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 child’s 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 — 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 “All athletes – competitive and recreational – 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.”
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. In terms of athletes, I am reminded of Kevin Garnett (drafted in 1995) and Kobe Bryant (drafted in 1996). Both were basketball players who were drafted right out of high school to play professional basketball. While they weren’t 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. 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. – 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!
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
Register for my newsletter to stay up to date on coaching news and resources.
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. That’s 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 isn’t just about winning the game, it’s 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 didn’t feel right. I kept fiddling with the shoelace trying to get it tight. It didn’t 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 mascot’s 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. The milk jug filled with quarters rang out as our captain’s mom shook it with fury, as she did at every game. 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.