Brookwood School athletic department hosts world renowned sports psychologist for student athletes and coaches

Last Tuesday, Brookwood School and its athletic department including coaching staff and student athletes were afforded the special opportunity to spend time with world renowned Sports Psychologist John Paul Muczko, Ph.D. Thanks to a member of the Brookwood family who has had personal experience working with Dr. Muczko, the Warrior student athletes and coaching staff spent a few hours Tuesday, Feb. 7, learning how to formulate a Peak Performance Plan and Mastering Mental Excellence.

Dr. Muczko, Ph.D. completed his undergraduate degree at Florida State University, Masters Degree from Baylor University, and was awarded his Doctorate Degree from the University of Kansas.  He is a leader in the field of Sports Psychology whose work includes both men and women’s professional, collegiate, and youth athletes across all sports and has been co-featured on ESPN, Fox Sports, the New York Times and uniquely featured in USA Today Super Bowl XXX edition. Dr. Muczko was a professor and consultant to Athletes at Louisiana Tech, Shenandoah Universities and Wesley College.  Since 1995, Dr. Muczko has been a sports psychologist to some of the biggest names in sports working with NFL players and coaches to include the Cowboys, Eagles, and Bucs. He has also worked with Headfirst Baseball Showcase Camps for youth athletes, collegiate men’s baseball leagues including Cape Cod Baseball League and with members of the NIKE Golf Tour.

Owen Bodell, a sophomore at Brookwood School, and a member of the Warrior baseball and cross country teams, has had experience working with Dr. Muczko and said, “Mental Skills Training helps student athletes build confidence, block out negative thoughts, strengthen concentration, develop, and execute a plan to achieve peak performance athletically and academically.”

Sports Psychologists are best known for helping athletes overcome mental blocks, and improve their performance, like helping a batter player snap out of a hitting slump, a Quarterback keep his poise in the pocket, or even supporting a runner regain their confidence after injury. While that is still the cornerstone of sports psychology, it’s only a portion of the benefits of athletes and coaches today who implement the aspect of sports psychology into their athletic arsenal.

According to Dr. Muczko, “The importance of Sports Psychology for today’s middle school and high school student athletes is crucial.  It is extremely important that they learn as early as possible skills such as self control, effective concentration habits, and focus, so that they can remain optimistic in various circumstances for them to be successful on the field, court, or in the classroom.”  Dr. Muczko went on to say, “It is more important than ever that student athletes find themselves confident and engaged in what they are participating in in order to excel in that activity.”

Dedicated Sports Psychologists working with individual athletes and teams are common in college athletics and professional sports, however in high school and middle school settings, it is not as common.  Brookwood Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Shane Boggs commented, “It was a great start to introducing mental skills training to Brookwood. I know I learned a lot between the two sessions and hopefully everyone walked away with at least one tool to be more effective. I look forward to more conversations with Dr. Muczko and I’m convinced our coaches, student athletes, and parents will benefit from his wisdom.”