Excellence in performance enhancement consulting

Excellence in performance enhancement consulting 

K. Ravizza* California State University at Fullerton 

A consulting practice involves both the art and the science of applied sport psychology. I have had the privilege of working with many elite level 

coaches and athletes. In my early years, while many of my colleagues were working in the lab, I made the choice to work on the playing fields 

with coaches and athletes and utilize my phenomenological background to study the human experience of coaches and athletes. It is important 

to mention that my academic training was in Sport Philosophy with an emphasis in existential and phenomenological thought and methods, as 

well as Eastern Philosophy, specifically Zen and Hatha Yoga. When I was in graduate school, Sport Psychology was just beginning as a field 

and it was primarily a research/motor-learning field of study. 

California State University at Fullerton allowed me the opportunity to expand my perspective and work with student/athletes in the area of 

Performance Enhancement. My approach has always been grounded in existential philosophy and the phenomenological method, and throughout 

my career I have worked with both philosophical and psychological skills. I have found that when an athlete knows why she or he is performing, 

it helps the athlete persevere through the difficult periods in the journey of excellence (Frankl, 1984). Elite athletes have a love/hate relationship 

with their sport. Sport participation can be wonderful and ecstatic, but at times it can truly humble the performer. And this is why the athlete 

must know why she or he is performing so that he or she has a solid foundation to cope with adversity. 

Maintaining a balance between the philosophical issues and psychological techniques has always been a part of my work. Sometimes I have 

been too quick to “fix” things with some technique, i.e. relaxation, imagery, concentration training, when the real issue is truly the athlete’s 

perspective or value that is being placed on the issue. When the philosophical issues are addressed, it has an impact on so many diverse 

levels. 

Sport by definition is an absurd task where the athlete must find meaning in the act of participation. The athlete is required to accept his/her 

freedom and make choices and take responsibility for one’s actions. The athlete is a performer who must “stand naked before the gods”, fully 

exposed where actions count (Metheny, 1968). It is this dimension of sport that makes it such a powerful experience. 

My phenomenological background has helped me value and learn from the coach’s/athlete’s experience. Part of this learning experience has 

been to develop my observational skills so that I am more aware of what is going on. I have spent countless hours just watching athletes/ 

coaches perform in practice as well as in the competitive arena. 

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Index 

Table of Contents 

Quit



The basic philosophy of my approach is grounded in a humanistic, holistic and proactive perspective. I value the individual’s experience, am 

concerned about the total person and I want the athlete to focus on what they have control of. I incorporate a collaborative approach by working 

closely with the coaching staff, and I integrate my information and skills into existing protocols. I have also found that a consultant must be 

flexible and learn to work in a multitude of diverse situations (Ravizza, 2001). 

I have found that consulting in the area of performance enhancement has varied depending upon the context of the situation that I am working 

in. I tell athletes that there are no two performances that are the same; there are no two consulting experiences that are the same. Some of 

the variables that are going to alter the experience are the nature of the sport, coaching staff support, access to the athletes, organizational 

politics, etc. All of these factors and a multitude of additional factors must be confronted, and dealt with in order to develop an effective 

program. 

Consultation includes five major tasks, which must be accomplished. They are: gaining entry, assessment of the situation, delivery of the 

program and program evaluation. The final aspect that will be addressed are the potential pitfalls that one might confront. 

Entry 

It is critical to know the sport in which you are working, and the psychological demands that the athletes/coaches must contend with. For 

example, team vs. individual, contact vs. non-contact, objective vs. subjective evaluation, etc. The consultant must also become knowledgeable 

of the coach’s orientation, reputation and pressures that he or she must contend with. Credibility and trust must be earned at all levels: from 

coaches, to trainers, to equipment room personnel. When you are an outsider coming into a new culture, some people are going to be 

threatened by you, and for this reason, it is important to form good working relationships at all levels and clarify the services that you will provide 

to the team. I have found the athletic trainers and/or physical therapists often feel that performance enhancement consultants are infringing on 

their territory since they are the caregivers (Ravizza, 1988; Orlick, 1989; Ogilvie and Henschen, 1995). 

At some point, a presentation will be needed for either the coaching staff and/or the players to explain the program you have developed. This 

must be a captivating, motivating and stimulating presentation that truly gets them excited. This is where the consultant needs to speak the 

language of the athletes and demonstrate that they have something of benefit to gain from getting involved in the program. 


