A mental game professional may not be appropriate for everyone. Not everyone wants to "improve performance." Sport psychology is probably not for a recreational athlete who participates primarily for the purposes of socialization and having fun on weekends. If you do not spend time improving fitness or motor skills in a deliberate fashion (i.e. with a coach or structured program), then most likely you will not adhere to a mental coaching program. Young athletes whose parents force them to see a mental games coach are not good candidates either. The young athlete should understand and desire improvement in his or her mental game without the motivation to satisfy the parent - or a coach for that matter.

A mental game professional helps a variety of serious athletes. By serious I mean athletes committed to improvement, highly motivated, want to explore their limits and understand the importance of a positive attitude and mental toughness. These athletes want every advantage they can including the mental edge over their competition.
A Mental Game Coaching Professional is not a Sports Psychologist. A licensed psychologist is trained in identifying psychopathology and typically works with clients on personal issues that are not sports or business related.

Mental Training is indicated if:

1. You perform better in practice than during competition.
2. You have too many perfectionistic qualities.
3. You don't perform well when others are watching you.
4. You maintain self-doubt about your sport before or during games.
5. You feel anxious or scared when you perform in competition.
6. You limit performance with strict expectations.
7. You attach your self-worth to your ability to perform.
8. You lose focus during critical times of the competition.
9. After an injury, you are physically 100% recovered, but you can't perform the way you did pre-injury.
10. You have a burning desire to get better.

A Mental Game Professional can help with the following areas.

1. Improve focus and deal with distractions.
2. Grow confidence in athletes who have doubts.
3. Develop coping skills to deal with setbacks and errors.
4. Find the right zone of intensity for your sport.
5. Help teams develop communication skills and cohesion.
6. Instill a healthy belief system and identify irrational thoughts.
7. Improve or balance motivation for optimal performance.
8. Develop confidence post-injury.
9. Develop game-specific strategies and game plans.
10. Identify and enter the "zone" more often.
11. Enhance team cohesion, leadership & communication.
12. Teach mental skills related to confidence, focus, composure, routines, stress management, etc.
13. Improve practice efficiency and transfer of practice to competition.

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