How Faith Can Impact You Competative Performance

Christian life performance coaching is a unique and distinct field. Unlike other forms of coaching, it incorporates faith and biblical principles into the process, offering a holistic approach to performance improvement. While information on this specialized field may be scarce, I've taken the initiative to share my insights and experiences. 

I developed a Christian Sports performance model ( centerfieldcoaching.com )many years ago while working with young athletes in my baseball academy. I discovered a conflict between saved Ricky and old competitive baseball/businessman Rickyscruggs.com . I was very frustrated one day when I saw threats to the business, I built from the ground up and had put everything into it, and I was not feeling very “Christian” towards my competition. “Why God? Why would you make me such a tough competitor for 30 years only to ask me now to be a nice passive Christian?” The answer surprised me and changed my life. I was never great at being a steady, level-headed, poised competitor. I was always conflicted and tossed on the waves of results. Anyone who knows baseball knows the results are not in your control and they have big swings. The model God showed me enabled me to compete with love, joy, and peace that I never had in my pro baseball days. God is good. 

As I search 15 years later, I am hard-pressed to find many spiritual or biblical models in sports psychology. It makes it hard to find similar models to mine for comparisons and to discover research on how to help people more. There is an abundance of Christian counseling and discipleship organizations. Still, these are focused primarily on coping or teaching the bible, not offering practical coaching and applying biblical truths to your competitive life.  I love business, sports, and relationship coaching because of the emotional difficulty and the element of competition. That is real life. You must get a practical mindset (https://www.rickyscruggs.com/mindset ) and find life applications in biblical principles, with knowledge of psychology and human behavior, to help people make breakthroughs. 

Simply reciting a Scripture does not always effectively renew the mind. When we see the principles work to change our state and thus our level of performance, real and lasting change takes place, in our ability to handle situations on the field and in our lives. People grow by seeing real solutions to everyday pressures and problems and being prompted and challenged to take action (be doers of the word). Insights and understanding of truth, plus encouragement to apply it, lead to powerful transformation. It's exciting and amazing to watch. 

A person seeking marital or couples coaching and someone trying to get to the next level in pro tennis is really facing the same challenges – the way they have seen life in the past and their map of what’s possible, powerful, and safe according to their beliefs.  Whether we are an entrepreneur, an athlete, a housewife, or an artists/designer, we can use psychological skills and training to sort out several internal and external issues. Many have never been exposed to things I expose my athletes and clients to. How we speak to ourselves (self-talk), try to manage our emotions (emotional control), think about 

the next play or meeting or interaction with our children (imagery), and many of us, even in elite sports, do not have written and clear goals in mind (goal setting), Much less those of us who are out of sports and competitive realms. 

As a Christian mental performance coach, I can help athletes, individuals, & coaches use psychological skills training to help them with their overall sports, careers, or relationships. 

When working with Christians, I pray before, during, and after an event - engaging in scripture to help guide what is said and done. This ensures that I am synchronizing my client’s performance state with their faith. 

However, there is a crucial aspect that often goes unaddressed. Many Christians, even those in highly competitive sports, have not reconciled their physical and mental 'competitive' nature with their spiritual 'Christian' nature. This is where a skilled coach, who can delve into your individual situation, background, feelings, and beliefs, can help. We can identify what's blocking you from your best performance and most fulfilling life. Because we play for acceptance as much or more than rewards, there are heart issues to work through before we can overcome our limiting beliefs. And the key to achieving anything extraordinary is belief, which I am here to help you cultivate. 

Whether you attempt to apply the principles on your own or work with a trained professional, I would challenge you to begin the journey of integrating your Christian faith with performance/sports psychology practices. Ultimately, the goal of working with any athlete or elite individual in a coaching relationship is for the athlete or elite individual to self-regulate their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, optimizing their lives. 

Can you imagine having a powerful mindset of love for your opponent or business competitor? Having joy under pressure? Having peace where stress used to be – in the moment when a great response or athletic skill is needed? 

If you have any questions about the program (it works great for sales teams as well) or  want to talk about working with me, click here https://calendly.com/rickyscruggs5/30minutediscoverycall   to schedule a no obligation discovery call.