Q&A About Mental Strength Training and Peak Performance
Over the past several weeks I’ve been getting quite bit of emails about mental strength training and peak athletic performance.
There have been several common questions that I thought would be a great idea for a post. So below are the most asked questions (this past month) on the mental strength training and peak performance.
If you have any questions you’d like me to answer please email them top me or ask them in the comment section at the bottom of this post.
Which mental skill do you find most useful to elite athletes?
Imagery also referred to as visualization, but imagery is much different. Since images are the language of the unconsciousness mind and the unconsciousness mind runs the body, i.e. muscle memory, full sensory imagery is by far the most useful.
When I talked about “full sensory imagery”, this means the athlete sees, hears, feels, smells, tastes the experience. Only seeing the event/performance will help, but not as much as “full sensory imagery.”
What might you say to an elite athlete right before a competition to help them get in the right frame of mind?
This is a tough one because just like physical preparation mental preparation takes time. Mental strength training is not an instant fix. The mental side of the game has to be worked on as much, if not more than the physical.
So, if I had worked with an athlete we would have established a cue word(s) to help her/him relax and focus.
When if comes to the competition side of sports performance “no mind” is the best mind. The athlete wants to stop thinking and let the unconsciousness mind take over. This is why is so important to make mental strength training a priority.
What is one of your all-time favorite quotes or stories regarding the mental side of peak performance?
As far as quotes go, here’s a great one:
“Players today put too much emphasis on lifting weights; low body fat and big muscles that they think make them look good — all that bull shit. What you need to play hockey is heart and determination, and the ability to stay mentally strong. Mental strength beat physical strength any day.” ~ Phil Esposito
As far as a story, I must say that my experience with surviving an avalanche rates in my top 5 :-). There are several reference and video about this on the blog and here’s the YouTube link just in case : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dExEECVKmOo
What are some favorite words of wisdom or encouragement might you say to an elite performer after a crushing loss in a major competition?
This goes back to mental strength training is not a quick fix. When working with athletes part of the mental strength training involves controlling thoughts and emotions before, during AND after the event.
I work with athletes to develop post competition reviews, regardless of the outcome. This way they are in the centered space to review their performance for all the things that worked as well as all the things that could have worked better.
The main emphasis after not winning a competition is to learn from it and move one. Dwelling on it serves no purpose and can actually hinder future performance.
Would you like to learn more about mental strength and athletic performance? Then pick up a copy of Mental Strength Training for Sports today!
