SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

Get oriented to the course structure, expectations, and experiential learning approach that will guide your development. Understand how each component—from assignments to self-tracking—fits into a unified performance system.

• Meet your instructor
• Course structure
• Assignments & final project overview
• Overview of experiential components
• Overview of course “operating system”

Explore the origins of sport psychology and discover how the mind and body function as an integrated performance system. Learn why sleep is a foundational metric and how to begin measuring it in practice.

• History & development
• Mental performance vs. mental health
• The mind-body connection
• Case study: The Athletic Motivation Inventory (AMI) controversy
• Importance of sleep
• Subjective vs. objective monitoring

Assignment #1: Sleep Self-Assessment
Initiate 2-week baseline sleep tracking and complete sleep self-assessments.

Learn what sport psychologists actually do in modern practice and define the boundaries of ethical, effective support. Develop the judgment to distinguish performance challenges from clinical concerns and act accordingly.

• What practitioners actually do
• Defining boundaries, ethics, & risk management
• Cognitive behavioral therapy & "third-wave" models
• Sleep measurement & data interpretation
• Case study: When performance issues mask deeper pathology
• Workshop: Triage athlete scenarios

Assignment #2: Sport Psychology Analysis
Analyze portrayals of sport psychologists in popular media.

Discover how athletes develop expertise through motor learning, repetition, and deliberate practice. Understand how automaticity is built and how to translate these principles into coaching and performance environments.

• Motor skill learning & automaticity
• Neuroplasticity & long-term potentiation
• Deliberate practice, strength, & conditioning
• Motor learning in coaching & rehab contexts
• Case studies: Steph Curry & Kobe Bryant
• Guest Speaker: Applied sport psychology in elite sport

Explore the drivers of motivation and self-efficacy, and learn how to identify and overcome barriers to performance. Build the foundation for analyzing performance challenges and designing targeted interventions.

• Self-determination theory & self efficacy sources
• Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation
• Why competence matters more than confidence
• Psychological & personality traits
• Case studies: Talent development across domains
• Mind-body training, performance plans, & plateaus

Assignment #3: Performance Breakdown & Needs Analysis
Identify a performance obstacle in yourself or a client and begin mapping interventions. This is the first step in your course project.

Learn how sleep directly impacts performance, recovery, and decision-making, and how to apply sleep data in real-world settings. Develop the ability to translate insights into actionable strategies.

• Sleep & performance fundamentals
• Sleep & skill consolidation
• Translating sleep data into practice
• Real-world implementation challenges
• Case studies: The NBA Twitter Study (Jones & Hale), MLB Strike-Zone Fatigue (Dr. Scott Kutscher), & MLB Career Longevity (Dr. W. Christopher Winter)
• Workshop: Review your 2-week baseline sleep data, identifying trends, limitations, and the risk of "metric fixation"

Explore how to regulate arousal, emotion, and physiology to meet performance demands. Learn practical techniques to increase or decrease activation and embed them into training routines.

• Self-regulation fundamentals
• Arousal & nervous system control
• Relaxation & breathing techniques
• Activation strategies
• Psychological traits of elite performers
• Workshop: Regulation strategies in practice

Understand how performance states are shaped by cognitive and physiological factors, and learn how to begin building a structured mental training approach.

• Mind–brain–body integration
• Mental training importance
• Introduction to the mental performance plan
• Identifying cognitive distortions
• Case study: Simone Biles and the "twisties"
• Workshop Part 1: In break-out groups, reflect on a hypothetical recent or upcoming competition or performance and write down any unhelpful mind-body routines or habits that could be experienced in the situation. Think about how to modify these habits in order to prepare the mind + body to perform.

Learn how to design and apply mental training plans using cognitive and behavioral strategies. Practice restructuring thought patterns and embedding mental skills into performance.

• Mental training plan components
• Developing a plan for individual athletes vs. teams
• Integrating mental skills into physical training
• Cognitive strategies & reframing
• Measurement & progress tracking
• Workshop Part 2: Transform your findings from class 7 into a practical reset sequence. Expand this into a structured mental training plan.

Assignment #4: Mental Training Plan Draft
Use your workshop from class 8 as a starting point to develop a structured mental training plan, including your reset sequence and strategies for before, during, and after performance.

Discover how heart rate variability reflects nervous system function and learn how to use it for self-regulation and performance optimization. Apply biofeedback techniques to enhance your training approach.

• The mechanics of HRV
• Heart rate variability training
• Resonance & coherence
• Case studies: Evidence from elite sport and other performance domains
• Demo: Biofeedback practice
• Workshop: Review HRV practice and baseline shifts and discuss integrating HRV protocols directly into your final Mental Performance Plan

Assignment #5: HRV & Self-Regulation Integration
Practice HRV or breathing-based regulation. What changes do you notice? When is it most useful?

Understand how attention and perception influence performance and learn how to train focus in high-pressure environments. Develop strategies to improve decision-making under time constraints.

• Types of attention & applied attention training
• Neural components of performance
• Internal vs. external focus
• ADHD in elite performance environments
• Decision-making under time pressure
• Demo: Neurotracker

Explore how emotions, identity, and team dynamics shape performance. Learn strategies to maintain consistency under pressure and navigate both individual and group challenges.

• Performance-related emotions
• Acceptance vs. control strategies
• Injury and return-to-play psychology
• Resilience & athletic identity
• Team dynamics & communication
• Conflict and individual differences

Integrate everything you’ve learned into applied case analysis and refine your approach as a practitioner. Prepare to design and justify a comprehensive mental performance plan.

• Revisiting the full performance system
• Workshop: Take on the role of an applied sport psychologist and work through a realistic athlete case.
• Discussion: What kind of practitioner do you want to be?
• Final project prep
• Final Q&A

Final Project: Mental Performance Plan
Design and present a comprehensive, applied mental performance plan that addresses a specific performance challenge using concepts and strategies learned throughout the course.