Index 


Quit

Assessment 



As a consultant, you must assess the situation and determine the context of the situation that you will be working in. I want to clarify that by 

assessment, I do not mean written psychological assessment, but assessment of the working situation and the unique sub-culture of that team. 

I need to determine who are the key people that I need to get to support the program, i.e. team leaders, a certain coach, etc. I need to 

determine the support for the program. How much time I will have? How much access I will have to the coaches and players? When and 

where will I be giving presentations to the team? 

In this assessment phase, it is critical to be open to verbal and non-verbal feedback and constantly make on-going adjustments. I also want to 

access and establish referral resources and procedures. 

Program Delivery 

How will the program actually be developed and delivered to the team? Will it be targeted for the coaches and teaching them to do it, or will it 

be delivered directly to the players? Will the program be presented in a group and/or individual basis? As a consultant, hopefully you will be 

collaborating closely with the coaching staff in the delivery of the program. The key is to figure out the context of the situation that you will be 

working in and develop the most effective program for that context. An important part of the delivery is what type of access you will have with 

the players. Will you be able to attend practices and games? Will you be able to provide input at practices and games (Poczwardowski, A., 

Sherman, C., Henschen, K.C., 1998). 

Program Evaluation 

As you go through the consulting process, you will get on-going feedback on your program. The consultant cannot wait until the end of the 

season to evaluate the program, but must constantly assess the situation. Major “red flags” include: phone calls to the coach are suddenly not 

being returned and/or access to the team is decreasing. The key to program evaluation is that you are working with enough athletes so that you 

are at least making a difference with a couple of them. Coaches know that not everyone will be totally supportive of your program, but you need 

to work with those who are supportive and not become an irritant and/or distraction to others. The key to program evaluation is that you 

determine in collaboration with the coaching staff, the effectiveness of the program and that you are invited back the following season. 


Index 


Quit



Potential Pitfalls 

The biggest issue for me is the “shrink image”, I am not a psychologist, but the stereotype is difficult to overcome. ”“I am okay, Doc.” I hear this 

so often when the athletes aren’t clear what it is that I do. I keep telling them my approach is proactive; it is about what it takes to be great. It 

is not a reactive approach where the athlete is “messed” up and I am going to fix him/her. 

Another pitfall is not understanding the sport and unique demands with which the athlete must contend. Closely associated with this is 

inadequate knowledge of the politics of the situation. This is especially critical with Olympic and Professional sports (Woodman, T. & Hardy, L., 

2001). 

Be careful not to take a research and/or theoretical orientation with elite athletes. In all my years of consulting, I have never been asked to 

show any coaches my publications; they only want to know with whom I have worked. One final point is be careful to maintain patience in 

delivering the program. If you come on too strong, you are going to turn people off. So the consultant has to find that delicate balance between 

being assertive and patient in providing assistance. 

In summary, every consulting experience is unique and one must assess the unique context of the particular situation and learn the delicate 

balance or act of designing and delivering an effective program to effectively meet the needs of that unique situation. 

References 

Frankl, V. (1984). Man’s Search for Meaning. N.Y.: Touchstone Books. 

Metheny, E. (1968). Movement & Meaning. N.Y.: McGraw-Hill. 

Orlick, T (1989). Reflections on sport psychology consulting with individual and team sport athletes at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. 

The Sport Psychologist, 3, 358-365. 

Ravizza, K. (1988). Gaining entry with athlete personnel for season long consulting. The Sport Psychologist, 2, 243-254. 

Olgilvie, B. & Henschen, K. (1995). The art of application of psychological enhancing principles. In. K.P. Henschen & W.F. Straub, (Eds.), Sport 

Psychology: An Analysis of Athlete Behavior. (2 nd ed., pp. 45-54). Longmeadow, MA: Movement Publications. 

Poczwardowski, A., Sherman, C. & Henschen, K. (1998). A Sport Psychology Service Delivery Heuristic Building on Theory & Practice. The 

Sport Psychologist, 12, 192-208. 

Woodman, T. & Hardy, L. (2001). A Case Study of Organizational Stress in Elite Sport. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 

13, 207-238. 


