By Evelyn Bonilla

Do you love sports? Does your child love sports? Sports can be a great outlet for youngsters and for adults. However, the world of serious sports can be mentally challenging for athletes, parents of athletes and coaches. The pressure to perform well, earn a college scholarship and make it to the professional level is a difficult mental and physical journey. Jay Granat, Ph.D a Psychotherapist, author, columnist and founder of StayInTheZone.com shows athletes how to manage their emotions and provides them with tools and techniques to perform to their fullest potential.

“When athletes reach out to me, they are in a slump of some kind. They can perform well in practice, but they may be “choking” under game conditions, this can happen to any athlete in any sport. Just yesterday I got a call from a golfer who said, I am great on the range, but terrible on the course. Similarly, last week, I got a call from a mother of a baseball player, she said her son is great in the cage but he is not the same hitter when he is at the plate in a real game,” explained Granat.

Dr. Granat has helped thousands of athletes and their families in virtually every sport. He has helped competitors from around the world including several Olympic gold medalists and is currently working on a research project which will show baseball pitchers how to throw more strikes when faced with pressure of a big game.

“What pitchers tell themselves in the dugout, in the bullpen and on the mound is crucial in terms of the kind of success they will have during a game. Recently, I have developed a few simple mental techniques to help pitchers to be relaxed, confident and focused when they compete.”

Dr. Jay Granat earned his Master’s and Ph.D. in Counseling from The University of Michigan. He is the author of “How To Get in the Zone and Stay in the Zone with Sport Psychology and Self-Hypnosis, 101 Ways To Break A Hitting Slump, How To Lower Your Golf Score, How To Putt In The Zone, How to Get into the Zone in Just One Minute, Zone Tennis and Bedtime Stories For Young Athletes.” He has been featured in major media outlets including, The New York Times, Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, Sports Illustrated, Tennis Magazine, USA Today, ESPN and The Chicago Tribune. He also has been named one of “America’s Top Mental Gurus” by Golf Digest magazine.

Dr. Granat uses many mental techniques to help athletes with some of the following issues: coping with a losing streak, fear of failure, loss of concentration and focus, anxiety and loss of confidence. He has lectured at clinics, camps, schools, and professional conferences. Granat has also given lectures and seminars on peak performance and stress management at some of America’s largest corporations across the country.

Dr. Jay Granat’s mission is clear and that is to provide an understanding of how the “mind and body” work together to bring about positive performance results. In creating the Stay in the Zone concept he has opened up the doors to all who want to “get into the zone and stay there.” Interested in meeting Dr. Jay Granat, he is located at 1060 Main St., Suite 307, River Edge, NJ 07661 or call (201) 647-9191. To learn more about “Stay in the Zone” visit www.stayinthezone.com