25. March 2010 by John Schinnerer.

I woke up to check email this morning and received a note saying that this blog has been named one of the top 50 sports psychology blogs on the web. What a nice way to wake up!

http://www.nursingschools.net/blog/2010/03/50-best-sports-psychology-blogs/

A few weeks ago, my blog was named one of the top 3 positive psychology blogs on the net.

https://analytics.postrank.com/2009/feed/7499624a994f52c3679878f294478fd5

Thank you very much for the honors. I’m flattered and humbled.

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Guide To Self, Inc.

Positive Psychology Coach

And I still think the formatting could be improved and I need to add some widgets which I have yet to find time to do.

Posted in San Ramon CA, Emotion & productivity, Danville CA, National speakers, Optimal Human Functioning, Soccer psychology, San Francisco Bay Area, Alamo CA, Emotion & Athletics, Managing Anxiety, Emotional management, Managing stress, Positive Psychology, Swim coaches, Dr. John Schinnerer, Life coach, Emotional mind, Psychology & soccer, Guide to Self, Sports Psychology | Print | No Comments »

1. July 2009 by John Schinnerer.

From the abstract from International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology…

Thelwell, R., Lane, A. M., Weston, N.J.V., & Greenlees, I.A. (2008). Examining relationships between emotional intelligence and coaching efficacy. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology 6, 224-235.

The study examined the relationship between EI, as measured using the EI Scale (Schutte et al, 1998) and coaching efficacy, as measured using the Coaching Efficacy Scale, among 99 athletic coaches. Results revealed significant relationships between the two sets of variables. More specifically, results showed that motivation efficacy (e.g., maintain confidence) was significantly associated with the regulation of emotions and social skills, whereas character-building efficacy (e.g., promote good sportsmanship) was associated with optimism. Teaching technique efficacy (e.g., demonstrate the skills of your sport) was significantly associated with appraisal of own emotions.

The results indicate that should coaches be unable to appraise their own emotions and regulate them accordingly, then their ability to affect the learning and performance of their athletes will be severely hindered. As such, it may be that coaches who lacks awareness of their own emotions are subsequently unable to regulate them accordingly for the situation and ultimately their performers’ well-being. This is clearly in line with some of the reports from the business environment (e.g., George, 2000) where leaders lacking in EI had significantly reduced leadership effectiveness. Alternatively, coaches who can appraise their own emotions will arguably possess greater sensitivity to when their emotions need to be regulated in accord with the situation, thus enabling them to fulfill their coaching role (Gould et al., 2002). Again, this mirrors research outside of sport where leaders with high EI deal with potentially difficult situations more effectively (Jordan et al., 2002).

Posted in Emotional mind, Psychology & soccer, Emotional management, Anger Management, Awareness, Resiliency, Emotional IQ, Guide to Self, Abusive Coaches, Swim coaches, Positive Psychology, Dr. John Schinnerer, Life coach, Sports Psychology | Print | No Comments »

27. May 2009 by John Schinnerer.

Gratitude produces calm energy (Robert Emmons).

Strategy: Think grateful thoughts during athletics to prevent yips (tiny muscle contractions due to stress)

Dr. John Schinnerer

Posted in Tips to help anxiety, Psychology & soccer, Gratitude, Staying calm, Emotional IQ, Swim coaches, Positive Psychology, Dr. John Schinnerer, Sports Psychology | Print | No Comments »

2. October 2008 by John Schinnerer.

Here is an article I wrote recently for Article Dashboard…

A varsity soccer player heads the ball into the goal to put his team ahead by one. With more than 20 minutes to play, players on the team that is behind start to hang their heads. Their body language, slumped shoulders, a slow walk, and frustrated, angry expressions convey their temporary lack of resiliency. The speed with which they can bounce back from this setback holds the key to their success. Do they give in to their disappointment, let it turn to resignation, and ever-so-slightly decrease their efforts? Or do they use their anger to stoke the fires of competition and redouble their efforts to score and tie the game? Psychology is beginning to unravel some of the mysteries around sports performance in general and around soccer in particular. This article discusses three recent findings in sports psychology and how they can be best applied to soccer.For instance, players who make predictions about who will win the upcoming game enjoy the game less than those who do not. By predicting the outcome of the game, it creates the possibility of being incorrect and thus leads to the anticipation of regret. This anticipation of being wrong puts more pressure on the player to perform. As we know, too much pressure can push a player out of the zone (where performance is maximized) and into a subpar performance.

