By Eric and Chris Martinez (DDT)
July 2012-
Alright ladies and gentleman, we went a different direction this month and wanted to stimulate your minds a bit. Please welcome sports psychologist Dr. Jack Singer!
DDT: Who is Dr. Jack Singer?
Dr.J: I am a Professional Clinical & Sports Psychologist, as well as a Professional Speaker. My work is primarily with motivated athletes, teams and individuals in all professions who are looking to improve their performance and eliminate anxiety. My speaking services are for companies and associations all over the world. The program that I customize for sales professionals, financial planners, doctors, attorneys, etc. is entitled: HOW TO DEVELOP & MAINTAIN THE MINDSET OF A CHAMPION.
DDT: Sounds really interesting could you please tell us what it is that you exactly do?
Dr.J: Athletes train the left brain, with their skill sets, technique, game planning, etc. Almost always, they ignore the right brain, which deals with emotions and visualization, two powerful components of performance. This is where I come in.
Clients from all over the world contact me for help and I treat them via Skype. I also have a professional office in Mission Viejo, California. Athletes and teams are all interested in getting an edge on their competition. That’s what I teach them, including what I refer to as the “unfair advantage.” Sports Hypnosis.
I teach all of my clients to use hypnosis to get into a zone, stay there, and perform their best when it matters the most.
DDT: Getting an edge on your competition is always a good thing. What drew your interest into this profession?
Dr.J: During my Ph.D. training, I was fortunate to take courses from Dr. Richard Suinn, the first sports psychologist to the U.S. Olympic Ski Team. Dr. Suinn’s teachings hooked me into wanting to practice this specialty.
My son was an elite tennis player and golfer. As I learned more about sports psychology, I realized that I could teach him skills that his coaches couldn’t and it really paid off.
DDT: That’s pretty amazing. How do your services work?
Dr.J: Athletes or teams contact me and I assess all of the variables that impact their performance. After diagnosing the issues that are interfering with championship performance, I plan a treatment to overcome those issues quickly. Athletes are able to contact me before games for refreshers, etc. Once I work with an athlete, he/she has easy contact with me, regardless of where in the world they are.
DDT: What are some tactics or practices we can do on a day to day basis to relieve stress?
Dr.J: I wrote a book, The Teacher’s Ultimate Stress Mastery Guide, which describes 77 methods of preventing and alleviating stress that anyone can adopt. Just a couple of highlights: Take charge of that little negative voice inside your head and you will eliminate at least 90 % of your stress because the stress you experience is 10% what happens to you and 90% what you say to yourself about those events. Negative thinking is the biggest cause of stress and an alarming number of physical diseases, as well.
My hypnosis training helps everyone learn how to master the stresses in their lives, and I have hypnotic CD sets available for those who wish to take control of their stress immediately.
DDT: That’s very interesting that you bring up negative thinking as one of this biggest causes of stress. Do you feel that constantly being positive all the time can keep you from getting out of a rut and causing you to make positive changes in your life. Wouldn’t being positive 24/7 lead to complacency?
Dr.J: It’s very hard to be positive 24/7, however, people can recognize when their thinking begins to drift into negative territory and their moods begin to go negative as well. That’s the point at which they take control and modify their thinking. This is the mark of the champion. Remember, a champion cannot avoid disappointments and setbacks…it’s how she/he rebounds from these that defines the true champion.
DDT: How can we get our mind right before a big athletic event such as: Sports event, run a marathon, bodybuilding/figure competition, etc?
Dr.J: The power of positive expectations, optimistic thinking, realistic goal setting and focusing on the PROCESS of doing well in your event (“What do I need to do throughout my event to play my best?”),rather than the outcome (“I hope I win”).
DDT: I can see how positive expectations, optimistic thinking, realistic goal setting and focusing on the PROCESS of doing well in an event can be a game changer. How successful have your athlete clients been with this?
Dr.J: My athletes have raved about how they have been able to really take charge of their performance in a consistent manner using the techniques I teach them. Anyone is capable of learning these techniques. Becoming mentally tough is essential to maintaining elite performance.
DDT: I’m sure we will have some interested people in wondering how to get into this career. What advice would you give someone that wants to pursue this field of work?
Dr.J: Go to a school with a good psychology department and prepare for 4-6 years of graduate school, focusing on Sports Psychology. There are many excellent schools.
DDT: Great info there for future sports psychologist. Where do you see the field of sports psychology in the next 10 years?
Dr.J: This field has exploded in the last 10 years, to the point that there were close to 20 sports psychologists accompanying our Summer Olympic teams at the last Olympics. In the next 10 years I can imagine that mental training will take precedence over physical training in elite athletes. In other words, train the basic physical traits and then emphasize the mental aspect for refinement and perfection.
DDT: Had to throw a fun one in Dr. Jack…What do you like to do for fun?
Dr.J: I like to laugh and laughter has actually been proven to enhance the immune system, dramatically reduce stress and even save your life. Therefore, for me, having fun is going to a comedy club, watching hilarious movies and sitcoms and hanging with very funny people. I also enjoy telling jokes, myself. My professional speaking has humor sprinkled throughout.
I actually acted with Lucille Ball on one of her episodes of Here’s Lucy many years ago. That’s when the funny/comedy bug really took hold with me.
DDT: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this interview.
Dr.J: My Pleasure.
Contact Dr. Jack:
Email: [email protected]
Contact Jack at: 1-800-497-9880 to order anything or even to discuss your issues. He will give you a FREE 20 minute consultation via phone.
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