It is often said that if you can’t believe in yourself, then others can’t believe in you either. In competitive sport, it’s essential that athletes believe in themselves but it’s also important that their belief is based on what they know themselves to be capable of rather than what they, or others, say they’re capable of. Sports psychology 2 methods give both coach and athlete the ability to prepare for competition, physically and mentally, so that when the pressure is on, actions will always speak louder than words!
“I am the greatest” – Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is a great example of a sportsperson who had a lot to say about his abilities but his beliefs were always firmly based on what he knew himself to be capable of achieving. Sports psychology 2 can help coaches create the same ‘winning mentality’ in their athletes by developing a system of preparation that includes mind training as well as physical training.
The four pillars of performance – Technical, Tactical, Physical, Psychological – provide coaches with a solid support system on which to build greater strengths in the abilities of their athletes as well as their own coaching. Knowing where your strengths lie as a coach is of great importance but being able to identify where weaknesses lie is equally so.
It is not uncommon for coaches to develop a coaching style which is based on their strengths, effectively allowing them to hide from any weaknesses, but this can have a direct effect on how athletes view their performances – or their potential to win. For example, an athlete under the guidance of a coach who is particularly strong in the area of physical fitness may begin to believe their failure to succeed in competition is purely down to a lack of fitness. In reality, the lack of success is much more likely to be down to lack of psychological fitness or some other aspect of preparation but until the coach recognises the weakness, appropriate action can’t be taken.
To be able to view themselves as potential winners, athletes must be given the opportunity to develop confidence in their abilities across all aspects of competition preparation – all four pillars. A coach with a balance in all four pillars will be able to produce equally balanced performers. Sports psychology 2 techniques allow coaches to develop a winning mentality in their athletes without fear of promoting an over-confident attitude but to do this, coaches must first have an awareness of where each athlete believes their own strengths and weaknesses to be. What an athlete believes and what a coach sees can be quite different. An athlete with superior physical ability is not guaranteed to win over a weaker opponent if he doesn’t believe himself to be superior.
Developing a winning mentality is a process just like any other aspect of training and preparation for competition. Telling an athlete that they’re in winning form on competition day will have little effect if the athlete doesn’t believe it themselves. Putting sports psychology 2 practices in place long before competition day allows coaches and athletes to feel positively prepared and feeling positively prepared creates a positive, winning mentality -
“You are the greatest!”
Want to learn More About Donald MacNaughton?
http://zonedinperformance.com/
His work spans leadership and performance development in both the corporate and sporting arenas.
Zoned in Performance is a business consultancy specialising in leadership development and performance psychology.
Using proven, effective and inspirational coaching techniques, Zoned in Performance helps clients unlock potential, achieve lasting breakthroughs and increase individual and team performance.
http://www.sportspsychology2.com/
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