ACHIEVE MASTERY WITH EPIC SPORT PSYCHOLOGY
High-performance and mindset coaching for athletes, coaches and other high achievers.
At EPIC Sport Psychology, we deliver high-performance mental training for competitive athletes, coaches and other high achievers that are passionate about excelling in their sport and in life.
We'll help you CREATE - LIVE - ACHIEVE moments of excellence that define your epic journey of achievement. The essential ingredients to mastering anything is... passion and dedication. You bring your vision and we'll help cultivate your passion and dedication. You are on your way to mastery.
ATHLETIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ARE KEYS TO BEING ACTIVE FOR LIFE
Landscape Of Youth Sports And The Foundation To Be Active For Life
Parents of youth athletes often ask, what is best for my son or daughter when it comes to playing sports? What should he/she be doing to develop as an athlete and most of all as a person? At the heart of it, most parents want their children to participate in sports to build character, learn life lessons, develop friendships, to be active, and to enjoy the experience.
When Do These Expectations Change?
The moment a child participating in a youth sport is successful and touted as being extremely talented, the seduction of success, positive validation from others (i.e., parents, coaches, and teammates), and winning start to cloud those core expectations for both the parent and child. For parents, the idea of their child climbing the ladder of success by using their childās talents to open doors for better coaching, invitations to train and play with the best athletes their age, the pressure to commit time and resources to just one sport (single sport specialization), and ultimately, the dream of having their child receive a college scholarship or become a professional athlete become the primary objectives. Surprisingly, these expectations can start as early as age 12 and younger.
All Videos
All Videos
TSG Podcast Ep. 015: Golf Psychology 101 w/ Jimmy Yoo @EpicSportPsychology (Includes BONUS Content)
How to be a Supportive Parent to Your Athlete | Q&A with Coach Jimmy
How to Have a Successful Summer Travel Season | Q&A with Coach Jimmy
Improving as a Coach | Q&A with Coach Jimmy
BLOG
HOW TO BOUNCE BACK FROM SETBACKS
FINDING SUCCESS AS A REFEREE
TRANSITION FROM ONE SPORT SEASON TO THE NEXT AS A HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE
FIND THE BEAT IN YOUR PERFORMANCE ROUTINE
MAKING THE HOLIDAY SEASON YOUR RESOLUTION SEASON
UNDERSTANDING YOUR FEARS AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM
THE ART OF MINDFUL RUNNING
EDUCATING AND PREVENTING CONCUSSIONS, A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
NEWS & TIPS
Additional Information
HIGH PERFORMERS AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THINGS GO WRONG
Athletes who excel in youth and high school sport(s) (ages 8-18) tend to also excel in other areas of life as well. For example, a standout high school athlete is likely to be successful academically. Characteristics that describe these student-athletes are determined; motivated; hardworking; they make it look easy; with sports, they make it look graceful and smooth; and most of all, they seem to enjoy what they are doing.
SPINW EMPLOYS THE SPORTS MINDSET GAME PLAN IN PROGRAM WITH WINDELLS ACADEMY
Sport Psychology Institute NW trainer Jimmy Yoo is also working with both students and coaches on its Competitive Skills Training for Athletes Program (CST). CST is a conditioning of the mind to become mentally tuned and is designed to enhance overall performance. Training includes working on confidence building by teaching visualization techniques, focus and self-talk, breathing techniques, goal setting and time management.
GUEST SPEAKERS AT THE PORTLAND GOLF SHOW - 2018
Brian Baxter, Jimmy Yoo & Glen Coblens ā Sport Psychology NW
Most golfers spend countless hours practicing the physical parts of their game. But, how much of golf is mental? And, how much time does the everyday golfer put into their mental training? SPINw consultants Brian Baxter, Jimmy Yoo, and Glen Coblens have over 50 years of combined experience in working with athletes to improve their performance through sport psychology techniques such as goal-setting, visualization, positive self-talk and more. We believe that consistent mental-game training is essential to playing your best game, and have proven strategies to help get you there.
