Blog 1: High Performance Training

Blog 1: HPT – Psychological Skills Training Day 1 Intro

Excerpt from Coaching Wrestling in the 21st Century: The Art & Science of Coaching Wrestling

If athletes are stressed-out, unmotivated, or distracted, they are less likely to perform at high levels consistently. Motivation, focus, & recovery are key to performance and PST can enhance motivation, focus, & recovery. Sport psychology is a profession as is psychology and psychiatry. Those professions are all different and all can help anyone understand motivation and focus better. Many athletes, coaches (in this country and abroad) use the expertise of sport psychologists, books, blogs, & videos like below to gain an athletic advantage.

Long time U.S. Olympic Committee sport psychologist Kirsten Peterson, Ph.D., actually helped me as a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete and as a U.S. Olympic Education Center coach. Peterson essentially gave me the tools to control my thoughts as an athlete and as a coach. As an athlete, Peterson met with me once per week and taught me how to let go of the past, move on, and plan for the future. As a coach, Peterson recommended videos and books that helped me design a PST program for athletes to implement on a weekly if not daily basis. Peterson also suggested I check out the USOC library for additional PST resources.

PST skills worth mastering: