Unlocking Mental Strength
Essential Mental Skills for Athletes
Introduction to Mental Strength for Athletes
Mental Strength is a key skill for athletes to have in order to be successful in and out of sport.
Mental strength is the difference between:
Having confidence in your abilities and doubting yourself.
Being able to focus on what matters by blocking out the noise and letting the outside noise get in your head.
Seeing challenges as opportunities and seeing challenges as a wall you can’t climb.
Managing emotions in big moments and letting pressure or anxiety diminish your performance.
Staying positive and continuing to try when things don’t go your way and retreating or not trying as hard because things aren’t going your way.
Mental strength is the determinant in how effectively you deal with stressors, pressures and challenges. It determines whether you perform to the best of your ability, regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in. Mental strength is essential to performing your best consistently.
Because of this, mental strength is the guide post for the work we do with athletes at Pina Performance Coaching. We ensure that athletes leave with the tools to build a strong mind. We ensure that they know how to put in the mental reps to continue to build their mental strength. And we ensure they have confidence in their mental game.
Components of Mental Strength
The 4 C’s are developed through using mental skills that will allow you to believe in yourself and have a strong mind.
Challenge
The extent to which you see challenges/adversity as opportunities. Viewing challenges as opportunities will allow you to have the persistence needed to overcome what you are faced with. It also allows you to remain positive as you work to overcome the obstacle.
Commitment
The extent to which you will keep the promises you make. The commitment you have toward achieving your goals and working to improve your game determines the results you get. It affects how long it takes you to achieve your goal and the energy, attitude, and enjoyment you have throughout the process.
Control
The extent to which you believe you are in control of what happens to you. Believing you are in control of what happens to you has a profound effect on the results you get. When you don’t think you are in control of what happens to you, you may not try as hard, you may be less motivated, you may not enjoy playing your sport, and you start to get into a “what’s the point” mentality. All of which take away your ability to show up and perform at your best.
Confidence
The extent to which you believe you have the ability and strength to face what comes your way. The confidence you have in yourself makes all the difference in how you show up. When you believe in yourself you don’t let small mistakes break you down, you don’t worry about what your opponent is doing, you don’t shy away from challenges. You show up energized, excited, ready to go for it and play your best.
Our 1:1 Mental Performance Coaching Program
In our 1:1 Mental Performance Coaching Program we build your mental strength by developing key mental skills every athlete should have. We focus on the mental skills that will allow you to:
Know that challenges are opportunities for you to grow
Remain committed to achieving your goals
Remain in control of your thoughts, feelings, and actions
Have confidence in yourself in sport, life, and as you overcome challenges.
By developing these mental skills you are putting in the mental reps to master your mindset and have the mental strength to be the athlete you want to be.
The athlete that believes in their abilities no matter the circumstance or who you’re up against. The athlete that can remain calm and focused when the pressure is on. The athlete that is persistent when faced with challenges. The athlete that stays positive even when they make a mistake. The athlete that is a difference maker. The athlete that gets the results they want consistently.