WINDELLS ACADEMY ENLISTS SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY INSTITUTE NORTHWEST FOR STUDENT ATHLETES
Sports Psychology Institute NW trainer Jimmy Yoo is working with both students and coaches on its Competitive Skills Training for Athletes Program (CST). CST is a conditioning of the mind to become mentally tuned and is designed to enhance overall performance. Training includes working on confidence building by teaching visualization techniques, focus and self-talk, breathing techniques, goal setting and time management. According to Yoo āAll athletes ā competitive and recreational ā can benefit from mental skills training to achieve consistent peak performance. These skills enable many to establish balance in their lives and to ultimately enjoy what they are doing to a greater degree.ā
HOW SPORT PSYCHOLOGY HAS CHANGED IN THE PAST 15 YEARS
As I reflect on the past 15 years I realize that a lot has changed in sport, particularly in the United States.Ā In terms of athletes, I am reminded of Kevin Garnett (drafted in 1995) and Kobe Bryant (drafted in 1996).Ā Both were basketball players who were drafted right out of high school to play professional basketball.Ā While they werenāt the first athletes to be drafted out of high school to play a professional sport, their immediate success had a ripple effect on the sport of basketball and with sports in the United States.Ā Before Kobe and Kevin Garnett, basketball players were encouraged to play four years of college basketball before entering the NBA, now players are either recruited straight out of high school or at most, play one maybe two years of college basketball before going pro.
2018 OREGON GIRLS SPORTS LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
2018 Oregon Girls Sports Leadership Summit
-FREE event in Beaverton-
Saturday November 17, 2018
9 a.m. ā 3:30 p.m.
Oregon Episcopal School
This is a must for any high school female athletes!
https://www.oes.edu/athletics/girls-leadership-summit
KIDS IN SPORT COACHES CONFERENCE
2018 Kids in Sport Coaches Conference
The first annual Parent and Coaches Conference was fun and engaging!
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What a great night with wonderful coaches! Shout outs to Beaverton Track Club, Westview Basketball Youth Development Program, Tualatin Hills United Soccer Club, Southridge and Mountainside Ski teams, and Tigard Lacrosse for taking time out of their Sunday night to learn about how to prevent injuries, motivate your athletes, and develop awesome warm-up programs! Huge thanks to our fantastic volunteers... Lauren, Tristan, and Kira!
-brought to you by:
Inspire Physical Therapy, Rise Training, and Epic Sports Psychology
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RESOURCES AND EXTERNAL ARTICLES
Media Buzz
This section has links to articles that I think can be useful for athletes, coaches, parents, and high performers!
KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR, SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL SENTINEL
May 7, 2018
EDITOR'S NOTE: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's all-time leading scorer who led the Milwaukee Bucks to their only championship in 1971, will be the guest speaker at the Journal Sentinel High School Sports Awards on May 14 at the Pabst Theater in downtown Milwaukee. He wrote this essay for the Journal Sentinel in advance of his talk to high school athletes.
Going through high school can feel like walking around with a severe sunburn where every touch can be a painful reminder of our vulnerability. Some students deal with it by joining social cliques or bands, or by becoming bullies or loners. Some deal by joining sports teams. Thatās what I did and it changed not only my high school experience for the better, but also my future as an adult.
For most high school athletes, the sport we play isnāt just about winning the game, itās also about defining our individuality among the hundreds of other students in our school. Sure, we want to be heroes on the court or field by winning games, but we also want to win the admiration of classmates and teachers. At the same time, sports allow us to build an insular world of teammates that have our backs off the court during those exposed teenage years in which no amount of padding, blocking or setting screens can protect the fragile heart from all the insecurities we face.
MIKE MESSERE ON LEADERSHIP: BE CONSISTENT, BE PREPARED, STICK TO YOUR PRINCIPLES, AND DON'T BE SARCASTIC
March 20, 2018
Next week, Mike Messere opens his last season as the head varsity boys lacrosse coach at West Genesee High School. LaFayette visits West Genesee at 4:30 p.m. March 28.
Messere became head coach in 1976 after seven seasons as a middle school coach. His varsity teams have compiled a remarkable record: Eleven undefeated seasons. Fifteen state championships. Thirty Section III championships. An overall record of 823-81.
His Shove Park summer program is imitated nationwide. He's in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the National High School Hall of Fame.
Messere said his goal has always been that students learn to excel, beyond school, as adults. It may be why he can list so many players who became high school and college coaches, or business executives, or doctors and other professionals. It's like he was running a disciplined farm team for leadership.
