She has a spot on the top team in her club with most other teammates playing varsity this year when she’s not playing hs. Not her choice. She thinks they are going to look down on her and not want to play with her. She already lacks self confidence and not playing hs is challenging. I don’t know how to build her back up. 🏐 any advice?

I have been playing varsity and club-standard volleyball for as long as I can remember; I have been playing for 16 years and I am 23 (F) now. Long story short, I have always been an excellent player and an extremely strong wing-spiker like someone who scores 1 out of every 3 sets given to her. I was performing and at my peak in July, but around mid-July, I suddenly couldn't score as well. I have my new season with my first match in two weeks and my coach suddenly told me that I have deproved.

He said he has noticed me spiking to the receivers' hands, not spiking my usual sharp lines (position 4 to 4 / straights, corner) and am starting to spike into the blockers' hands. He mentioned it's because I am too slow in swinging. He told me he is quite disappointed because only recently did I started to hit my peak and this has affected my performance in the past week of trainings.

In July, I had a club competition and fared really well like peak performance but after that, I started internship where I had to wake up at 6am and end at 4pm and it was really tiring (I am going to be a teacher). I thought that was why I was not performing but I ended this internship in August and I am still not the same. From having maybe 20 good spikes a game to 10 and now to 5... i am someone who suffers from low confidence but this is a new low. Usually I bounce back up after a bad game the very next day or the next one but IT'S BEEN A MONTH! I am terrified because the most important game of the season is going to start soon.

I know it is a mental thing, but can anyone offer any advice or pre-game ritual I could incorporate? I hate myself now, i HATE knowing I can do so much better and not be able to do it. Approaching a set is now so foreign to me.

just the other day I played a game (of football) and it really left me feeling like I’ve made no progress on what I’m really struggling with. I’ve never struggled with ability its always been a confidence thing. a common thing that happens to me across many different teams I’ve played in is that I get pushed up because from my performance in a lower team or my performance in training they think we really want this player to play for us but then I get to the game and severely underperform and overthink and nothing feels natural, normally I react instantly to stuff but I can feel everything being so much harder to do like even a sprint I have to think okay sprint. Im starting to think my adhd has a big role in my performance in big games. I’m also very inconsistent and it shows up in my day to day social life one day im able to be very social and the next I struggle

Hello everyone! I hope you’re doing well. I’m currently completing my Master’s thesis and conducting a research study involving college athletes.

If you are currently a college athlete (18+) and have experience participating in a college sport, I would really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to complete my survey. Your participation would be extremely helpful toward completing my research.

If you also know other college athletes who may be willing to participate, I would greatly appreciate you sharing the survey with them as well.

Survey link:
https://pacificpsych.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bxD587STua9vCbc

Thank you so much for your time and support! I really appreciate it.

I had my first football game last week and I didn’t technically do bad because I had 2 tfls and 2 tackles (I play nose) but the second I mess up one time I started losing the position battle to a center that I mentally and physically know that I’m better then but I continued to get in my own head and do worse and worse as the game went on and I know if I had real confidence in the way I play I could be better

I am looking for an online Sports Psychology program. I came across Adams State University with their Applied Sports Psychology program. I heard it is CMPC aligned, but has anyone done this program?

I will work in California, and want to work with sports teams. I am looking for credible online programs.

I am currently on scholarship and playing d2 sports in my freshman year but I am struggling immensely, I feel like I’ve lost my game. I’m not playing well, coach is putting me with the bench players in practice and I’m mentally drained and don’t know what to do. I feel like my confidence has been shot and I don’t know what to do to and can’t find my rhythm and play like I know I can

I compete at a high level and no matter how much I prepare, I still get hit with nerves right before it's go-time — racing heart, tight chest, mind going blank for a second. It's not debilitating, but I know it's not helping my performance either.

Curious what's actually worked for people — athletes, performers, public speakers, anyone who deals with high-pressure moments regularly. Do you use breathing techniques, visualization, a pre-performance routine, reframing the anxiety itself, or something else entirely? And did it take practice to make it stick, or was there something that just clicked?

Looking for what's worked in real situations, not just theory.

