Roger Kitchen: Understanding How Athletes Tick

MADISON- To perform at any level of athletics an athlete has to be at their top physical condition to face the competition head-on. For many of those elite specimens with tip-top athleticism the biggest challenge for them to overcome is their own mental readiness. Training for competition must include preparing the mind, as well as, the body for high performance.

Roger Kitchen of Madison knows first-hand on how the mental aspects of athletics must be well-tuned to accommodate the high intensity endeavors of being an elite athlete. To help a multitude of young athletes achieve that mental awareness, he has conducted training to those looking to become mentally sharp since Feb., 2017, with his part-time business called Power Mental Performance.

“In a high pressure sports scenarios, I offer my tips and techniques that are specialized to meet an athlete’s skill level, emotional maturity and personality,” said Kitchen. “I help each athlete to focus on the right thing, at the right time, all the time.”

A former multi-sport athlete ranging from recreational league sports and high school athletics to power lifting in college, Kitchen stepped away from athletics for two decades to pursue a career and family. After moving to Madison in 1995 with his wife of 21 years and their two sons, Kitchen was looking for full time work in ministry and worked as director of operations for the Downtown Rescue Mission for 10 years. In 2008, he began working for the U.S. Army and for the last three years has been in organizational development at NASA as a contractor for ASRI.

“I began working out at the NASA Fitness Center and tried powerlifting again after a 20-year break,” said Kitchen, 49. “A psychologist worked with me and I was so impressed I decided I needed to help others in the same way. With my education and work in the business world I found out from a sports psychologist I was using the same language as in athletics.”

Claudia Hollis, a graduate of James Clemens High and now scholarship as a swimmer at Lindenwood University and under Kitchen’s training said, “I loved learning how to visualize our success because it helped us to get into the right mindset before competitions.”

Kitchen’s work with athletes has included every sport and levels of competitions, including collegiate sports with the UAH hockey team. He was also asked to speak to students and parents at James Clemens on how to apply the same mental techniques to the classroom. “They all have a lot of anxiety and stress and I’m like a tutor,” added Kitchen.

“He changed me from being a bad kicker to a good one,” said Brody Droppleman, a 2018 graduate of James Clemens and soon to be walk-on at Mississippi State. “Roger was a complete game changer for me. I had a terrible junior season and my mental condition affected my performance. After Roger taught me the two basics of stability I was OK to where I was an All-State kicker. He was presenting something I really needed.”

Through Power Mental Performance, Kitchen many times assists athletes through virtual communication by telephone or text. He simply teaches the fundamentals of the mental ways of success. He has a degree in special communications and public relations and understands knowledge is success. He is aware for an athlete to be better, they have to want to become successful.

“My best testimonial was a former football player who was ready to give up and quit at the end of his junior season as he was afraid to make a mistake,” said Kitchen. “His coach reached out to me, so I worked with the young athlete and he was soon an All-State Honorable Mention selection for his senior year. The fact was he wanted to learn. He was like a sponge on everything I taught him.”

T.K. Grandberry, starting shooting guard for the James Clemens girl’s basketball team, said Kitchen’s teachings have directed her to always think positive. Heading into her senior season with the Lady Jets, the 5-foot-7, 135-pound Grandberry is looking to her new positive attitude to make a difference in her overall play.

“I used to fret over the things during a game I really couldn’t control, but Roger’s teaching ways taught me to move away from that thought process and moved me to a positive state of mind,” said Grandberry. “He used certain mental exercises to get the message across and to see exactly what I can control on the court.”

Once with an athlete, Kitchen assesses the person in two ways: where they are emotionally- and their personality. He assists the athletes to overcome any of the numerous mental challenges, including performance anxiety, chocking under pressure, low self-confidence and the inability to focus. The process is gender neutral.

“I really understand how athletes tick,” said Kitchen.