Study reveals traits of mentally tough athletes
Chesterfield, New Jersey, May 26, 2010…Athletic coaches will soon be able to measure the mental toughness of current and potential players---by comparing them with the attitudes and motivational levels of players who have mental toughness.
Providing coaches with this data is possible because Sports Psychology Center has conducted double-blind scientific validations which show the traits of athletes who have been judged mentally tough by experienced coaches.
After athletes were asked to rate themselves in terms of mental toughness as part of Sports
Psychology Center’s 130-item assessment to measure the mental traits of players, the coaches, in separate exercises, rated each of these athletes in terms of mental toughness and several other characteristics found in elite and average athletes.
“What we will have is scientifically-validated data concerning what players brings to the table and what a coach can anticipate and expect from his players in terms of mental toughness, including, according to preliminary results, a combination of self-confidence, resiliency, work ethic and commitment," says Chuck Rose, founder and CEO of Sports Psychology Center.
An accurate “definition” of mental toughness will be announced after further tests with athletes and corroborations with coaches, according to Sports Psychology Center officials. Mathematical calculations, including factor analysis, will determine which of 20 individual traits are found in those who have been judged to be mentally tough.
The results also will show differences in the traits/norms for males and females in various sports and levels of competition, and those of various position players, for example, starting pitchers, relief pitchers, catchers, infielders, outfielders and designated hitters in baseball.
About Sports Psychology Center
Sports Psychology Center has created and developed scientifically-validated tests to help determine the extent to which individuals possess the mental and behavioral traits which differentiate elite/star athletes from other competitors, especially those with similar or somewhat superior physical skills.
SPC provides online assessments and analyses for professional teams and leagues, colleges, national teams, sports academies and camps, sports psychologists, organizations which market athletes, and individual athletes seeking information to perfect their mental approaches.
Our first suite of psychological tests for athletes, developed in 2006, detailed the mental characteristics found in elite athletes but not to the same extent in other competitors. In 2008, Sports Psychology Center was chosen to create the proprietary online assessment being used by Major League Baseball and its 30 teams to assess the mental traits and behaviors of 1,500 high school and college players prior to MLB’s annual draft.
We are currently in the final stages of completing the next generation of mental trait assessments for athletes. Each report/analysis will contain scores/norms and advice/recommendations for altering or sustaining specific mental approaches and behaviors in several sports.
Sports Psychology Center creates new online assessment to measure the “commitments” of college athletes
Chesterfield, New Jersey, April 1, 2010...The creation of a new assessment to measure and track the attitudes, motivations and commitments of college student athletes was announced today by Sports Psychology Center.
The online test will provide administrators, coaches and education support personnel with “valuable information to better understand the predispositions and mindsets of their athletes…and thus be better prepared to help these students to succeed in college and in their life after sports,” said Chuck Rose, founder and CEO of Sports Psychology Center.
The College Athletics and Classroom Attitude and Commitment Assessment™” can provide college personnel a more complete picture of individuals being considered for sports scholarships and also better understand the psyches of enrolled scholar athletes who sometimes have problems coping with the rigors of both athletics and classroom, according to Rose.
Because a basic goal of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is to have each of its member schools “support efforts of every student athlete toward intellectual development and graduation,” our assessment can play an important role in meeting this challenge, Rose added.
The assessment determines the extent to which individual athletes possess each of up to 20+ mental characteristics and behavioral traits which have been shown to be present in individuals committed to continuing excellence on the field and in the classroom.
SPC research has shown there are five “Psychological Trait Clusters”™ which can help to differentiate between good/average scholar athletes and those who will need vigilance and (motivational) mentoring.
The five major clusters are, according to Rose:
- Work ethic/ambition/determination…and commitment to excel
(with separate scores for athletic and academic commitments)
- Self-confidence…in athletic and classroom abilities
- Concentration/focus
- Coping with adversity and resiliency
(including the ability to bounce back after failure/disappointment)
- Emotional Stability
"In addition, SPC has developed an "at risk" alert which provides college officials with data about the propensity of individuals toward reckless risk-taking, sensation-seeking, vulnerability to peer pressure, sense of invulnerability, rule-breaking risk, aggression and propensity towards dishonesty", Rose said.
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Sports Psychology Center provides secure online psychological testing services for the sports community---colleges, organizations which attempt to match athletes and colleges with athletic scholarships, professional teams and leagues, Olympic organizations, sports academies and camps, sports psychologists, and individual athletes.
SPC was selected in 2008 to provide the Major League Baseball with psychological assessments for 1,500+ high school and college players prior to the annual drafts of high school and college players by MLB’s 30 teams.
For further information, please contact:
Chuck Rose, Founder and President
Sports Psychology Center, Inc.
225 Sykesville Road
Chesterfield, New Jersey 08515
609-424-3059 (direct)
ChuckRose@SportsPsychologyCenter.com
© ™ 2010, MindMeasures, LLC and Sports Psychology Center, Inc.
Sports Psychology Center is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MindMeasures, Inc.
Major League Baseball selects Sports Psychology Center to assess players for 30 MLB teams prior to June’s annual draft
Chesterfield, NJ, Feb. 1, 2008…Sports Psychology Center has been selected by the Major League Scouting Bureau to provide psychological assessments for 1,000+ high school and college players prior to Major League Baseball’s annual First-Year Player Draft.
The announcement was made concurrently with the release of SPC research results showing superstar athletes have mental traits allowing them to perform at higher levels than competitors with similar physical skills in the same sport.
“Teams around the world have recognized the significance and importance of using scientifically-validated psychological testing to make decisions about the athletes asked to become part of their organizations---and we are delighted that an organization such Major League Baseball has chosen Sports Psychology Center to provide this information to each of its teams who are assessing talent for the upcoming draft,” said Chuck Rose, founder and president of SPC.
“Since we have determined that superstar baseball players have more self-confidence, commitment and determination to succeed and excel, superior work ethics, better focus and more emotional stability, identifying prospects with above average amounts of those traits helps teams to make more informed decisions about drafting and signing prospects,” Rose continued.
“Scouting and recruiting personnel, managers and coaches have the experience and capabilities to assess athletes’ physical skills. Sports Psychology Center, through the Baseball Athlete Success Evaluation™ (B.A.S.E.) provides these professionals, sports psychologists and management decision-makers with accurate, scientifically validated information about the presence and extent of 30+ key mental traits present in individuals” he added.
Cornerstone of SPC’s program is the Athlete Success Evaluation™ (A.S.E.), a psychological assessment measuring the extent to which individuals possess the desirable mental characteristics of elite athletes.
“While it is difficult to quantify how many athletes in the world are or can become superstars because they possess the correct combination of the psychological and behavioral traits, our estimate is that is less than five percent,” Rose said.
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