Focus On Playing to Potential, Not Winning

A better approach is that of nonattachment where players do not get overly attached to the idea of winning or losing. Soccer players can control one thing – their own play. By focusing the team on playing to their best individual and team potential, and decreasing focus on winning, the team plays more relaxed, more effective soccer.

Understand Your Players for Better Penalty Kicks

Another finding shows that some individuals look for potential gains in general and on the soccer field. Other people spend their efforts attempting to thwart negative outcomes. So one group looks to maximize gains, while the other group looks to minimize losses. Soccer coaches can identify this tendency in individual players and use it to fulfill their players’ potential. For example, when preparing players for penalty shootouts, coaches can talk to players who look to maximize gains (usually the forwards and some midfielders) and tell them to focus on scoring. On the other hand, coaches can prep those who seek to minimize losses (usually the fullbacks) by telling them to focus on not missing the shot. These are individualized messages that can run through the shooter’s head while preparing to take the PK which will increase the probability of success during the shootout.

Use Mirror Neurons to Your Advantage

Finally, soccer players become better simply by watching world class players. There is a ‘mirror system’ in the human brain which responds to actions we watch, such as Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a goal with a heel kick or performing a scissor move. This system in the brain has been shown in brain scan studies to activate when the individual is viewing a sport or activity in which they participate. However, the mirror system does not activate for a dancer watching a soccer player. The mirror system only activates for individuals who have been trained in the particular sport being viewed. We have known for over 50 years that visualization is helpful in improving sports performance (beginning with slalom skiing back in the 1950’s). Science is just discovering that the brain also learns by observing experts. Although no muscle movement takes place in the observer, the brain acts as if the body is replicating the movements being made while watching Ronaldo. The same pattern of neurons fire when watching Ronaldo perform a bicycle kick as when the player him- or herself does a bicycle kick. The possibility exists that players can hone their skills during injuries by watching professional soccer games, highlights on YouTube of favorite players and attending live games.

There are a number of things that psychology can add to sport in general and soccer in particular. Try incorporating some of these suggestions in your play or coaching and see what results come. Above all, have fun. Soccer is first and foremost a game!

About the Author

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Dr. John Schinnerer is President and Founder of Guide To Self, a company that focuses on coaching individuals and groups to their potential using the latest in positive psychology, psychoneuroimmunology and physiology. Most recently, Dr. John Schinnerer hosted over 200 episodes of Guide To Self Radio, a prime time radio show, in the San Francisco Bay Area. He graduated summa cum laude from U.C. Berkeley with a Ph.D. in psychology. Dr. Schinnerer has been a coach and psychologist for over 10 years.

Dr. Schinnerer is also President of Infinet Assessment, a psychological testing company to help firms select the best applicants. Infinet was founded in 1997 and has worked with companies such as UPS, CSE Insurance Group and Schreiber Foods.

Dr. John Schinnerer was Chief Communication Officer of Emotion Mining Company, which has a patented method to measure and quantify conscious and subconscious emotions for branding, marketing, leadership development and organizational change.

Dr. Schinnerer’s areas of expertise range from positive psychology, to emotional awareness, to moral development to sports psychology. He is a noted speaker and author on topics such as emotional intelligence, sports psychology, and executive leadership.Dr. Schinnerer wrote, “Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought,” which was recently awarded the “Best Self-Help Book of 2007.” He has written articles on corporate ethics and EQ in the workplace for Workspan magazine, HR.com, and Business Ethics. He has given numerous presentations, radio shows and seminars to tens of thousands of people for organizations such as SHRM, NCHRA, KNEW and KDIA.By: Dr. John Schinnerer

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.comDr. John Schinnerer is Pres. of Infinet Assessment (www.InfinetAssessment.com) a testing company to help firms select the best applicants. Infinet has worked with companies such as UPS, CSE Insurance Group and Schreiber Foods. He also runs Guide To Self(www.GuideToSelf.com), a company that focuses on coaching individuals and groups to their potential using the latest in positive psychology. In 2007, he wrote ‘Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought’

