[audio m4a="https://www.premiersportpsychology.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Dr.-Justin-Anderson-on-Ryder-Cup-on-Mike-Max-9.29.16.m4a"][/audio]  ...

The following is an excerpt from “Getting Your Head in the Game.” For the full article, click here. DR. JUSTIN ANDERSON is a licensed sports psychologist and owner of Premier Sport Psychology in Edina. According to Anderson, the sports psychology field is growing and becoming essential for many athletes. “Many players spend so much time on physical conditioning and training, but little on the mental and emotional side of things,” Anderson says. “We give athletes and coaches strategies for focus, relaxation and game play.” The psychologists at Premier Sport help to identify which variables help each client “get in the zone,” and then teach mental skills and drills to encourage their mindsets to go to that place. “If I have to break it down, what we’re doing is helping people and teams thrive from the psychol...

"Psychologist Justin Anderson of Premier Sports Psychology [sic] in Edina has worked with professional and Olympic teams as well as the University of Minnesota’s athletics department. Ethical guidelines preclude him from discussing his work with specific clients, but he shared the general goals of team-building initiatives and leadership training. 'More and more data has come out about how can teams get more of a competitive advantage,” Anderson said. “Well, it comes through having a healthy team culture.' Anderson’s general prescription is to instruct a solid group of leaders. Too many teams, he said, leave leadership to seniority, making it a learn-from-your-elders situation. That way, leadership styles — whether weak or strong — perpetuate within a program. 'Those guys aren’t getting any leadership training,' Anderson said. 'There is not a lot of experience going into that.' Anderson said sports psychologists try to incorporate theories and applications on...