Olympic athletes are supported by a team of sport psychology professionals devoted to helping them be mentally prepared for the demands of Olympic competition. At this level, every detail matters. The difference between Gold and missing the medal stand can be fractions of a second. The slightest loss of focus, moment of hesitation, or being a little too anxious can make a huge difference. Without question, Olympic athletes must be mentally tough.
How U.S. Athletes Got Mentally Prepared for PyeongChang
Unlike many other sport environments, Olympic athletes invest a disproportionate amount of time in training for the few moments they may have to compete. Olympic athletes don’t have 162 competitions per year like Major League Baseball, for example.
The anticipation, pressure, expectations, emotions, and significance of the Olympics make this a unique venue to look into how these athletes prepare to bring their best on the biggest stage in the world.
Specifically, how are Olympic athletes mentally preparing to bring their A-games? And what can your athletes learn from some of the best athletes in the world?
1. Harness the Power of Imagery
Olympic athletes use their mind’s eye to prepare for everything. They visualize and mentally rehearse:
- Performing their best
- Their routine, race, or jump
- Handling the pressure of the moment
- Celebrating their achievements
Imagery can be used in so many different ways. Athletes can use it to boost confidence, manage emotions, and prepare for what might go wrong, just to name a few outcomes. One key aspect to high-quality imagery is making it realistic.
Check out these amazing videos of Olympic athletes walking through exactly how they use imagery to foster elite performance:
New York Times
Teach your athletes to make imagery an immersive experience.
2. Resilience Is Required
Nothing worth achieving comes easy. This is certainly true of Olympic medals. Battling through injuries, crashes, setbacks, and disappointment is part of every Olympian’s story.
Athletes at every level need to know how to deal with adversity and bounce back from failures along the way.
USA’s Nick Goepper took silver in the Men’s Ski Slopestyle with a score of 93.60 (1.4 points behind the leader).
Entering his 3rd and final run, Goepper was in 9th place after failing to break 60 points in his first two runs (59 & 69 respectively). He had to dig deep, trust his preparation, and execute.
In an interview with The Today Show, Nick said, “My Olympics came down to that one run, that final run. I put immense pressure on myself. I just focused on visualizing and the practice I had put in and it worked out for me.”
Teach your athletes to develop a Bounce Back Plan.
3. Win the Battle Between the Ears
Athletes at all levels face anxiety, doubts, and fears. If left unchecked, these counterproductive thoughts can cause serious problems for athletes. This is often how athletes “get in their own way.”
In an interview with NBC, USA two-time Gold Medalist Mikaela Shiffrin talks about how she fights back against the thoughts that swirl around in her heard before a race.
Teach your athletes to master their thinking like Shiffrin.
4. Create a Routine to Get Locked-In
Olympic athletes develop finely tuned routines to help them get focused and keep emotions under control. Pre-performance routines give athletes a greater sense of control, comfort, and confidence – all of which elevate their performance.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
An article in U.S. News highlights specific examples of routines used by Olympic athletes:
- Nathan Chen has a specific way he laces up his skates to help simply his thoughts and minimize anxiety.
- Mikaela Shiffrin has a mantra that shapes her mindset before a race.
- Breezy Johnson stops, jumps, and shouts to amp her up at the start gate.
- Maddie Bowman has a playlist that gets her dialed in.
Teach your athletes the 4 core components of a pre-performance routine.
Elevate Your Team’s Mental Toughness
The Olympics provide a great opportunity to showcase the importance of mental preparation. The U.S. athletes mentioned above can help your athletes understand how they can improve their mental toughness and compete at their best. I also invite you to download the free guides and posters as training resources for you and your teams.
Question: What other examples of mental toughness did you see in PyeongChang, South Korea?
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below, or on Facebook or Twitter.
- Post: How Do Your Athletes Handle All That Pressure?
- Post: How to Use Imagery to Increase the Quality of Practice
- Post: Do Your Athletes Know How to Make Visualization More Powerful?
- Post: Are Your Athletes Prepared to be Punched in the Mouth?
- Post: How to Help Athletes Bounce Back From Failure
- Post: How to Improve an Athlete’s Performance: A Proven Model
- Post: How to Master Your Thinking: Think on Purpose
- Post: 3 Ways Routines Help Athletes Get Consistent Results