Optimal performance is all about consistency. Coaches and athletes know that repetitions build strength. That’s why you train. However, the same principles apply to getting an athlete’s mind and body ready to perform on demand. It is no accident that elite athletes rely on battle-tested pre-performance routines to prime their performance.
Every team needs a leadership council. Having team leaders in the locker room brings a team’s culture to life, creates a climate of accountability, and gives team members ownership.
Evaluating talent is getting more scientific. Every team scrambles for an edge. Billy Beane revolutionized MLB with performance analytics. NFL prospects undergo physical agility and psychological tests at the Combine. Leading teams employ a mental conditioning coach, like myself. The latest development in building elite teams looks at how well players will fit a team’s chemistry. Essentially, this is social cohesion and it might just be the next frontier, the cutting edge.
What coach doesn’t want athletes to take responsibility for their actions? If you’re like most coaches I talk to, you prefer high integrity, high character competitors. You want championship level teammates, not just talent. However, athletes make mistakes. When they do, their coaches can encourage them to take the high road – responsibility.
According to New York Times bestselling author, Jon Gordon, “Optimism is a competitive advantage.” I couldn’t agree more. When I talk to coaches about the mental makeup of champions, optimism is a cornerstone. Inevitably they ask, “How can I help my athletes become more optimistic?” Let’s dive in.
Everyone is looking for an edge in sports. Coaches seek out any possible advantage that could boost their team’s performance. Athletes will go to great lengths to test to limits of their potential. The qualities that were once lumped together as intangibles are becoming tangible. Quickly emerging as the latest trend in sports science, sport psychology is bridging the gap in evaluating and developing athlete’s “no longer tangibles.” Optimism is one such edge.
No one likes ambiguity. It fuels anxiety. It causes hesitation. Yet, athletes still struggle to find their place on the team. Where do they belong? What’s expected? Should coaches more clearly communicate with players about their roles?
If you want to build a high-performing team you must first build a championship culture. In Above the Line, Urban Meyer tells coaches that “Leaders create culture. Culture drives behavior. Behavior produces results.” Winning begins with culture.
In our microwave society athletes want to see immediate results. When they look at the rankings, draft boards, and young superstars, they think success came overnight. Coaches might be preaching, “focus on the process,” but athletes are judged by results.
Athletes are often sabotaged by their own worries, doubts, and fears. Feeling threatened is among the worst. When athletes view their circumstance as a threat their confidence goes out the window. They get nervous. Consequently they play tight, hesitant, and weak. What if you could help your athletes turn those threats into opportunities?
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