Sport Psychology Scenario Discussion:

In the case of Savana, what she is experiencing is common amongst all athletes. She is feelings
defeated that she was unable to fulfil her position when she missed that free throw and because
of this, she has built up anxieties” Choking”, and now feels less confident in herself. Being an
athlete myself, I know the feeling of frustration that you have potentially let yourself and your
team down.

How I would work with Savana is try some exercises with her on breathing, so she may maintain
a lighter mindset before she needs to perform. There is a lot of pressure that comes from being an
athlete, and many athletes worry about their performance on making sure “They need to get this,
or else” instead of focusing on her execution on their skills, she’s not setting herself up for
mental failure.

Another attribute I would work on with Savana is instilling intrinsic motivation back into her.
Explaining to Savana what she has done well in and reminding her that when she has made a
mistake, that the next time she should set goals for herself to optimize her performance, and also
not to compare herself to any past performances. Keeping this positive mindset can only help her
to move past this. A good way to keep Savana motivated is asking her “why’s”. Because if she is
truly passionate about what she is doing, she will continue to fight for what she loves.

One last thing I would work on with Savana is visualization. Self- talk and visualization are
great ways to help athletes strive to achieve their greatest potential as well as overcome some
obstacles they are facing. As a sport Psychologist, my goals are to help enhance performance,
cope with pressures of competing, and help educate individuals why they joined the sport in the
first place.