Did you know mental training has prerequisites? Just like registering for Trigonometry or French 303, mental training has prerequisites that need to be met. Prerequisites set us up for success, ensuring we’re ready for what comes next. Athletes need to be ready to strengthen their mental game; otherwise they’re just wasting their time.

I was in over my head

Have you ever been caught unprepared? I have and it was ugly. I once entered a tennis tournament in which I was (unknowingly and quite literally) out of my league. It was early in my youth tennis experience and I was quickly wiped off the court. It wasn’t that I couldn’t compete at that level someday, it was merely that I wasn’t ready.

3 Prerequisites for Maximizing Mental Training

Recently, I was interviewed about how mental training works. Over the course of the conversation I identified a few ingredients or requirements athletes need in order to get the most out of mental training (whether that comes from a book, an online course, or a mental coach).

Are your athletes READY for mental training?

A prerequisite is defined as something that is required as a prior condition for something else to happen or exist.

Athletes need these 3 prerequisites before they can maximize mental training:

1. Belief

High performers have different beliefs than everyone else. As a prerequisite, athletes must believe that they can learn and grow – that change is possible. This is what it means to have a growth mindset.

As a high school athlete, I was coachable. But, I didn’t really believe that I could improve (grow) much. Instead, I believed my talent and abilities were already determined and no amount of work would make a big difference.

Thankfully, I learned that wasn’t true. In fact, our brains are wired to change, learn and grow. Once athletes have a growth mindset, they are ready to maximize their mental training. Side Note: Coaches, mental coaches, and sport parents can help athletes shift toward a growth mindset.

2. Motivation

Motivation is an often misunderstood force of high performance. Coaches can create a powerful motivational climate and connect to deep motivational factors in their athletes. However, as a prerequisite for mental training, athletes must have an inner drive to improve.

If his mom wants him to be more resilient – that won’t cut it. If her coach wants her to be more mentally tough – that’s not enough. The athlete has to want it, to be better than they were yesterday, to compete at a higher level, to be able to regulate their thoughts and emotions in the heat of battle.

To maximize an athlete’s mental training requires motivation.

3. Competence

Thirdly, (and this may seem rather obvious) in order for athletes to maximize their mental training, they have to know how to train their minds – competence.

Earlier in my competitive career as an athlete, I learned that I could improve my mental game and I became very motivated to do so. Yet, I was missing a key ingredient. I didn’t know how. This was a frustrating place to be! I wanted to be more mentally tough and was ready to learn – but how?

Thankfully, my Dad found a book on mental training for me. The book became the catalyst for my mental training. It was a starting point – where I first began to learn the tools and skills for mental training. I had encouragers but no teachers. There was no mental coach, no webinar, no class I could take.

In fact, I created an entire course to address this exact problem – and give athletes easier access to mental training. I want to help athletes learn the tools, techniques, and procedures of mental training so they can unleash their potential!

Keep an eye out for more information on this in the coming days.

Set the Conditions to Maximize Mental Training

Are your athletes getting the most out of training? Are they ready to maximize their mental game? Help your athletes meet the prerequisites. Help your athletes foster a growth mindset, tap into deeper motivations and build their competence so they can maximize their mental training.

Question: What keeps your athletes from maximizing their mental game?