Delving into the world of mindset development in sports psychology, we recently sat down with Zac Bruback, M.A., Director of Mindset Development at SPIRE Academy, to gain insights into the evolution of this field of development in sports training.

Q: How did you find yourself in the sports psychology business? Were there any defining movements that you can speak on?

A: Great question! I began college certain that I wanted to eventually go to med school and become a physician. During my second semester at Ohio State, I took a sports psychology class with Dr. Sam Maniar, who would ultimately become a mentor of mine. I have always been fascinated with individual differences, the way people’s minds work and the ways in which people develop. I had also always been involved in sports and felt it had so many potential positive benefits for growth and development. Pairing these two together seemed to be a natural fit. Shortly after taking the sports psychology class and having a conversation about the profession, I changed my major and began my current career path working on the mental side of sport and performance.

Q: Did you play sports growing up and what was the sports psychology landscape like back then?

A: I played any sport I could growing up, even ones that I made up on my own with my brother or the neighborhood kids in the backyard. Anything we could compete in, we did. I was not overly gifted athletically, so my interest in sports psychology was borne more from necessity than anything else. Any edge I could gain from a mentality perspective was imperative to me having success.

As far as sports psychology as a profession, I didn’t have the slightest idea it existed before going to college. The importance of the mental side of sports has been acknowledged for some time, however, the effort to train and hone this aspect of performance is relatively early in its development. The majority of elite athletes now have access to and/or work with a sports psychologist or mental skills professional. Increasingly, this is also the case at the collegiate level. More recently, there has also been a growing amount of interest in sport psychology within youth sports and I have seen a marked increase in parents wanting to get their young athletes involved.

Q: How did you end up connecting with SPIRE and how has SPIRE encouraged your work or set you up for success?

A: My mentor, Dr. Maniar had established a relationship with SPIRE …[and] as a consultant at SPIRE [for] the past several years, I was able to get a feel for the facility and how best to integrate mental skills training.  Since coming on full-time over the summer,  I have been able to fully immerse myself and get the pulse on where there are areas for growth and opportunity. SPIRE has certainly been a mutually beneficial relationship and we have only begun to scratch the surface of what mindset development through SPIRE can offer. Our energy has focused primarily on developing the mindset development program for SPIRE Academy students, however, there is a ton of area for future development ahead and SPIRE is ideally situated for this growth.

Q: Where do you find the most success in mindset development? In one-on-one interactions or in small group environments?

A: In general, I increasingly find that less is more. I know this is very cliche, but over the past decade of being in the mindset development space, I have discovered that building a few solid foundational skills and not overcomplicating things is where I see the most success with young athletes. Small group environments allow for more interaction amongst peers, which can be extremely beneficial for generating quality discussion. Individual work allows us to dig deeper into the issues we are discussing. So, a mixture of these two modalities is ideal. Getting young athletes to [understand] how mental skills development can improve their lives and performance is the first step to success. One way to do this, especially with young adults, is to highlight high-level athletes who have spoken on the importance of mental skills and mindset training in their development.

Q: Since mental wellness is a more widely accepted concept today, can you speak on the future of “mindset development” & sports psychology? 

A: Mindset development, mental skills, sport psychology and similar terms are all more widely accepted [terms] today…Despite this, I feel like there is still immense room for growth in this area. I see the work of mindset development applying to so many other areas, and I have applied it to various facets in my previous work including through health and behavior change, the impact of exercise and mental health and corporate wellness. I believe the biggest areas for future growth revolve around harnessing technology to improve mental health (as opposed to damaging it) and the continued integration with other fields to improve overall life satisfaction and performance. 

Q: What are you listening to these days?

A: Two artists I have on heavy rotation are Zach Bryan and The Revivalists (both of whom I plan to see in concert this year). They are great storytellers and have a vibe that is easy to get behind. Beyond those two, I listen to a little bit of everything, with a Motown flair being my most recent kick. I am constantly Shazam-ing songs up in Performance (trying to stay up with new music) and have a whole playlist developed from songs in the weight room. 

Q: What’s your view of where SPIRE is headed?

A: I developed a phrase as I was pondering this question over the summer, which I shared with our staff heading into the current academic year: Aspire → Inspire → Perspire → Transpire. As an organization, we ASPIRE to be the leading independent athletic boarding school and sports facility in the world and we aim to INSPIRE others while on this pursuit. For this vision to TRANSPIRE and eventually come to fruition, we must PERSPIRE and put in the hard work necessary to make that happen. In large part due to the people involved and the vision for continued growth, I believe the future of SPIRE Academy is bright and many special things lie ahead.

Q: Final thoughts? Anything you’d like to share?

A: I am passionate about helping others develop a strong mindset, which I believe can be one of the key differentiators in finding personal satisfaction and success. At SPIRE, we focus on doing what I describe as “solving the puzzle of the mind”. On a day-to-day basis, there is so much going on at the SPIRE campus, which makes it difficult not to be infected with the energy and enthusiasm around me. I am excited about the path ahead and can’t wait to see the continued growth and expansion of mindset training in conjunction with the overall growth of SPIRE Academy. 

Zac Bruback, M.A., Director of Mindset Development expertise and dedication underscore SPIRE Academy’s commitment to nurturing not just athletic prowess, but also mental resilience and personal growth among its students. As SPIRE continues to chart new territories in sports education, the integration of sports psychology and mindset development remains pivotal in shaping the next generation of athletes and leaders.