To be a successful athlete doesn’t mean you have to win a number of medals, rewards or trophies. Anyone can be a successful athlete, a high school figure skater, a middle-aged golfer, or an 11-year old runner, perhaps anyone. The common thing between each athlete is that for them, their sports are most important. They’re also committed to getting better every day. Every one of them sets high and realistic goals to train harder and become successful one day. 

Undeniable, there is a key factor that elevates the value of their dedication, determination and the will to succeed - mental strength or mental toughness. To build them strong, there are specific mental skills training for athletes. Such mental toughness training for athletes is purposed to improve the nine mental skills crucial for success in athletics or sports. At Hensey Sports, our professionals work with athletes of all ages from various sports interests to improve their mental skills with instruction and practice. We believe that all these skills not only work best while playing sports but also contributes lucratively in other areas of their lives too. 

Nine Mental Skills 

1. Maintaining positive attitude 
2. Preservation of a high level of self-motivation 
3. Setting high and realistic goals. 
4. Dealing effectively with people. 
5. Proper usage of positive self-talk.
6. Positive mental imagery.
7. Effective management of anxiety. 
8. Proper emotion management.
9. Remain concentrated 

All these mental skills are taught to the athletes. Depending on the importance of the skill, these are divided into three phases:

Level I - Long-term development

These skills are concentrated on building a broad base constituting space for long-term goals, practice sustainability, and learning. These mental skills are utilized a day-by-day basis. You can also term them as basic skills as it involves: 

• Attitude
• Motivation
• Goals and commitment
• People skills 

Level II - Immediate preparation for performance

The mental toughness training for athletes also includes skills training that is useful immediately before the performance, that is, while preparing for the game. For instance, you might use these mental skills right before taking a golf shot. It includes: 

• Positive self talk 
• Mental imagery 

Level III - Performance during the game itself

These mental skills are put into use during actual performance behaviour. This level of performance pyramid includes: 

• Managing Anxiety
• Managing Emotions 
• Concentration 

The application of these mental skills is very well associated with the success of an athlete. Besides sports, all the skills can also help you to perform a wide variety of non-sports activities and situations. A few examples where you can apply the information and knowledge gained from mental skills training for athletes in other day-to-day life stances are: 

• During an important job interview.
• Doing a  solo performance before a huge audience. 
• Giving lectures at big universities. 
• Presenting your report in a class
• Performing surgeries
• Rock climbing
• Playing treasure hunt
• Taking an examination 

Let’s train together 

With Hensey Sports and our expert cognitive coach, Jon Hensey, you can gain the best mental skills training for athletes and learn cognitive strategies. All the programs possess a proportionate blend of mental skill-building, emotion regulation, task strategies, guided discovery, goal setting, cultivate peak performance, and so on. At Hensey Sports you’ll discover programs that are specially curated to amplify your physical performance with mental skills.  

Book an appointment for Performance Enhancement Programs (PEP) today! 

Source URL: https://henseysports.com/mental-skills-training-sport/