Index 


Quit


K. Ravizza* 

California State University at Fullerton 

A consulting practice involves both the art and the science of applied sport psychology. I have had the privilege of working 

with many elite level coaches and athletes. In my early years, while many of my colleagues were working in the lab, I made the 

choice to work on the playing fields with coaches and athletes and utilize my phenomenological background to study the human 

experience of coaches and athletes. It is important to mention that my academic training was in Sport Philosophy with an 

emphasis in existential and phenomenological thought and methods, as well as Eastern Philosophy, specifically Zen and Hatha 

Yoga. When I was in graduate school, Sport Psychology was just beginning as a field and it was primarily a research/motorlearning 

field of study. 

California State University at Fullerton allowed me the opportunity to expand my perspective and work with 

student/athletes in the area of Performance Enhancement. My approach has always been grounded in existential philosophy 

and the phenomenological method, and throughout my career I have worked with both philosophical and psychological skills. I 

have found that when an athlete knows why she or he is performing, it helps the athlete persevere through the difficult periods in 

the journey of excellence (Frankl, 1984). Elite athletes have a love/hate relationship with their sport. Sport participation can be 

wonderful and ecstatic, but at times it can truly humble the performer. And this is why the athlete must know why she or he is 

performing so that he or she has a solid foundation to cope with adversity. 

Maintaining a balance between the philosophical issues and psychological techniques has always been a part of my 

work. Sometimes I have been too quick to “fix” things with some technique, i.e. relaxation, imagery, concentration training, when 

the real issue is truly the athlete’s perspective or value that is being placed on the issue. When the philosophical issues are 

addressed, it has an impact on so many diverse levels. 

Sport by definition is an absurd task where the athlete must find meaning in the act of participation. The athlete is 

required to accept his/her freedom and make choices and take responsibility for one’s actions. The athlete is a performer who 

must “stand naked before the gods”, fully exposed where actions count (Metheny, 1968). It is this dimension of sport that makes 

it such a powerful experience. 

My phenomenological background has helped me value and learn from the coach’s/athlete’s experience. Part of this 

learning experience has been to develop my observational skills so that I am more aware of what is going on. I have spent 

countless hours just watching athletes/coaches perform in practice as well as in the competitive arena. 

The basic philosophy of my approach is grounded in a humanistic, holistic and proactive perspective. I value the 

individual's experience, am concerned about the total person and I want the athlete to focus on what they have control of. I 

incorporate a collaborative approach by working closely with the coaching staff, and I integrate my information and skills into 

existing protocols. I have also found that a consultant must be flexible and learn to work in a multitude of diverse situations 

(Ravizza, 2001). 

I have found that consulting in the area of performance enhancement has varied depending upon the context of the situation 

that I am working in. I tell athletes that there are no two performances that are the same; there are no two consulting 

experiences that are the same. Some of the variables that are going to alter the experience are the nature of the sport, coaching 

staff support, access to the athletes, organizational politics, etc. All of these factors and a multitude of additional factors must be 

confronted, and dealt with in order to develop an effective program. 

Consultation includes five major tasks, which must be accomplished. They are: gaining entry, assessment of the 

situation, delivery of the program and program evaluation. The final aspect that will be addressed are the potential pitfalls that 

one might confront. 

ENTRY: It is critical to know the sport in which you are working, and the psychological demands that the athletes/coaches 

must contend with. For example, team vs. individual, contact vs. non-contact, objective vs. subjective evaluation, etc. The 

consultant must also become knowledgeable of the coach’s orientation, reputation and pressures that he or she must contend 

with. Credibility and trust must be earned at all levels: from coaches, to trainers, to equipment room personnel. When you are 

an outsider coming into a new culture, some people are going to be threatened by you, and for this reason, it is important to form 

good working relationships at all levels and clarify the services that you will provide to the team. I have found the athletic trainers 

and/or physical therapists often feel that performance enhancement consultants are infringing on their territory since they are the 

caregivers (Ravizza, 1988; Orlick, 1989; Ogilvie and Henschen, 1995). 

At some point, a presentation will be needed for either the coaching staff and/or the players to explain the program you 

have developed. This must be a captivating, motivating and stimulating presentation that truly gets them excited. This is where 

the consultant needs to speak the language of the athletes and demonstrate that they have something of benefit to gain from 

getting involved in the program. 