Posted in Nervousness, Staying calm, Tips to help anxiety, Happiness, Psychology & soccer, Infinet Assessment, Emotional IQ, Guide to Self, Abusive Coaches, Swim coaches, Managing stress, Dr. John Schinnerer, Life coach, Sports Psychology | Print | No Comments »

11. October 2007 by John Schinnerer.

By Dr. John Schinnerer My ten-year-old son was bullied recently. He was told that he was an “embarrassment.” He was told to “shut up.” He was yelled at and scolded in a tone of voice tinged with disgust and disdain. He was told he would be punished for any mistakes he or his peers made.  Surprisingly, this didn’t happen at school. The bully wasn’t even a peer of his. The bully was his swim coach, a young lady of perhaps 26 years of age. She was desperately trying to motivate her swimmers to swim fast in the big meet the next day. And this was her attempt at motivation. Unfortunately this is a pattern of destructive behavior that continues for this particular coach as evidenced by multiple parent complaints over two seasons. She is a “mean coach” - a coach that gets athletes to perform by bullying them. In speaking to the lady in charge of the coaches on this swim team, it quickly became apparent that this type of “incentive” was not only okay with her, it was actually encouraged. She said that 9- and 10-year-old boys were “squirrely” and “needed to be taken down a notch.” She was in full support of her coaches yelling at, embarrassing and insulting young children to motivate them to swim faster. “That’s just the way swimming is,” she said. Had I not spent 12 years of my childhood swimming competitively, I may have believed her. So this raises some interesting questions… How do you know if your coach is a bully? If the coach is a bully, what do you do about it?  How Do I Know If My Coach is a Bully? To determine if a coach is a bully, you must first know what bullying behavior looks and feels like.  Bullying is aggressive behavior that occurs repeatedly over time in a relationship where there is an imbalance of power or strength. Bullying can take many forms, including physical violence, verbal abuse, social manipulation and attacks on property. Physical violence is not usually a component of a coaching relationship. If your coach is physically violent with an athlete, call the authorities. Much more common in the world of athletics is verbal abuse and emotional mistreatment over time which can lead to severe and long-lasting effects on the athlete’s social and emotional development. In a world where “more is better” in terms of training and “no pain means no gain,” there is a great deal of machismo in coaches. Most coaches coach the same way that they were coached while playing the sport growing up. This means that many coaches are still operating as if the training methods used in the Soviet Union in the 1970’s are state of the art.  “Ve vill deprive you of food until you win gold medal.” Central to this old school mind set is the idea that threat, intimidation, fear, guilt, shame, and name-calling are all viable ways to push athletes to excel. News flash: None of these are worthwhile motivators for anyone. These are the bricks which line the road paved to burnout, rebellion and a hatred of a once-loved sport. What Does Verbal and Emotional Abuse Look Like in Athletics? Usually, this involves a coach telling an athlete or making them feel that he or she is worthless, despised, inadequate, or valued only as a result of their athletic performance. And here’s the catch, such messages are not conveyed merely with the spoken word. They are conveyed by tone of voice, body language, facial expression and withdrawal of physical or emotional support. This is a large part of the reason why the problem of bullying in athletics is so hard to quantify – a clear definition of bullying is somewhat elusive. Even if we can define it, as above, it’s highly difficult to measure. Bullying is partly defined by the subjective experience of the athlete. In other words, if the athlete feels shamed, frightened, or anxious around the coach due to his or her constant and repeated shouting, name-calling or threatening, then the label “emotional abuse” is warranted. How Widespread is Bullying by Coaches in Athletics? At this point in time, there are no hard and fast figures on coaches who bully. In school, we know that 90% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of some form of bullying at some point in their past.  