome limiting beliefs and habits. What’s more amazing is that the way the body teaches us at the physiological and mental level, is the same. Creating a gap between desirable and common, closing the gap and acquiring new and promoting knowledge. The physiological knowledge is expressed in the mass and strength of the muscle while the mental knowledge is kept in synapses, which are formed during learning. The adoption of the physical muscle causes microscopic rips that fill with proteins and so the gap closes. The mental muscles are formed when the mental gap closes and new synapses are created. Sports coaches and mental coaches, who are aware of the need that in creating and closing the gap, achieve the best result for their trainees.
The below text is from one of my clients that is still active even in his 70s
“As a 72-year-old who is challenged by back issues as well as problems with the nerves of my feet, I devote myself to relieve pain, build my strength and promote wealth and good life. So I work out daily. Walking and lifting weights and whatever it takes. The training gives my muscles the knowledge of how to deal with the difficulties, physical challenges and even disability. Muscle strength covers neural weaknesses in the legs and a variety of disc breakouts throughout the back. I don’t like working out, but I less like the weaknesses and pains, when I don’t exercise. The training is that gives the body the ability to act, despite the limitations.”
