Wyoming Athletes Get Help on Sports Performance Psychology [AUDIO]

University of Wyoming student-athletes will learn how to use emotional intelligence in their pursuit of excellence when former Cowboy, Dr. Jim Brennan, speaks to them this week. Dr. Brennan is the resident Sports Performance Consultant for the Villanova University men's basketball team, but he is returning to his alma mater September 27 and 28 to speak to UW's student-athletes about stress management.

As a consultant who specializes in the field of Emotional Intelligence, Dr. Brennan works with athletes on with the pressure that occurs when on the edge of comfort zones.

One of the biggest obstacles to our success when we are operating out on the edge is our lack of knowledge about the emotional powers we possess, even though the sources of these powers are rather ordinary and generally available to the average person. The ability to summon and direct one's emotional energy and mental focus can make an extraordinary difference in how an individual performs in the most challenging and meaningful situations.
-Dr. Jim Brennan

According to his website, athletes who work with Dr. Brennan learn to:

• Develop winning thinking patterns to help improve focus and control intensity
• Increase self-confidence in your ability to perform best consistently
• Maintain mental and emotional intensity throughout performance
• Preven anger and frustration from negatively effecting performance
• Consistently convert setbacks into comebacks
• Produce best efforts under pressure

Listen below to hear about mental approaches in different sports, how Dr. Brennan has helped Villanova become a better team on the road, and advice he'll have for Wyoming athletes.

After serving with the U.S. Army in Vietnam in 1971-72, Brennan went on to distinguish himself as a track and field sprinter and decathlete at UW. He earned a B.S. in Psychology, a B.A. in Social Studies, an M.A. in Education and a Ph.D. in Adult Learning.  His first book, The Art of Becoming Oneself: A Fresh Interpretation of Our Possibilities, was recently published by Word Association Publishers.