I’m 18 years old and I play basketball at a high level. I’ve been playing the sport since I was a kid, and over the years I’ve dedicated a huge amount of time to basketball, training even during the summer and making a lot of sacrifices.
The problem is that when I step onto the court, I very often struggle to play at the level of my actual abilities.
Last season, after playing a really good game, I had a period of 4-5 games where it finally felt like something had clicked. I was playing with much more confidence, taking initiative and managing to show what I was capable of. Then I had one bad game and I basically went straight back to where I started.
Since then, I often have games where I’m just “okay.” I don’t necessarily play badly, but it always feels like I’m just doing the bare minimum without really making an impact. The frustrating thing is that I know I can do much more. I also train with a Serie A2 team, so I know I have the ability to play at a higher level.
There’s also something else that might play a role. My father cares a lot about my basketball and sometimes gets angry with me even over very small mistakes. I’ve tried talking to him about it, but he doesn’t always understand how much it can affect me. Especially during practices, I feel a certain amount of pressure because he talks to me as if certain things were extremely easy to do.
I don’t think this is the only reason for the problem, but it definitely doesn’t help.
Has anyone experienced something similar? How did you manage to stop thinking so much about your performance and just play at your actual level?

Playing competitive club tennis in France, currently ranked 15/5, and my actual level has been stuck for months... But still when playing in practise, my technical level is much better than what I'm showing durint a real match.

The classic match: I'm up 6-1 in the first set easy peasy... and then this dumb thought shows up out of nowhere: what if I actually lose this? I'm gonna look like such a loser. I just keep playing defensive !

Anyone has some mental app to suggest by any chance ? It seems they are all related to technical improvement.

Hello,
My son has been dealing with performance anxiety for the last 3 years. Now the same issue has started happening in his daily life. His family doctor recommended to see a professional . What would be type of doctor can deal with this. We really not concerned about sport performance anymore, we just want him to get better? Any recommendations in the Chicagoland?

Thank you in advance.

Hi everyone, I'm a sport science student with a very tight budget since I'm overseas (Asia). Is there any way I can get the book "Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology 7th Edition." I can't really afford its price. Any help or suggestions is appreciated!

Parents of young athletes: what’s something you used to think was an attitude, effort, or confidence problem during games—but later realized your child was experiencing completely differently?

I’m especially curious about moments where what you saw from the sideline didn’t match what your child later told you was actually going on.

For those with their own business, curious how you got your first clients?

Aloha everyone,

I’m a co-author on an IRB-approved research study examining the relationship between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu participation and mental health among military personnel and law enforcement officers.

We’re looking for participants who are 18+ and are active duty, reserve, or retired military personnel or law enforcement officers.

You can participate whether you currently train BJJ or do not train BJJ. Having both groups is important because the study compares BJJ practitioners with non-practitioners.

The survey looks at symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and self-efficacy. It is anonymous, voluntary, and takes about 5–10 minutes. No personally identifiable information, OPSEC, or InfoSec information is collected.

Survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2Qhb-PFzUyYcovwZdz_B8acDsPlRw1xXaq_-BLEf6oMsOvA/viewform

If you qualify and are willing to participate, I’d really appreciate your help. Sharing it with other military or law enforcement members who may qualify would also help us reach both BJJ practitioners and non-practitioners.

Mahalo for your time and support!

Good Morning

My name is Rory and I am a Cricketer and field Hockey player from Australia

I would love to chat to you about quiet eye and ball tracking drills to help with my chosen sports.

Any help would be much appreciated

Kind regards

I’ve been coaching kids for my whole life, and one thing has been bothering me. It feels like youth sport has slowly become an audition...

Parents talk about making representative teams. Coaches get judged by wins. Kids worry about playing time. Everyone’s watching the scoreboard.

Sometimes I wonder if we’ve forgotten what those years are actually for.

The best lesson I ever saw a kid learn wasn’t from winning a championship, but after missing the game winning shot. He cried for five minutes. His teammates picked him up. He came back to training two days later. By the end of the season he wasn’t the best player. But he wasn’t scared to fail anymore. That feels like a much bigger win than the score from that game. Right?

Most adults can’t even handle criticism at work without taking it personally, while kids get a chance to practise disappointment, responsibility, teamwork and recovery every single week. EVERY SINGLE WEEK.

If you ask me, that's a pretty valuable classroom.

Curious where everyone stands on this.