Golf’s Mental Game

Golfers at all levels are beginning to appreciate more and more the importance of mental game training. The latest example comes from the Florida’s Women’s golf team, which has worked with a variety of sport psychologists and mental game counselors throughout the season. Perhaps the most beneficial session for the team was a two-day seminar with Dr. Deborah Graham, a highly respected tour psychologist who has worked with more than 200 pros. Other courses throughout the season coached players in the importance of focus and staying in the present, among other goals.

Florida’s focus on the mental game has worked; the team has improved to number 11 in the country since March 10^th, when they were ranked 19. As spring returns and the northwest golf season begins again, keep checking with SPINw for our courses on golf’s mental game.

Read the whole article from the Gainesville Sun here.

Quotes of the Week

Ducks tourney run

"I just came out with a lot of confidence"

- Oregon freshman guard Tajuan Porter after his 33-point effort and NCAA regional record-tying 8 three-pointers

"We call it the 'heat check...He'll shoot one more just to see if it goes in. Then he's on fire and we just keep giving it to him."

- Oregon forward Maarty Leunen on Porter's shooting

From ESPN.com

The Return of Sammy

"Today is about Sammy Sosa and the Texas Rangers - I mean the Texas Rangers and Sammy Sosa."

- Sammy Sosa at a spring training press conference

"It takes the spotlight away from our team."

- Rangers GM Jon Daniels, when asked about possible downsides to Sammy's return

From Sports Illustrated, March 5

Youth Coaching Tactics

As youth sports continue to grow in popularity and size, the pressure put on young athletes also increases. Recent University of Washington research demonstrates that youth coaches focusing on having fun and playing to the utmost of one’s ability give their players a better overall experience. The study involved a control group of youth basketball teams whose coaches had no coaching training and a study group of teams whose coaches had attended a coaching clinic teaching effective youth coaching strategies. At the end of the season long study, players in the study group exhibited lower anxiety and greater satisfaction in their individual effort and goal achievement while players in the control group had more anxiety and tension and tended to only be satisfied with their play when the team won.
As eyes from scouting services begin looking to younger and younger kids in search of the next LeBron, it is becoming more and more clear that proper youth coaching philosophies be researched and put in place both for the integrity of the game and the welfare of our young athletes.

Check out the whole report with more details on the study from the Los Angeles Times here.

It’s tourney season again!

The traditional stakes are on the line in this year’s 2007 NCAA basketball tournaments – status, money, and, biggest of all, bragging rights in the world of college hoops. Big players are making headlines, with names like Durant, Oden, and Hansbrough making noise in post-game analysis and NBA Draft discussions alike. Apart from the traditional powerhouses and star players, what stories are seeing press this year? Given that this years competition is just as brutal as ever, teams are taking extra steps to stay ahead. An example is No. 2 seed Memphis’ work with visualization strategies to improve free-throws (Memphis is the worst team from the charity stripe in the tourney).

Coach John Calipari has completely abandoned free-throw exercises in practice, favoring visualization exercises instead focusing on a good follow through and a swish of the net. Says forward Robert Dozier, “If you visualize yourself making it, you'll make it, rather than just thinking, ‘Oh my God, I don't know if I'm going to make it or not.’”

Apparently the strategy worked – earlier tonight Memphis knocked out No. 3 seed Texas A&M 65-64 with two Antonio Anderson free throws with 3.1 seconds left. While the Tigers shot an unremarkable .667 from the line, that figure is still a full five percent improvement over their regular season average. Keep an eye on the rest of the tournament to see how far Memphis can go, and keep checking with SPINw for mental game updates on the tournament.

Read the entire San Diego Union-Tribune report here.

Check out the Memphis-Texas A&M game report from ESPN here.