Mental Skills General

Game-Changing Mental Mastery: 5 Types of Mental Skills for Extreme Sports Athletes

- Melinda Urick Leave a comment

We’re diving into the high-octane world of mental skills, where the secret sauce isn’t just physical – it’s all in your head!

I’m your coach on this journey, aiming to break down the essentials without drowning you in unnecessary hype. From shredding slopes to bowl dropping, let’s explore the foundational mental skills that can transform you into a psychological dynamo. Ready to delve into the crucial world of mental skills that can elevate your game to the next level? Here are 5 types of mental skills to master your sport:

  1. Confidence – Swagger Like a Champion
    Confidence, my thrill-seeking comrades, is not simply about rocking the swagger but embodying the spirit of one. Picture yourself dropping into life’s challenges with the cool confidence of a pro skater nailing a kickflip down a massive stair set. It’s not cockiness; it’s knowing you’ve got the skills to conquer any mental halfpipe or downhill slope.
  2. Concentration – Laser Focus for Epic Feats
    Think of concentration as your mental turbo boost, the gnarly ability to zero in on that next mind-blowing trick or maneuver. Crush those mental distractions like you’re slashing through a killer wave, and soon you’ll be in the zone, pulling off tricks that’ll leave everyone in awe.
  3. Emotion Management – Ride the Storm with Style
    Life (and sport) is an emotional rollercoaster, but with composure, you’re the one setting the pace. Navigate through the chaos with the grace of a freestyle motocross rider soaring through the air. Keep your cool, adjust your mental gears, and ride the storm – cool, calm, collected. Composure isn’t about suppressing your wild side; it’s about taming it like a motocross maestro pulling off jaw-dropping stunts.
  4. Communication – X-Games Level Mental Telepathy
    Communication in sports isn’t just talking; it’s the X-Games level of mental telepathy. Communication is the unspoken language binding your crew. Non-verbal cues speak louder than words, creating a rhythm that elevates your team game. Mastering this silent symphony not only refines your connection but also propels your squad to conquer challenges with precision and confidence.
  5. Control – Mastering the Art of Mental Freestyle
    Control is your backstage pass to navigating the intricate pathways of your mind – the art of mental freestyle that lets you orchestrate your moves with finesse. It’s not about suppressing the chaos; it’s about turning it outward and onto your playing surface. Sometimes that means: riding the energy, embracing the chaos, and as you refine your control, you construct a path to success with every move.

In the realm of extreme sports, mastering your mental skills isn’t just a game-changer; it’s the key to unlocking a whole new level of epic. Keep it weird!

What is Mental Training?

- Melinda Urick 1 Comment

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.