mental coaching

The emotional battle in sports is one of the most challenging events among athletes. Here, athletes are up against their opponent and team and also themselves. One emotional struggle that many athletes experience is the struggle with worry. The act of worry divides an athlete's full focus from the present task, therefore, depleting their focus in performance and their productivity outside of it. In fact, worry is such a strong emotion that it is also responsible for robbing many from experiencing enjoyment in their daily lives outside of sport.

During competition, the toughest competitor is most likely the one you see in the mirror, yourself! Many athletes start training with SPMI because they notice a big drop in level from practice to competition. These athletes are already performing at a high skill level but really struggle mentally when the game or competition is on the line. Oftentimes, the biggest mistake athletes make in key moments is they start to over-analyze. Many athletes will perceive a situation as more important.

I rarely write about SPMI athletes and their success stories but I believe it is time the world starts hearing about them. SPMI has had a very positive impact in over 1000 lives in over 50 sports. The mission of SPMI is to reach millions of athletes from all over the world and help each one of them achieve their dreams by providing them with invaluable skills and discoveries that will elevate their well-being both in sports and in life.

http://www2.getcharly.com/en/embed/59dbe2a7b6231916169973f0

Checkout the latest Mental Toughness Chat with Former Top 5 tennis player in world Jimmy Arias. Jimmy arias is also a commentator for The Tennis Channel. Here we discuss topics from a players point a view and a broadcaster point of view such as struggling with confidence, choking, mental toughness skills, and some of Jimmy's toughest losses such as his semifinal match at the 1983 US Open against Stefan Edberg. 

Ever get so overwhelmed before competing that it causes you to underperform? Sometimes it’s more about distracting yourself before competition than focusing on it. Distractions can serve as useful tools in protecting our mind from becoming overwhelmed before competing. As athletes, we often experience overwhelming thoughts and feelings due to our fears of failure, disappointment, and expectations from our self and others, and even that once in a lifetime shot at achieving our dreams.

Getting Ready to compete………………. It’s less than 1 hour away from competition and every athlete is getting ready. Some athletes are physically warming up by doing some repetitions of a few basic skills. Others are stretching and listening to music, and some are strategizing with their coach and loved ones, while others are alone collecting their thoughts.   Different Routines, Same Goal……………………..

  As a junior tennis player looking to maximize your game the last thing you want is to let your passion turn into anger. Anger is a type of emotion that often translates into poor performance and has a positive effect on improving your opponent’s confidence as well as turning college coaches away from considering you as a serious candidate for their team. Think of getting angry on the court as an injury to your mind. Like a physical injury, your mind needs time to heal.

Bruce Lee said it best when asked about failure. “Defeat is a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.”

For athletes to be successful at the highest level it is critical that they fulfill 3 of the bottom areas discussed below. Some athletes may be stronger in one or two of the areas where some athletes may only dedicate most of their mental game to one. Below, I explain how each area relates to peak performance.