If Ben Roethlisberger or Aaron Rodgers are looking for a good read over the next few days, West Virginia University’s Fitness Information Technology has just the book for them.

WVU FiT, a component of the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, recently published, Living in the Sweet Spot: Preparing for Performance in Sport and Life, by former Olympic rower and America’s Cup sailor Dr. Amy Baltzell.

The book provides a fresh look at the integration of sport psychology and positive psychology and gives readers expert guidance as they prepare for life’s big performances, such as Super Bowl XLV, which features quarterbacks Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers.

“The focus of this book is about how to create and use your habit of positive emotion and focus to prepare for such high-pressure performance moments so you can thrive under pressure,” Baltzell, a licensed psychologist and professor at Boston University said. She serves as a consultant to many elite athletes and musicians and has been featured in interviews both in Boston and nationwide on programs such as CBS Sunday Morning.

Testimonials from former NFL quarterback and CBS analyst Phil Simms, Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, and other leading athletes and sport psychologists along with ordering information are available at: www.fitinfotech.com/livinginthesweetspot.html.

Simms, who led the New York Giants to a victory over John Elway and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI, said, “Early in my career, I had read many accounts of quarterbacks saying that the Super Bowl game was so big that they could not settle down until the second quarter of the game. They had a difficult time remembering and focusing on the plays that they ran during the first quarter. And as I read those accounts I recall thinking, ‘If I ever get a chance to play in the Super Bowl, I am not going to waste 25 percent of that game just trying to settle down.’

“In the two weeks leading up to that game in January 1987, I thought to myself many times, ‘I am not worried about the outcome. I am going to be aggressive and confident in my thinking.’ I remember thinking, ‘I am not afraid to fail.’ Having that mindset just kept me loose and confident leading up to and through the entire game. As I look back over my career, I have often thought, ‘Why didn’t I approach more games like that, or really, why didn’t I approach all my games like that?’”

“As I look back,” he added. “I realize just how powerful your mind can be when it comes to athletic performance. But I didn’t have a book like Living in the Sweet Spot to help me develop consistency in using my mind to help produce great performances.”

-WVU-

02/04/11

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CONTACT: Sheila Saab
Marketing Coordinator – FiT
304-293-0879
fitmarketing@mail.wvu.edu