The Freedom of Riding

Over vacation, I had the opportunity to not only go trail riding but also participate in a friendly rodeo contest. The mix of friendly competition and freedom of simply letting my horse "Leroy" do what he knew best was glorious. He was a master of the course and I was a rookie. We quickly became a fantastic team (or at least I believed we were).

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. 

"Girls on the Field" Sport Psychology Session Photos

Maren Madore, Kristen Rasmussen and Rebekah Conway Roulier (TEAM DOC WAYNE)

Rebekah Conway Roulier Facilitating

Catch! (Rebekah Conway Roulier with Middle School Participant)

Great Goals

Goal setting can be very powerful in changing behavior. Not only does goal setting help people achieve what they are aiming for, but it also increases their self-confidence, motivation, and decreases anxiety. 

Effective goal setting requires hard work. Setting specific, measurable, adjustable, realistic, and timely goals is a step in the right direction. Below are a few additional helpful hints to create GREAT GOALS! Systematically providing feedback and following up with athletes can make all the difference.  

Coaches, when beginning goal setting as a team for the season don't forget the power of modeling. Take part in the goal setting process. 

Great goals are:   

1. Positively Phrased

2. Specific and Measurable

3. Manageable and Achievable

4. Written down

5. Performance goals, not outcome goals

6. Something the athlete actually wants to work towards! 

7. Simple

Using these tips, create a structure within your team to make goal setting part of your team culture (a ritual, fun, and enforced by participants). 

RR

#Competitive Dream - Living the Dream

Have you ever heard the phrase, “living the dream?” It’s one of my favorites to aspire to in life and in sport.  Using your support network and mental skills, your sport experience could be similar to the dream you wish for when drifting off to sleep...the dream you want to "redream"  For many of us (especially trauma victims and others who have been dealt a difficult hand in life) their sport experience is nonexistent or not ideal.  To hammer home the point, they are not “living the dream” when playing youth sport.

I mention competition, not referring to it in the typical sense of the word, (winning, trophies, medals, conference tiles) but rather true competition. True competition is putting your best foot forward each and every time out and challenging your opponent to do the same.  In true competition you strive for an equally matched game that challenges all involved to play their best.  This creates the most ideal “dream like state” that is similar to Csikszentmihalyi’s flow.

How can we design youth sport so that every child kids leaves the field thinking to themselves “I’m living the dream!”?