As an athlete myself, I regularly train and use mental skills. In fact, the reason that I entered into this line of work in the first place was that my teammates and I were struggling with various mental blocks that – as a team captain – I didn’t know how to resolve (or even if it was my “job” to do so). As I got deeper into reading about this field of theory and research, I became more passionate about helping others find their joy through sport. (Of course, then I needed to do another few years of education and supervised work to get there professionally.)

So what is mental training?

Mental skills training is applied sport psychology*. Applied sport psychology concerns the psychological factors that determine our participation, growth, and performance in sport. Sport psychology applications can generally be categorized in the following areas: confidence, attention & focus, goal setting, motivation, time management, imagery/visualization, routines, activation & energy control, and team building.

When related to sport, mental training can either be performance restorative or performance enhancement. Meaning, are we working to FIX an issue that exists? Or are we working to fine-tune and enhance behaviors for peak performance? There doesn’t always need to be something “wrong” when it comes to mental training. But if you are an athlete, mental training SHOULD be part of your training protocol. I’d go so far as to say that if you are an athlete you ARE using mental skills, however, that might not always work in your favor if not properly trained.

Working together, we’ll explore a few different angles to figure out what’s going on. Here’s what the process looks like:

• First, you schedule a discovery call with me.
• Next, you’ll book an Intro Session where we’ll inventory your mental training skills (plus we take a look at life and training stuff), and we look at your specific situation, sport, and contexts – your communities, coaches, co-conspirators. I meet you where you’re currently at!
• From there, we build you a mental training plan based on individualized needs and concerns, with a goal-driven focus on transforming you from a Reactive Athlete to a Responsive Athlete.
• Find your own joy in sport again.

 

Keep in mind, that you are accountable for doing the work. Some of the “in-between” steps – from where you’re currently at to where you’d like to be – include taking a deep look at your training, practice, and competitive states – and keeping a log of all the mind-stuff that comes up for you. Building awareness might not seem like a skill, but it is! (Don’t worry, I’ll help you with that.) You need to learn & practice mental skills before putting them into play and then before implementing them into a high-stakes/high-stress context or situation. (Don’t worry, I’ll help with that, too!)

So, what are your goals with mental skills training? Is it just to start? Is it to get some clarity? Is it to learn something new? Is it to have an expert as your accountability partner?

 

*Note: I am not a sports psychologist, meaning that I do not work with clients on clinical issues. My area of expertise is solely within the teaching and training of mental skills for athletes. If you are seeking mental health support, I can offer referrals in those areas.