In a 2005 UCLA study, Jaana Juvonen found that nearly 50% of 6^th graders reported being the victim of bullying in the past five day period. In general, boys are more physically aggressive (physical bullying), whereas girls rely more on social exclusion, teasing, and cliques (verbal or emotional bullying). In 2006, Stuart Twemlow, MD gave an anonymous survey to 116 teachers at seven elementary schools, and found that 45% of teachers admitted to having bullied a student in the past. In the study, teacher bullying was defined as “using power to punish, manipulate, or disparage a student beyond what would be a reasonable disciplinary procedure.” Psychological research has debunked several myths associated with bullying, including one that states bullies are usually the most unpopular students in school. A 2000 study by psychologist Philip Rodkin, PhD, and colleagues involving fourth-through-sixth-grade boys found that highly aggressive boys may be among the most popular and socially connected children in elementary classrooms, as seen by their peers and teachers. Another myth is that bullies are really anxious and self-doubting individuals who cope using bullying as a way to compensate for their low self-esteem. However, there is no support for such a view. Most bullies have average or better than average self-esteem. Bullies, in general, are not loners and misfits with low self-esteem. Many bullies are relatively popular and have “henchmen” who help with their bullying behaviors. And so it was with the swim team where the coach’s bullying is supported and endorsed by the woman in charge of the team. Bullying does not take place in a vacuum. There has to be an environment around bullying behavior which allows it and enables it to survive. Back to the original question of how widespread is bullying by coaches in athletics. We know that bullying is rampant among children as well as adults.  We know that 45% of teachers admit to having bullied a student in the past. On average, teachers have more training (1 to 2 years post graduate) in areas such as child development and educational and motivational theories than the average coach of youth athletics. So it’s appears safe to assume that teachers are less likely than the average coach to engage in bullying behavior.  Assuming that’s the case, it seems safe to assume that roughly 45 - 50% of coaches have bullied an athlete in their past. According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, there are approximately 2.5 million adults in the United States who volunteer their time to coach each year.  Using the tentative number of 50% would mean that there are roughly 1.25 million adult coaches who have bullied a child athlete in the past. And this number does not even take into account coaches who are paid for their services and who may be more likely to bully due to the pressures and expectations placed upon them.  So What? A Little Yelling Never Hurt Anyone The old school of thought was along the lines of the nursery school rhyme “sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  The old school of thought was that a little yelling at players will “toughen them up and prepare them for real life.” Fortunately, we now know better. A 2003 study by Dr. Stephen Joseph at University of Warwick found that “verbal abuse can have more impact upon victims’ self-worth than physical attacks, such as punching…stealing or the destruction of belongings.”  Verbal attacks such as name-calling and humiliation can negatively impact self-worth to a dramatic degree. Rather than helping them to “toughen up”, 33% of verbally abused children suffer from significant levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is the same disorder that haunts many war veterans and victims of violent assault. Verbal bullying leads to anxiety, social withdrawal, nightmares, and can negatively impact the psychological health of children. Words do hurt and the scars they leave behind can last a lifetime. A UCLA study from 2005 demonstrated that there is no such thing as “harmless name-calling.” The study, by Jaana Juvonen, Ph.D., found that those 6^th graders who had been victimized felt humiliated, anxious, angry and disliked school more. What’s more, the students who merely observed another student being bullied reported more anxiety and disliked school to a greater degree than those who did not witness any bullying. The major lesson here is that the more a child is bullied, or observes bullying, in a particular environment, the more they dislike being in that environment. So any bullying done by coaches will virtually guarantee a hasty exit from the sport by the victim. A 2007 Penn State study found that the trauma endured by children due to bullying results in physical changes in the body. The study, performed by JoLynn Carney, found that levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, were elevated in the saliva of both children who had been bullied recently and in those children who were anticipating being bullied in the near future. Ironically, when cortisol levels spike, our ability to think clearly, learn or remember goes right out the window. So those coaches who rely on fear and intimidation ensure their athletes won’t recall any of what they said while they are ranting and raving. Repeated exposure to such stressful events has been linked to chronic fatigue syndrome, greater chance of injury, chronic pelvic pain, and PTSD. It appears to be the anxiety which is the most dangerous aspect for the victim of bullying. The anxiety stays with the victim and fuels deep internal beliefs such as “the world is a dangerous place in which to live” and “other people cannot be trusted.” As demonstrated in Martin Seligman’s work, such core beliefs lay at the heart of depression. Thus, bullying is directly linked to trauma and anxiety and indirectly linked to depression and higher cortisol levels.  