Bob Rotella

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Robert "Bob" Rotella is an American sports psychologist . His work with many well-known golf professionals and the publication of several popular science books made the "Doc" one of the most famous sports psychologists of our time.

Life

Rotella was born the second of five children. The family's ancestors had emigrated to the United States from Sicily . He grew up in Rutland ( Vermont ) in a working-class milieu. His father ran a hair salon. He attended Mount St. Joseph Academy, a Catholic high school, and played baseball , football, and basketball on school teams. During the holidays he worked as a caddy at the Rutland Country Club. At that time, however, he seldom played golf himself.

At Castleton State College , also in Vermont, Rotella was the captain of both the basketball team and the lacrosse team. At the same time he worked as an assistant coach for the basketball team at Mount St. Joseph Academy.

He graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in psychology. He also received his PhD in Connecticut.

He lives with his wife Darlene and their daughter Casey in Charlottesville ( Virginia ). He is the brother of Dr. Jay Rotella and Dr. Guy Rotella.

Work as a sports psychologist

From 1976 to 1996, Rotella was director of the University of Virginia Sports Psychology Department . The from Zimbabwe coming PGA pro Denis Watson was in the early 1980s, the first golfer who was coming for the purpose of cooperation in Rotella. Until then, Rotella had mainly gained experience in the team sports basketball and lacrosse. Denis Watson became the most successful player on the American PGA Tour in 1984 with three tournament wins.

A two-hour lecture to well-known golf professionals ( Bob Toski , Paul Runyan and others) and Sam Snead made Rotella known in golf circles. This resulted in working with other professionals such as Tom Kite . By 1984, Kite had only won five tournaments in twelve years. In the course of the next 10 years he was victorious 14 times, even winning a major at the US Open . He also qualified for the American Ryder Cup team.

Numerous other golfers such as Pádraig Harrington , Davis Love III , Brad Faxon , Nick Price , Darren Clarke , Paul Azinger , Billy Mayfair , Hal Sutton , David Toms , Scott Verplank or Fred Funk worked or are still working with Rotella.

In addition to his work with professional golfers, he has also worked with teams from the NBA , NFL , Major League Baseball , NASCAR and the US Olympic ski and equestrian team.

Working method

When asked what Rotella had done for him, Pádraig Harrington replied, among other things: "... there is nothing that Bob Rotella would tell me that I don't already know, but he's reminding me and encouraging me and keeping me going down the right lines. " Rotella doesn't work with any tricks. In addition, due to his training, he is not a psychotherapist like Deborah Graham, who also advises some tour pros.

Rotella describes himself as skeptical of theorists since his studies. A quote from William James , the most famous American psychologist of the 19th century, is part of his philosophy: "What people become depends largely on what they think of themselves." Achieving and strengthening self-confidence and ignoring conscious thoughts about the execution of the movement are important, according to Rotella. This "mental game", like other areas of the game of golf, has to be practiced again and again.

Book author and business consultant

His books are characterized by the fact that they address in a simple and direct way those aspects that are relevant for both amateur athletes and professionals. "Golf is Confidence" , published in 1995, is the best-selling sports psychology book of all time and one of the three best-selling golf books in history.

In addition to his work in the sporting sector, Rotella is a mental advisor in the area of ​​top management and advises large corporations on the area of ​​efficiency improvement. His clients include Merrill Lynch , Pepsi-Cola , General Electric , Ford , Time Life , Coca-Cola , Chrysler , Newsweek , Taco Bell and Pizza Hut .

Books

  • How to putt winners - the mental path to success (putting out of your mind) ISBN 3-405-16316-1
  • The Ten Commandments to Great Golf - Mental Strategies for Winning (The Golfer's Mind) ISBN 3-8354-0077-0
  • The Golf of Your Dreams - Strategies for the Better Handicap (The Golf of Your Dreams) ISBN 3-7679-0818-2
  • Golf is self-confidence - better handicap through mental strength (Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect) ISBN 3-405-16891-0
  • Golf Is A Game Of Confidence ISBN 0-684-83040-X
  • Life is Not a Game of Perfect: Finding Your Real Talent and Making It Work for You ISBN 0-684-84286-6

swell

  1. ↑ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0DE1DE1631F931A35752C1A961958260&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=1
  2. ↑ http://www.independent.ie/sport/golf/rotellas-remedy-is-a-proven-winner-89685.html
  3. ↑ http://www.augusta.com/masters/stories/040505/new_harrington_interview.shtml ( Memento from June 26, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0DE1DE1631F931A35752C1A961958260&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=3
  5. ↑ Rotella, Bob: "Golf is self-confidence - better handicap through mental strength", p. 28
personal data
SURNAME Rotella, Bob
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rotella, Robert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American sports psychologist and publicist
DATE OF BIRTH before 1960