Favorite Photos This Week

Here are a few of my favorite photos capturing Week 7 of Doc Wayne Girls and Boys Flag Football.

do the good, 

RR

www.docwayne.org 

Practical Sport Psychology Skills for Goalkeepers

If you are a goalkeeper, or coach one, you understand it is one of the most mentally challenging positions in sport. Here are a few sport psych tips! Please send me a note at rebekahconwayroulier@gmail.com for assistance implementing them. 

RR

Refocusing

·         Let your goalkeepers know that their feelings before the game are normal and part of their pre-game routine. Nerves are often part of the experience and can even be helpful. 

·         Deep breathing

·         Trigger focus (tapping the post, tapping your shin guard with your cleat, walking across the penalty spot). Use this trigger focus to be forgetful, clear your head and focus on the next play. 

·         Cue word or phrase (can be written on their gloves as a reminder)

Visualization

·         Imagery of your best self.

·         “Mental practice” is important spend time on. The body does not differentiate between the real and the imagined.  

Mastering Mental Skills

·         New skills take time (don't try to learn a new skill on game day).

·         Put effort into it!

Playing not Performing

·         Focus on the little things you are doing well when mental skills, practice or the game aren’t going well.

·         Build on small successes.

Expand on positive emotions

·         When the ball is in the attacking third, dwell on the feelings of accomplishment and positive emotions.

·         This can help you portray confidence, poise, and a sense of control to your team and the opponent through verbal and non-verbal communication.  

Know your strengths (or your athletes' strengths)!

·         Building on success might also mean leaning on your strengths. It's okay not to be great at everything. Some of the greatest athletes are known for only focusing on their errors, also see your strengths and what you do well. 

·         Each goalkeeper is different.

Play-Moments of Relief

I was observing a young girl having fun in a park this Memorial Day weekend and couldn't help but think of "moments of relief" desperately needed by victims of complex trauma. Sport (and the simple joy of play) provides relief from the burden of grief, sadness, abandonment, loneliness, and a variety of feelings that haunt trauma victims constantly. Being able to play on the swings or be part of a team allows them to leave these feelings behind for a few moments or possibly an hour or more. This is a gift that can't be underestimated. 

do the good,
RR
www.docwayne.org

Doc Wayne Video

Stay tuned for the new Doc Wayne program video (to be released soon)! It will be posted on our youtube page DocWayneDtG. In the meantime, please check out our posted videos!

Coaches Can (and Should) Play Too!

As a coach, it's important not to lose touch with your love of the game. Before youth games, our staff at Doc Wayne can often be found playing soccer, basketball or flag football (after everything is set up of course!).

do the good,

RR

www.docwayne.org

Score Keeping for Outcomes

While delivering a training this past weekend a thought-provoking topic came up. The question was posed, “How do you keep score in a way that reinforces your program’s values?”

The question assumes that you are willing to redesign your program, league or activity planning and that a winner and non-winner are desired. 

If this is the case, let the brainstorming begin! The possibilities are endless. Awarding points and declaring “winners” based upon goals, baskets scored, touchdowns or other typical methods can be a percentage of the scoring system (or not figure into the score at all).

Determine the outcomes you desire to see, work backwards and create a scoring system that puts the team, individuals or coaches who are displaying these outcomes or skills on top.

do the good, 

RR

www.docwayne.org  

Doc Wayne Girls All-Star Game Video

The Doc Wayne MetroWest Girls Program celebrated it's mid-season  Flag Football All-Star Game today (May, 15th). All-Stars were selected by their coaches and awarded in two categories:

1. DtG Skills
2. Athletic Skills

The Doc Wayne Program is known for it's incredibly impactful do the good (DtG) life skills curriculum that embeds key concepts into sport through teen friendly slogans.

In addition to the All-Star Game, every player was invited to participate in a skills competition, challenging them to reach for their potential in many areas (throwing, catching, agility, running, etc.). Individual scores were kept, but comparisons were not made to others.

RR

www.docwayne.org

What does it mean to be an "All-Star?"

What does it mean to be an “All-Star?” The professional sports leagues seem to define “All-Star” as a player who is either among the elite players statistically, the fans or coaches’ favorites, or someone who boosts the television ratings. Nowhere in this definition is any consideration for life circumstances, tremendous off court or field development, or perhaps a player’s impact upon others.

In youth sport it’s especially important to be intentional. All-Stars should represent what your program or league values.