1

ASSESSMENT: As a consultant, you must assess the situation and determine the context of the situation that you will be 

working in. I want to clarify that by assessment, I do not mean written psychological assessment, but assessment of the working 

situation and the unique sub-culture of that team. I need to determine who are the key people that I need to get to support the 

program, i.e. team leaders, a certain coach, etc. I need to determine the support for the program. How much time I will have? 

How much access I will have to the coaches and players? When and where will I be giving presentations to the team? 

In this assessment phase, it is critical to be open to verbal and non-verbal feedback and constantly make on-going 

adjustments. I also want to access and establish referral resources and procedures. 

PROGRAM DELIVERY: How will the program actually be developed and delivered to the team? Will it be targeted for the 

coaches and teaching them to do it, or will it be delivered directly to the players? Will the program be presented in a group 

and/or individual basis? As a consultant, hopefully you will be collaborating closely with the coaching staff in the delivery of the 

program. The key is to figure out the context of the situation that you will be working in and develop the most effective program 

for that context. An important part of the delivery is what type of access you will have with the players. Will you be able to attend 

practices and games? Will you be able to provide input at practices and games (Poczwardowski, A., Sherman, C., Henschen, 

K.C., 1998). 

PROGRAM EVALUTION: As you go through the consulting process, you will get on-going feedback on your program. The 

consultant cannot wait until the end of the season to evaluate the program, but must constantly assess the situation. Major "red 

flags" include: phone calls to the coach are suddenly not being returned and/or access to the team is decreasing. The key to 

program evaluation is that you are working with enough athletes so that you are at least making a difference with a couple of 

them. Coaches know that not everyone will be totally supportive of your program, but you need to work with those who are 

supportive and not become an irritant and/or distraction to others. The key to program evaluation is that you determine in 

collaboration with the coaching staff, the effectiveness of the program and that you are invited back the following season. 

POTENTIAL PITFALLS: The biggest issue for me is the “shrink image”, I am not a psychologist, but the stereotype is difficult 

to overcome. “I am okay, Doc.” I hear this so often when the athletes aren’t clear what it is that I do. I keep telling them my 

approach is proactive; it is about what it takes to be great. It is not a reactive approach where the athlete is "messed" up and I 

am going to fix him/her. 

Another pitfall is not understanding the sport and unique demands with which the athlete must contend. Closely associated 

with this is inadequate knowledge of the politics of the situation. This is especially critical with Olympic and Professional sports 

(Woodman, T. & Hardy, L., 2001). 

Be careful not to take a research and/or theoretical orientation with elite athletes. In all my years of consulting, I have 

never been asked to show any coaches my publications; they only want to know with whom I have worked. One final point is be 

careful to maintain patience in delivering the program. If you come on too strong, you are going to turn people off. So the 

consultant has to find that delicate balance between being assertive and patient in providing assistance. 

In summary, every consulting experience is unique and one must assess the unique context of the particular situation 

and learn the delicate balance or act of designing and delivering an effective program to effectively meet the needs of that unique 

situation. 

REFERENCES: 

1. Frankl, V. (1984). Man's Search for Meaning. N.Y.: Touchstone Books. 

2. Metheny, E. (1968). Movement & Meaning. N.Y.: McGraw-Hill. 

3. Orlick, T (1989). Reflections on sport psychology consulting with individual and team sport athletes at the Summer and 

Winter Olympic Games. The Sport Psychologist, 3, 358-365. 

4. Ravizza, K. (1988). Gaining entry with athlete personnel for season long consulting. The Sport Psychologist, 2, 243-254. 

5. Olgilvie, B. & Henschen, K. (1995). The art of application of psychological enhancing principles. In. K.P. Henschen & 

W.F. Straub, (Eds.), Sport Psychology: An Analysis of Athlete Behavior. (2 nd ed., pp. 45-54). Longmeadow, MA: 

Movement Publications. 

6. Poczwardowski, A., Sherman, C. & Henschen, K. (1998). A Sport Psychology Service Delivery Heuristic Building on 

Theory & Practice. The Sport Psychologist, 12, 192-208. 

7. Woodman, T. & Hardy, L. (2001). A Case Study of Organizational Stress in Elite Sport. Journal of Applied Sport 

Psychology, 13, 207-238. 

2

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