The Sport Performance Assessment (SPA) app was designed to help athletes self-test their level of mental toughness, and provides users with important data and feedback so that they can improve their mindset, and inevitably their athletic potential. The SPA is affordable, convenient, easy-to-use, and addresses an otherwise nebulous piece to athletic success that is regularly talked about but often misunderstood: mental toughness.
In the past, the only way you could really assess your level of mental toughness was to either guess, ask a coach, or possibly work with a sport psychologist if there is one available in your neighborhood. Fortunately, athletes today can use technology and incorporate the SPA and learn about themselves and their own unique strengths and weaknesses, and they can do this at their convenience.
Best ways to use the SPA
In order to get the most from the SPA app there are a few tips to keep in mind.
- Take the test immediately. First, it is important that you establish your baseline as it applies to your level of mental toughness. To do this you should take a few moments after downloading the app and go through the test right away and see how you score.
- Be honest. Whenever you use the SPA it is vitally important that you are honest with your responses. Remember, a test is only as useful as the test taker’s honesty, meaning that any answers you provide that are artificial (good or bad) will only result in feedback and advice that won’t be congruent to your personal needs. In other words, there is no need to fake good answers as you will only be limiting your own personal growth as a result.
- Use the feedback provided. Just as important as it is to answer the questions honestly, it is also important to use the feedback provided based on your unique scores. For example, if the SPA reveals that you struggle with anxiety and provides you specific tips and strategies that you choose not to use, it’s very unlikely you will see any future positive growth, essentially rendering the SPA useless.
- Re-test periodically. How often you re-test yourself is up to you, but in an ideal situation you should try to test yourself at least once a month (assuming you are in-season and integrating the advice provided from the SPA app). The app will collect trend data, allowing you to match your scores against each other and see how much improvement you are making in each specific area o mental toughness.
- Seek additional help. The SPA app is not designed to be a substitute for working with a sport psychologist, but instead to serve as a simple way to learn and understand some of the basics of mental toughness development. For athletes looking to fully develop their mental game working with a sport psychologist or other expert in mental health is recommended.
Interested in learning more about the Sport Performance Assessment (SPA) app? Click here and download to your phone or tablet today!
