Freezing when it matters the most, is one of the more common reasons for athletes seeking sport psychology services. What is “freezing” in sport? When an athlete freezes under pressure, he or she loses access to their muscle memory and things aren’t automatic. Suddenly, they can’t seem to do what they have practiced a millions of times, which leads to overthinking and negative self-talk, and further maintains a “freezing” response. Once the athlete goes into a freeze mode, it is difficult to get out of it. Below are seven of the biggest fears that can hold an athlete back from achieving their potential peak performance.

• fear of not being good enough
• fear of failure
• fear of the unknown
• fear of being judged
• fear of not meeting expectations
• fear of success
• fear of injury of re-injury

Your mental game is likely to have a significant impact on your performance. As a clinical sport psychologist and an expert in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dr. Krichmar specializes in mental toughness training that focuses on helping athletes overcome fears that lead to a freezing response, perform to their potential and developing positive mindset. Reacting to situations positively, remaining calm under pressure, and retaining control are some of the skills that contribute to mental toughness. Dr. Krichmar works with athletes to help them improve their focus and deal with distractions, become more confident and develop coping skills to deal with setbacks and errors. She uses her expertise in CBT to identify irrational thoughts, maladaptive beliefs and negative self-labels that hold athletes back from performing to their potential. Dr. Krichmar teaches skills to improve the athlete’s mental game, including: strategies for getting in the zone, visualization, goal setting, pre-performance routines, positive and balanced thinking, focusing strategies, and mindfulness-based techniques.

Dr. Krichmar has experience working with athletes at the youth, high school, college, and professional level in a wide variety of individual and team sports.