Testimonials
NCAA Division II Tennis Player (2-time NCAA Champion)
The Sports Psychology Department (Max Pollack, Marissa Norman, Dr. Duncan Simpson) [at Barry University] provided an environment that allowed my team and I to see ourselves through different perspectives. The hands-on activities and games we participated in gave us opportunities to be in a realistic experience, thus making it easier to translate into our performance. The reflections given to us at the end of our sessions offered us insight into what we needed to improve upon, as well as what we had gained from the meetings. This program helped me connect my mental skills and physical skills together to further my level of competition.
Notable Achievements
-Akemi finished her career at Barry University with school's top all-time singles winning percentage (.940), going 47-3.
-Akemi Maehama, 2 time NCAA Division 2 Champion
-Barry University
NCAA Division II Tennis Coach (Won 2014 National Championship)
"I would like to thank Dr Simpson and his team for working with the women's tennis team during the 2013-14 academic year. Their work helped us work better as a team and made each player on the team mentally stronger and prepare for the tough competition that we had. We would not have won the 2014 SSC conference, NCAA South Regional, and the NCAA National Championship without their help."
Notable Achievements
-Multiple awards for Coach of the year (ITNAC, SSCC, ITA)
-2 time NCAA Division II National Championship Head Coach-W/L Record 178-17
-Avi Kigel
-Head women's tennis coach
-Barry University
New York Fusion Soccer Club Coach
I was very impressed with the services you provided to our kids. The three boys that worked with you said that they found a marked improvement in their ability to concentrate and to execute what they had practiced.. They were greatly appreciative of your understanding of the game and what it took to excel. One commented that his whole mindset changed from focusing on winning to being in the present and focusing on effort not outcome and it had elevated his game. This also translated to his studies where he has been able to get more done in shorter time. Another said that he often let outside things influence his focus and by returning to the right focus, he was playing at the level he hoped he could. Thank you!
On behalf of New York Fusion Soccer Club and the players who were lucky enough to work with you, a very big thank you for your efforts. You have made a big difference in the lives of these kids. I would be happy to recommend you and be a reference for you.
-Gary Cohen, President, New York Fusion Soccer Club
NCAA Division II Basketball Player
"At first I was skeptical that I even needed mental training, but working with Max really helped me identify some areas that needed work. He gave me the tools to develop areas of my mental game like confidence and goal setting, and it has really helped on the court."
NCAA Division II Female Golfer
I’m a golfer at Barry University in Miami and I worked with Max Pollack during the whole season, from September 2013 to May 2014. The overall experience with him was great. I never really believed in sport psychology, but decided to give it a try and found it to be absolutely great. It made me understand more about golf and myself. I thought Mental Conditioning Consultants and Psychologists would just throw theories at me, but instead they made me realize things I was seeing ‘blurred,’ and say them out loud in my own words. It helped me tremendously control my nerves on the golf course, and deal better with both good and bad rounds. It also helped in studying for school, and dealing with tough situations in my everyday life.Max is great, a terrifically hard worker who is always 100% focused into the work he's doing. He constantly kept up with me both when I was in season or not. He came multiple times to the golf course for special sessions, and also came to watch me perform in real tournaments in order to analyze every situation. Talking to some impartial person outside my everyday life made me open myself more, and maybe even realize that some problems weren't actually problems. My meetings with Max weren’t “sessions with the Sport Psychologist,” instead simple talks with a person who I could easily relate to. I never felt pressure - or was pressured to - talk about certain topics if i didn’t want to. The meetings, in fact, were very relaxed and nothing like a burden or a weekly duty. If i couldn’t make it for our scheduled time, Max would rearrange the meeting for another hour or day, and this gave me total flexibility between all the practices, workouts, and classes. Max knows so many things about psychology, yet he doesn’t follow the books. In fact, he would always be ready to try new approaches with me or new exercises in order to always find what would work best for me. Also, he wouldn’t make me do exercises i didn’t like or feel natural with. For example, we worked for a while on imagery, but then decided to ease it down cause it felt really difficult for me to visualize since i was feeling "forced to.”Overall, with Max i learned so much about my game and myself also. He gives 100% to all of his clients and their successes are his successes.
Notable Achievements
- Golf team placed 2nd at NCAA Division II Championship
-Francesca Perini, NCAA Division II Female Golfer
Cyclist/Comedy Writer
I got to work with Max at a Diabetes Athletic Training Camp in June 2014. Being newly diagnosed there were a lot of things I needed to learn. Max provided answers for any question I asked. He was super encouraging of my goals and was positive the whole week. I never saw him in a bad mood. He helped me figure out the steps I needed to take in staying on course with my athletic training. When I was first diagnosed with diabetes and had to spend a few days in the hospital, my days were brighter when I had a nurse who was smart, nice and cared about my well being. The same thing applied to working with Max. When he was around it was harder to be upset even when having a bad blood sugar day. He genuinely cares about what he does and everyone he worked with. I left camp more knowledgeable about diabetes and feeling confident that you can live a full life while living with this disease and a lot of that is owed to Max.
-Patric Ciervo, Cyclist/comedy writer living with Type 1 Diabetes
High School Basketball Player in Training
Coach Max was exactly what we needed. Professional, knowledgeable, and caring all wrapped up in one person. He was extremely motivating and I believe that my son learned more in the one session than what he would have learned in an entire weeks camp. Anyone looking for someone to move a student to the next level, choose Coach Max. |
Youth Volleyball Athlete
I sincerely appreciate all the time you spent with my daughter providing support, encouragement, and techniques to focus her thoughts. I was skeptical, at first, if she would respond to talking with someone she didn't know. However, you really made her feel at ease, and I saw her opening up very early in your sessions. She progressed from being guarded to looking forward to your sessions, and with that progression I also saw positive change in how she approached volleyball and challenges in everyday life. |
All testimonials provided were created under the consent of the individual and was their choice to do so. If you are a current or past client and would like to create a testimonial, please contact Max with your testimonial.