Presentation:The purpose of this assignment is to identify a team and/or individual athlete with whom whichyou feel you can apply sport, exercise, and performance psychology principles. Yourpresenta

Background:

• Female college soccer player

• Freshman defender

• Goes to training afraid to make mistakes

• Constantly feels worried and stress before and during training.

Schedule:

• First time we met we had an interview type of meeting where she told me how she felt during training and what was her weakness and get all her background information

Skills:

• Relaxation scripts:

1. To minimize her stress like feeling during training. I wanted her to go to training in a relaxed mindset.

2. Second time we met, I read out loud a relaxation scripts non-related to soccer t be able to distract her completely.

3. I recorded myself the first time so she can then listen to it before trainings for the following days

4. She did it and told me that in the beginning it will get very sleepy but then with time she able to manage it and was able to feel relaxed. But it was difficult.

• Worked on thought stopping:

1. Wanted her to realize when she was having a negative thought and be able to shift her focus from negative thoughts to a more task oriented type of thinking. So thinking to herself “lock your ankle to make firm pass.

2. I explained to her how the thought mechanism works. How her thoughts affect her behavior. If she focuses on not making a mistake the mind she will most likely make a mistake

3. I gave her the example about think about a pink elephant.

• Applied imagery:

1. I asked her what confident player looks like: she said loud, giving directions, pushing the team to be better physically and vocally

2. Then I Asked her to visualize herself acting like that confident player she just described.

3. Then I gave homework of having to say three command out loud to her teammates

4. My idea was that faking it until you make it will help her

Reflection:

1. First meeting I was kind of worried because I didn’t know if I would have the right words to say to her if she asked something. Or if she expected me to fix her weakness right away and then she will thinking I don’t know what I am doing.

2. Meeting went smooth since she was a talkative person.

3. But I found myself not listening to her sometimes since I was worried about what I will tell her next and what psychological skills training will benefit since I felt pressure of having to give her something to work on by the end of the meeting

4. During her first meeting I was able to know that a relaxation script and thought stopping will help her. So I told her that next time we meet we will get in more detailed about what that means

5. My biggest challenge was when she will tell me that the relaxation script made her sleepy. Did not know how to minimized her feeling sleepy. Somehow she was able to manage it herself. But would have like to know a way to solve this

6. Her biggest challenge was with thought stopping. She felt like sometimes she was not able to control her thoughts. The moment she will have the ball she automatically thinks don’t mess up.

7. She said that over time it got a little better