Craig Sigl Articles For Sports

What To Do When The Nerves Get To You In Sports Competition

Craig Sigl2017-09-28T20:55:18+08:00

Ok, this is part 6 of our series of techniques and strategies for how to play your best game even when under pressure. Let’s quickly review the first 5 tactics shall we? 1. Mentally rehearse being in pressured situations. Plan how you will think at that moment and imagine perfect execution of your skills. 2. Get in the present moment directing your mind to your senses 3. Use comparisons of bigger things in your life to reduce the importance of the event. 4. Have one thing to lock your eyes and mind onto 5. Build trust by using your phrase to [...]

What To Do When The Nerves Get To You In Sports CompetitionCraig Sigl2017-09-28T20:55:18+08:00

How To Stop Sabotaging Your Performance Under Pressure

Craig Sigl2017-09-28T20:53:49+08:00

Pressure tip #5. When athletes or other performers are just about to do their thing under extreme pressure of having to execute their skills, a curious thing happens… A part of your mind tries to take over and guide you to do it correctly. It wants to make sure that you have covered all of your bases and considered everything that needs to be done. If it isn’t bringing you thoughts about your opponent, then maybe it’s reminding you that you have to hold your arm a certain way or make some specific movement your coach reminded you about last week. [...]

How To Stop Sabotaging Your Performance Under PressureCraig Sigl2017-09-28T20:53:49+08:00

Mind Racing Under Pressure? – Drive It!

Craig Sigl2017-09-28T19:19:36+08:00

Trouble with video? Click Here To Watch on Youtube Transcript: Like a race car is designed to drive, your mind is designed to think. When coaches and others give you well-intentioned advice to "stop over thinking," they don't realize how futile this directive is. How do you stop over thinking? I guess you could go to the Himalayas and meditate with some Buddhist monks for a few years and you might learn it. Don't get me wrong, meditation is a good thing and I practice it regularly but it's still very difficult for me to slow or stop over thinking...and that's [...]

Mind Racing Under Pressure? – Drive It!Craig Sigl2017-09-28T19:19:36+08:00

Extreme Focus To Deal With Pressure

Craig Sigl2017-09-28T19:54:01+08:00

Today I’ve got Technique #4 for How to perform brilliantly under pressure. Have you gotten the idea from me yet that the key to performing under pressure is to prepare for and practice mental skills BEFORE you ever get to the pressure situation? I’m still amazed that in this day and age there are athletes wanting to get to the next level of their sport and they do next to nothing for their mental game. Sports psychology is now a science, it’s not a bunch of quotes from successful athletes. You may be blessed with a mind that is wired to [...]

Extreme Focus To Deal With PressureCraig Sigl2017-09-28T19:54:01+08:00

What is a sports psychologist and is coach a decent substitute?

Craig Sigl2020-09-29T02:55:10+08:00

In plain language, sports psychologists are coaches who consult and train athletes on improving their mental game. This new type of coaching only began in the 1970’s and has quickly bloomed into a huge part of the sports world. Professional sports teams often employ sports psychologists to help even the highest level athletes reach their potential. Some coaches are very aware that they are not trained and do not have the skills to be able to work with a player’s mental game. Most coaches simply do not have the time to deal with it. You may get excellent advice from a [...]

What is a sports psychologist and is coach a decent substitute?Craig Sigl2020-09-29T02:55:10+08:00

What values can our young athletes learn from sports

Craig Sigl2020-09-29T02:56:39+08:00

“Hello, this is Craig Sigl, how can I help you?” I said as I answered the phone. The sports mom on the other end of the line went on to tell me about her 15 year old daughter who plays softball for club and high school. She went on to tell me how she has paid a lot of money for private hitting coaching, league fees, transportation and everything else that goes along with today’s select sports experience. And, how frustrated she was at how her daughter “just doesn’t seem to want to listen to anybody. Her coach tells her to [...]

What values can our young athletes learn from sportsCraig Sigl2020-09-29T02:56:39+08:00

How Brandon Bostick & Athletes Recover From A Choke

Craig Sigl2015-03-10T16:49:38+08:00

This past weekend, in American Football, we saw an amazing comeback by the Seattle Seahawks over the Greenbay Packers. It was almost miraculous. With the game having only 5 minutes to go, I actually told my friend that the game is over and the Seahawks have lost. (We are in Seattle so it was quite sad at the time). I said that I thought that maybe they had a 2% chance of coming back. The Seahawks did come back and win but, in large part, due to a fumbled on-side kick by a member of the Packers, Brandon Bostick, that opened [...]

How Brandon Bostick & Athletes Recover From A ChokeCraig Sigl2015-03-10T16:49:38+08:00

How To Build Confidence In Young Athletes

Craig Sigl2016-01-14T11:53:33+08:00

You’re a coach (or a parent) interested in developing a strong mental game for your athletes, right? First off, let’s define that so we know what we’re talking about here. I define it as: Focused, Confident, Determined and Resilient, especially under pressure. You also know that if your athletes were to play with more of that, then they would bring their “A” game to competition like you get to see in practice regularly. If you’ve coached athletes for any significant amount of time, you know that performance anxiety and fear of failure are a huge obstacle to playing their best. What [...]

How To Build Confidence In Young AthletesCraig Sigl2016-01-14T11:53:33+08:00

Should I let my kids quit sports

Craig Sigl2016-01-14T11:58:41+08:00

What to do When Kids Decide to Quit Sports I was recently asked to be a panel member on Huffington Post live (video below) where we discussed the issue whether sports parents should let their kid quit. This is a very delicate subject that sports parents often must face and regularly ask my opinion on. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this. My main idea I want sports parents to get is to make decisions consciously and have the knowledge to consider all the ramifications. Don't just blindly follow the cultural norm or a coach's advice. Here are the points I [...]

Should I let my kids quit sportsCraig Sigl2016-01-14T11:58:41+08:00

The Cause and Solution For Overcoming Mental Blocks In Sports

Craig Sigl2021-03-06T07:04:28+08:00

Many athletes in certain sports such as gymnastics, competitive cheer, trampolining, baseball, pole vaulting and golf are extremely vulnerable to mental blocks that keep them from performing like they do in practice or the past. First of all, what is a mental block in sports? It’s where an athlete physically cannot perform a movement or motion that they have demonstrated talent and ability for in the past. For example, I’ve seen a number of baseball players come to me for a mental block known as “The throwing yips.” This is where a catcher, for instance, cannot throw the ball back [...]

The Cause and Solution For Overcoming Mental Blocks In SportsCraig Sigl2021-03-06T07:04:28+08:00

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