Messere already has retired from teaching physical education. Now, at age 74, he's ready to stop coaching.
IT'S IN THE LITTLE THINGS - BY KATE LEAVELL
January 28, 2018
They were starting to line up at the locker room door, but my left cleat didnāt feel right. I kept fiddling with the shoelace trying to get it tight. It didnāt matter, it was time to walk down the sidewalk, down the hill that overlooks the turf. Bright lights overhead as the sky was just losing the little bit of light that was left. Over the backside of the stadium seats, the press box with our mascotās face painted across the roof, was the sun setting on my last game.
The air was warm but the breeze was cooling down as parents gathered together on the home side, settling in with hot cocoa and stadium dogs, one more time. I heard the distinct WOOOOOOOOOO from my mom as I crossed the black rubber track onto the impossibly green turn. I turned and gave her a little wave and a smile. That just made her WOOOOO more.Ā The milk jug filled with quarters rang out as our captainās mom shook it with fury, as she did at every game.Ā We knew that meant it was game time. Dads lined the fence, too excited to climb the bleachers and sit down, ready to pace back and forth and shout dad things out to us during the game.
DOM STARSIA'S LETTER TO A FRESHMAN
August 8, 2017
Dear Joe,
You are about to embark on a great adventure. In the grand scheme that is your life, I do not believe there will be a lot of other moments that have as profound an influence on your evolution as going away from home for the first time. It was the American poet EE Cummings who said, āIt takes courage to grow up and become who you really are,ā and I am confident you will exhibit that quality over these next four years. My concern, at this moment, is that the world has become less patient and forgiving and that you donāt self-inflict too much pain and anguish especially in the early stages of this journey.
You have been around college lacrosse players your entire life. While I appreciate that we all need to experience situations first-hand in order to process them fully, I would hope that you have been listening to me tell generations of young men, āSmart guys donāt learn from their own mistakes, they learn from others.ā I would be happy to provide you the contact information for any number of guys whose names you will recognize and who dug themselves a hole that they almost could not get out of. Donāt make your life harder than it needs to be.
Along these lines, manage yourself with the guiding principle of āall things in moderation.ā You may not be looking at the first beer of your life, but learn to say āenough,ā even when surrounded by upperclass mayhem. It may require a little leap of faith, but I swear that these same teammates will come to respect you more in the daylight hours. It is the guys who speak with an uncompromising voice of reason who become the leaders on these teams.
Do you want to know the absolute key to success in the classroom and on the lacrosse field? Go to class and follow the āPoskay Rule.ā Get up for breakfast every morning. If your commitment is to get up and eat something before 9 a.m. EVERY morning, I can almost guarantee that you will be fine in school and perform close to your potential as a college athlete. Thatās what you want, right?
If you are up in the morning, you will likely be presented with an opportunity to talk with some classmates who are not lacrosse players. Make that a daily goal. I am sure you are going to have wonderful teammates, but donāt limit your personal interactions to the guys you will be with for 4-5 hours a day, even if you did not want to. These other encounters will require you to consider events and situations outside the world of athletics.
Arrive on campus in shape and ready to compete. You will get one chance to make a first impression. What do you want the coaches to think of you? Strive to be first in the early conditioning. Donāt be last.
Tell the truth, always. Donāt compromise here. Lying always requires more lying, and it is a slippery slope. Whether you are talking to a teacher, an academic advisor, your coach, your friends or looking in the mirror, take responsibility for your life and actions. If something goes astray, square up and face the music. It will always give you the best chance to move on.
Finally, stop calling your mother! I do not mean, literally, to stop calling your mother but, I absolutely do mean that your parents donāt have to hear about every time you stub your toe, every time the coach leaves you out of a drill or puts you on the second extra man. I also mean that your parents do not have to hear about mistakes that your teammates may have made, on or off the field. Part of being on a real team is keeping things within that team. It is hard enough to make things work smoothly with a group of 45 college-age young men (and women) without the additional hurtfulness that accompanies gossip and social media. This one is about growing up and being out on your own, about being part of a group that is on a special mission and about cherishing the privacy of that commitment.
Joe, if that seems like a lot, believe me, Iām jealous. I wish it was me.
Love,
Dad