What Can I Do About Bullying Coaches?If you are a parent, if possible, make the coach aware of his/her behavior. Ensure the safety of yourself and your child first. It’s difficult to predict when you’ll be met with an uncooperative, and potentially hostile, attitude. However, it’s important that you be courageous and stand up to the bullying behavior. To the extent that you sit by, complain in the background, but do nothing to prevent bullying behaviors, you allow it to continue. If, after bringing it to the coaches attention, you don’t see a change in the behavior of the coach, report their specific behaviors which you view as bullying to any supervisor or league authorities. Be as specific as possible to help others identify and change the behaviors in question. In extreme cases, you may find that with the people in charge of the organization are in support of bullying coaches. In that case, you must weigh the financial, physical and psychological costs of moving your child to a different team or coach. Staying with the same coach is likely to lead to increased anxiety and decreased athletic performance at a minimum. Moving to a different coach may mean increased financial expenses, driving time and leaving behind the friendship of other parents and children.If you are a coach, be aware of your tone of voice, body language, and other nonverbal messages. The majority of what we communicate with others is done nonverbally and through tone of voice. Tone of voice provides the greatest insight into how a coach is feeling when he or she speaks to an athlete. Tone of voice alone can convey disgust, delight, disappointment, anger, contentment and much more. It’s not as much what you say as how you say it.  And keep in mind that most of the athletes you coach are not going to become rich and famous. The best you can do is encourage your athletes’ love of the game.  So keep it fun. Keep it low key. Turn down the volume on your competitiveness. Remind yourself that it’s just a game. It’s not a matter of life or death. Don’t get overly attached to winning. Focus on helping your athletes perform at their peak level. If you are an athlete, realize that your physical and psychological health is of the greatest importance. It is the primary reason that you are involved in athletics. So, listen to the feeling in your gut. If you feel angry, ashamed, guilty, anxious or sad every time you come near your coach, you may want to look for a new coach. You have a right to be treated with respect and dignity. Exercise that right. Depending upon how volatile your coach is, and how strong a bond you have with him or her, you may want to try talking with your coach first to see if they are able to change their behavior. If your coach is explosive, talk to your parents first and ask for their support. Ask them to intervene on your behalf. Tell them how you feel. If you go to your parents and tell them you feel anxious, scared, angry or ashamed every time you approach your coach, hopefully, they will recognize the need for a face-to-face with the coach. As far as my family goes, we’re moving to a different swim team. My wife and I spoke to the people in charge of the current swim team and found that their driving value was to win which, in their minds, justifies the use of old school negative motivators such as group punishment for individual mistakes.  That’s their choice. It’s their team. My choice is to take my children and swim somewhere else – somewhere where they are treated with respect and dignity.  About the AuthorJohn Schinnerer, Ph.D. Dr. John Schinnerer is President and Founder of Guide To Self, a company that focuses on coaching individuals and groups to their potential using the latest in psychology, psychoneuroimmunology and physiology. Most recently, Dr. John Schinnerer hosted over 200 episodes of Guide To Self Radio, a prime time radio show, in the San Francisco Bay Area. He graduated summa cum laude from U.C. Berkeley with a Ph.D. in psychology. Dr. Schinnerer has been a coach and psychologist for over 10 years.Dr. Schinnerer is also President of Infinet Assessment, a psychological testing company to help firms select the best applicants. Infinet was founded in 1997 and has worked with companies such as UPS, CSE Insurance Group and Schreiber Foods.Dr. Schinnerer’s areas of expertise range from positive psychology, to emotional awareness, to moral development to sports psychology. He is a noted speaker and author on topics such as emotional intelligence, sports psychology, and executive leadership. Dr. Schinnerer wrote, “Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought,” which was recently awarded the “Best Self-Help Book of 2007” by East Bay Express.  He has written articles on corporate ethics and EQ in the workplace for Workspan magazine, HR.com, and Business Ethics. He has given numerous presentations, radio shows and seminars to tens of thousands of people for organizations such as SHRM, NCHRA, KNEW and KDIA. 

Posted in Bullies, Swim coaches, Sports Psychology | Print | No Comments »