Local Sports Psychologist Helps Athletes Navigate COVID-19 Pandemic

Local Sports Psychologist Helps Athletes Navigate COVID-19 Pandemic

Hey good evening everyone..

Well there's no doubt these are tough times for a lot of athletes..

No games..

No practices... can't be with their teammates right now..

It can all be mentally and emotionally trying..

But as our petar hood shows us, that's where having someone like donovan martin to talk to can come in handy..

Narr: over the last couple of months, all of us who work in sports have to adjust what we do on a daily basis.

Like, for example, learning to anchor from your living room.

For sports psychologists like donovon martin, it's meant having to pump the breaks just a little bit..donovan martin: "i'm a little less busy than normal, but you're talking by just a couple hours a week, which is actually probably good.

I like to push it.

I see a lot of people in a week."

Narr: and several of those people that martin works with, or has worked with in the past, have names you probably recognize.

N-f-l stars like jaylon smith and jessie bates are among them.

So too is former purdue fort wayne basketball standout john konchar..martin: "konchar..

I didn't even know, but when he wrote the testimonial for me.

It said when we first met his free-throw percentage was 18%, and by the end of his senior year it was 81.

Now i want to make it clear.

I never shot a basketball.

My thing is more so seeing his level of focus, his level of comfort to drive in and take the foul, because he's confident he can maek the free-throw, those tpyes of things."narr: and that in a nutshell is what martin does.

He helps athletes, like those who play at purdue fort wayne, develop the mental strength necessary to perform at a high-level.

But right now, there is no stage for martin's clients to perform on..martin: "that's the real frustrating part.

I can do my home workouts, and i can challenge myself, and i can run, and do all these things, but when can we compete again?

And we don't know.

We just don't know.

And that's the hardest part, because you don't do it unless you love to compete."narr; and as sports fans, we miss watching them compete.

Martin's no different in that regard.

He's a big notre dame football guy, so he's been doing a little time traveling to fill the void.

And although watching old games can't replace the real thing, it can certianly still bring a smile if you allow it to.martin: "you know i think there's things out there that we've got to go look for.

I think it's that challenge to get over ourselves.

Does it really matter that i've already seen that game and know pretty much every single play?

No, it doesn't matter.

You can still sit down and find joy in it."

Narr: and whatever level of joy that is will have to suffice until it is safe for sports to return.

In fort wayne, petar hood,