Reaching Peak Athletic Performance with Sports Psychology

If you are an athlete and would like to reach your peak athletic performance then sports psychology could be just the thing to help you. To help understand what sports psychology is and how sports psychology can help you reach your peak athletic performance, I have interviewed psychologist Jayne Raquepaw, Ph.D.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.
"I am a psychologist in Houston, Texas. I focus my practice on both clinical work and sports psychology . I received my PhD from Texas A&M University. I have been involved in sports most of my life and sports psychology enables me to meld the two interests of psychology and sports. I first became aware of sports psychology in high school when my basketball coach used some imagery techniques to help me overcome choking at the free throw line . We didn't call it sports psychology back then, but it did show me how powerful the mind can be and how one's thinking can either impair or improve performance."

What is sports psychology?
"Sports psychology is the practice of using mental techniques and mental skills to enhance one's sports performance. While it encompasses a broad array of areas, such as getting out of a slump, overcoming injury, dealing with personal stress that may impact play, the ultimate goal is improving sports performance."

How can someone reach peak athletic performance with sports psychology?
"Sports psychology enables the athlete to use his or her mind and mental skills to enhance physical skills and performance. You can think of an athlete's mind as being one of his or her tools. Just as skill, training, and conditioning are important tools for athletic success, so too is using one's mental skills. Athletes who have had sports psychology training have one more additional tool to rely upon. It gives them an advantage. Who wouldn't want that?"

What is a typical sports psychology session like for someone that wants to reach peak athletic performance?
"Sports psychology sessions typically involve training the athlete to use a variety of mental skills in sports. It's not like traditional counseling or psychotherapy. It's more directive and instructional, and is usually short-term and very focused."

Thank you Dr. Raquepaw for doing the interview on reaching peak performance with sports psychology. For more information on Dr. Raquepaw or her work you can check out her website at MyHoustonPsychologist.com .

Recommended Readings:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2979428/sports_performance_training.html?cat=5">Sports Perfomance Training

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5790570/the_benefits_of_clinical_hypnotherapy.html?cat=5">The Benefits of Clinical Hypnotherapy

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2950244/hypnotherapy_questions_and_answers.html?cat=70">Hypnotherapy Questions and Answers