Patrick Cohn, Ph.D. 
Would you consider yourself an A-plus teammate? Most football players on a team would consider themselves good teammates. If you ask them why they believe they are positive, productive teammates, you hear “I get hyped for my teammates when they are playing,” “If a teammate has a bad play, I check on them,” and “During … Read More
How to Stay Mentally Tough in Football Most athletes pay no attention to purposefully training their minds. Instead, these athletes leave their mental response to chance. You want to consistently train your brain by sending yourself positive messages. If you are not actively training your brain, you passively train your brain. That is, whatever messages … Read More
How to be Ready to Compete Do you stay sharp when you are on the sidelines and not playing? In other words, are you mentally ready, at a moment’s notice, to enter a game, be your best and make a solid contribution to your team? Teams refer to this readiness as the “next man up” … Read More
Managing Negativity From Others What are the main distractions that affect your performance? In what competitive situations do you find focusing more difficult? Distractions can be described as unneeded noise in your mind Some noise is internal such as your self-talk. You had probably experienced times when you thought, “I’m not good enough,” “I always … Read More
Playing as Simple as Possible What does “being a student” of the game mean? How does that mindset enhance athletic performance? Being a student of the game is more than just preparing. It’s going the extra mile, studying the action on the field, objectively evaluating your performance, tending to your mental skills, and looking for … Read More
Maintain the Level of Your Confidence What effects do game-ending mistakes have on your confidence? For most young athletes, losing is difficult, but making a costly mistake late in a game can hurt their confidence, especially if it leads to a loss. For example, a QB may become frustrated after throw a pick 6, which … Read More