• Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
24/7 Health News
No Result
View All Result
Home Article

How a Sports Psychologist Can Help You Win in Life  

February 13, 2025
in Article, Dr. Ramel Kweku Smith, emotional health and wellness resources, Fitness, Fitness & Wellness, Mental Health, Milwaukee Bucks, performance, sports, sports psychology, therapy, USOPC, Wellness
How a Sports Psychologist Can Help You Win in Life  

Dr. Ramel Kweku Smith has worked in sports psychology for ten years. He served as the Milwaukee Bucks’ full-time team Psychologist, providing clinical services to the players and coaching staff. He has also contracted with NFL teams and served on the NFL clinical advisory team. In his current position with the USOPC, Dr. Smith supports our US athletes in pursuing Olympic gold. The 2024 Olympics ended last month, but the season for sports psychologists and the athletes they serve is a year-long game. Following the conclusion of the Olympics, I spoke with him about the importance of mental health and sports therapy on the playing field and in life.

An athlete’s skills are often associated with their physical attributes. How fast they can run, how high they can jump, and how much weight they can lift are the usual measuring sticks for assessing their effectiveness on the field or court. However, what often gets undersold is the importance of an athlete’s mental health because their state of mind is crucial in their decisions on the field.

Sports psychologists are appointed to help athletes improve their performance. However, there are several negative stigmas surrounding therapy. One is that if a person seeks help, something is “wrong” with them, or they are “weak.” This is particularly true with athletes because they are often perceived as once-in-a-generation prototypes with superhuman capabilities.

However, Dr. Smith says that is not the case at all. He notes that when it comes to the struggles that lead athletes to seek therapy, they are no different from the average Joe.

“I don’t care who you are. Every person has anxiety. Every person has self-doubt. It doesn’t have to be something traumatic that happened in childhood. You know, everybody has a family member that may die. You know, everybody has a person that may go through some difficult situations. You know, every person wants to have things that will make them better,” he said.

“It’s always good to have a coach to sharpen the saw. Give you ideas that you never thought about. Or help refine the ideas that you did employ and maybe are going well and can be better, or maybe have gotten a little dull over the years. You need a little insight to be a little better.”

However, whether you are an athlete or an average Joe, the goal of therapy remains the same: achieving rehabilitation. The main indicator that therapy is working for a person is their performance, whether in the field of play or life.

“It’s different for everybody, but when you start looking at it, the proof is how a person performs. How they are before and after the performance, how they actually perform, and how they feel,” Dr. Smith added.

Dr. Ramel Kweku Smith

“So, depending on what area the individual is having certain issues in, sometimes people have anxiety before a big match. And so if we work together and they say, hey, you know what, my anxiety is still there, but it’s, you know, it’s at a healthy point, I’m using it to be able to propel me to go further. It’s not paralyzing me. It’s propelling me.

That’s a good sign when you have that self-report back. When you see performance, whether it’s a team or an individual, where you see a team doing everything from a camaraderie standpoint that you look for to help them have dividends on the court, that’s a great thing.”

Whether you are an athlete or an accountant, life throws curveballs at you. And as people, we all have to face that turbulence. Therapy is an effective vehicle to help us navigate life’s trials. However, Dr. Smith says the key to having the most effective outcome is to seek help before trouble arises.

“If you already have an established relationship, talking to someone in critical times is easier than trying to find somebody, as most people do, even within the general population. Most people treat psychology, you know, kind of as a spare tire. They don’t use it until something happens, and then they want to see someone,” Dr. Smith added.

“I always like to tell people, let’s be proactive about our mental health. If you’re doing good, that person can serve as a performance coach and help you improve in every area of your life.”

ShareTweetSharePin
Next Post
Reduce Your COVID-19 Risks This Fall & Winter

Reduce Your COVID-19 Risks This Fall & Winter

Most Read

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

December 15, 2022
morning back pain

Morning Again Ache Trigger Is Not the Mattress

October 11, 2021

4 steps to building a healthier relationship with your phone

January 28, 2025

Why Circadian Rhythms Matter for Your Health

July 30, 2024
lower back pain relief exercises

5 decrease again ache aid workouts

October 11, 2021
Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

December 14, 2022
bleeding in gum

When The Bleeding in gum Is Severe ?

October 11, 2021
Good Night Sleep

6 Causes of Good Evening Sleep

October 11, 2021
3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

October 15, 2021
Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

January 3, 2023
Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

May 20, 2025
Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

October 12, 2021

COVID vaccines: how one can pace up rollout in poorer international locations

October 5, 2021

Maximize Your Performance – Sync with Your Circadian Rhythms

August 9, 2024
Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

December 30, 2022

This Simple Hygiene Habit Could Cut Your Risk of Stroke, New Research Reveals

February 1, 2025

Multiple sclerosis: the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study

October 12, 2021
Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

December 16, 2021
Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

December 1, 2021
woman covered with white blanket

Exploring the Impact of Sleep Patterns on Mental Health

August 4, 2024
Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

December 2, 2022
News of war can impact your mental health — here’s how to cope

Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know

December 2, 2022
FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

May 21, 2025
As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

December 14, 2022
GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

December 16, 2022
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

December 22, 2022
Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

January 28, 2025
How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

July 6, 2022
How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

October 24, 2021
The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

January 4, 2022
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS