Ep. 16 - Dr. Stephen Walker and Getting Competition Ready

Dr. Stephen Walker has been involved in the sport and performance psychology field since 1983 when he began at the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Colorado. He is board certified with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology and is a member of the United States Olympic committee's registry of sport psychologists. Over the years, he has developed mental training programs for several accomplished athletes in a wide variety of sports from professional and Olympic levels to high school and club teams. Outside of his practice, Dr. Walker is also the editor in chief of Podium Sports Journal, a well-respected sport psychology blog.

If you would like to receive Dr. Walker's FREE guide to getting Competition Ready, send him an email at doc@drstephenwalker.com. Also, you can visit his website drstephenwalker.com

Interview highlights:

2:32 - Dr. Walker describes his background in sports and his introduction to the field of sport psychology

10:32 - The concept of Tennis IQ and being "in sync with your body"

15:40 - Mental preparation in sports

25:33 - The importance of positivity for athletes and parents

32:21 - Building a team and support system around tennis players and the importance of everyone understanding their roles in that team

34:47 - The importance of staying present rather than "time traveling" and future thinking

40:11 - Building confidence systematically through a confidence journal

52:54 - Process-based thinking rather than outcome-based thinking in pre-competition routines

1:01:27 - PETTLEP imagery while preparing for competition