Sport psychology is the perfect complement to physical training because it exercises the mind to work with the body harmoniously. Discover the benefits of building focus and confidence with advice from a sport psychologist in this video on horseback riding techniques.
Hi, I'm Tonya Johnston, I'm a sports psychology consultant, and I work with riders on getting psychologically prepared and mentally tough. In this segment, we're going to talk about how sports psychology techniques can enhance the physical training you do with your horse. Riding is a sport that requires mental skills and physical skills. You have your trainer to work on the physical skills with you and sometimes you might use sports psychology consultant to help you really tailor a mental training program for you. This can help you in many ways, something things that you'll see improve would be your memory. Your ability to hear what your trainer is saying and implement it effectively, you'll also see improvements in your focus. Another benefit of sports psychology and dovetailing it into your physical training, is that it'll build your awareness. Many things we do in sports psychology have you more in touch with your energy level, where your focus is, what you're saying to yourself, what kinds of things you're imagining. All of this is building your awareness. So that when you get instruction, you're more prepared to put those tips to use. Another skill that is important and will be enhanced is your ability to think in the moment. Sports psychology really helps you stay focused in time and when you're in ring, it's so important to stay on your horse in the moment, and not be thinking outside of the ring. This is also enhanced by helping you make transition points. Let say, you're getting to the bar and after a busy day at work, or at school. You know, you want to be able to get on your horse and be present, be able to think about, what is my horse telling me today? What is my trainer telling me today, what things do I need to do to ride well? Sports psychology can really, really help you maximize your physical talents. You can have the most gifted rider in the world, who, if they can't get to the ring and be focused and confident, they will not ride well on that given day. So with physical training and mental training together, you can hope to ride your best every time.
Specialty: Sports Psychology
