When I was younger and participating in youth sports it wasn’t uncommon to play 3-4 different sports through out the year. For example, soccer, baseball, basketball, football.. Some would even “letter” in multiple sports in high school. I think this still happens but on a much smaller scale.
The norm now seems to be a focus on one, maybe two sports in an effort to maximize potential and play at the next level. There are training facilities that specialize in developing speed, agility, power etc to get the “EDGE” on the competition. Furthermore, there are endless camps for every sport and discipline to help develop the physical & technical skills to the highest level. All of which are vital and necessary and things that I did to help me have the opportunity to play at the college level.
What is interesting to me is the fact that while these facilities & camps do a tremendous job at giving their clients the physical edge, very few if any, provide the training for the mental side. If you ask any coach or elite to pro-level performer they will tell you that the mental side is at least 80- 90% of playing your best. This being the case, why the discrepancy? Regardless of the answer the fact remains, all performers young or old, amateur to pro make mistakes and allow doubt and fear on the mental side to get in the way of their physical abilities to get the job done.
We all need help or coaching on how to control our thoughts and emotions when we are performing well but especially when we are not. I always tell my clients “how you think affects how you perform.” This is why dedicating time and effort to developing the mental game is so vital to success and peak performance! A coach I recently had the privilege to work with said, “When you spoke with our team it helped us realize that the mental game is something we have to practice just as much as the physical game. It gave us great insight as coaches.”
The mental edge is that ability to control yourself so you can begin to control your performance. Make working on the mental game part of your daily practice routine and let me know how I can help!
GET MENTAL! GET CONTROL! GET THE EDGE!
No comments yet.