On Tuesday, 16 do the good (DtG) Girls All-Stars will proudly play representing the Doc Wayne program and all that we value. They have been selected very carefully by their coaches. These 16 girls were not selected based on their statistics, television ratings, or by the hundreds of Doc Wayne fans at each game ;-).  Instead they were selected based on their DtG skills, accomplishments overcoming many obstacles in life and most of all because they are the epitome of “All-Star!” in our DtG dictionary.

do the good,

RR
www.docwayne.org 

Walk for Hunger in Photos

This past Sunday I took part in The Walk for Hunger. Here are some photos!

do the good

RR

www.docwayne.org

(Showing Up!)

(HOPE!)

(A veteran walker)

Honored to Take Part in Celebr8-U (Article by EJewishPhilanthropy)

ejewishphilanthrophy.com has followed up with an article on Moving Tradition's Celebr8-U Conference. Please see the link below for the piece wrapping up a great afternoon.

http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/moving-traditions-holds-first-celebr8-u-conference/

It was an honor to take part in an event celebrating adolescent females’ strengths and diversity. Every teen should be granted the opportunity to build her identity in such a supportive, developmentally appropriate and engaging environment!

For former WNBA star and current Simmons Women's Basketball Head Coach Kristen Rasmussen, Doc Wayne volunteer Maren Madore, and myself the workshop we presented on values, ethics, and balancing one's life on and off the fields and courts was a representation of the lives we've lived the past 15-20+ years. To have the opportunity to share and learn about the young womens' experiences participating in our workshop was a mutually fulfilling experience for participants and facilitators.

While discussing all life activities to be juggled in the game oriented workshop, it became clear that the impact social media has upon young female athletes lives is significant. While attempting to be athletes, students, musicians, friends, daughters, sisters, healthy eaters, and excellent at "hanging out" some teens voiced that they were feeling under pressure keeping up with the speed of Facebook and Twitter. They spoke about the assumption that good friends responded quickly and engaged in these activities often. Within the group there were some teens that were avid users of social media and enjoyed every moment. However, it was surprising to hear how needing to respond, RT, post or update weighed on the minds of teens during times you would generally think of as dedicated to practices, games, homework, meals or sleep.

As a sport psychology consultant, my take away from Celebr8-U was a strong reminder that coaches, parents and sport psychologist should take the time to engage their teens or adolescent clients in conversation to learn about their experience. Your experience, no matter how similar, can never be assumed to be your child's, your player's, or your client's. This is often difficult when you have played the same sport perhaps even on the same field and lived to tell about the same pressured situation.

Being an adolescent female is difficult. It's a rough road at times. It can also be a magnificent journey. As one conference participant put it  "All of us are different, yet, we had a common goal; to demonstrate that girls are more then someone just “sitting pretty” but equal intellectuals." Ask these adolescent intellectuals what they're thinking about. You may be surprised and learn a great deal.

do the good.

RR

www.docwayne.org

CPT (Control, Plan and Trust) Strategy for Athletes

Control, Plan and Trust

How do you help behavioral kids in between plays on the field?  Some kids struggle, for a variety of reasons, when given even small amounts of down time. Implement CPT, or performance based routines, to help players stay focused.  Intentionally select sport-based rituals for players to create consistency. 

When players are not actively engaged in the game they are often assisted by a mental check-list to complete prior to the next active play.

Organize the check list in the following way:

Control:  You can only control yourself. Use techniques such as deep breathing, imagery, cue words, or other coping skills to relax.

Plan-What is the situation in the game. What is my Plan A? Plan B?

Trust- Stop thinking and trust yourself to deal with what is happening in front of you. 

RR 

RRoulier@docwayne.org

Concerns of Adolescent Teen Girls

The Girls on The Field sport psychology workshop was created to address the concerns of adolescent teenage girls. While having conversations with teens playing middle school and high school competitive athletics the following struggles came up:

·         Time conflicts (sports vs. academics)

·         Your needs vs. the team’s needs  (position, playing time and number of teams competing for)

·         Competition with teammates (positions, playing time and varsity spots)

·         Difficult social situations (unsportsmanlike competitors and/or teammates)

·         Dealing with your mistakes

·         Cliques

Teen girls requested ethical and moral guidance via an active workshop. Thus Girls on the Field was born. 


For more information on individual or team sport psychology workshops and/or counseling please contact Rebekah Conway Roulier, Ed.M at rebekahconwayroulier@gmail.com or rroulier@docwayne.org.