Good to Great: Why Mental Training Sets Elite Athletes Apart
Everyone has figured out that training the body is important. The top athletes in the world have something in common, they understand their mind is what sets them apart. The athletes that stand out the most to me whether it’s in the individual or team setting are the ones who are committed to training their minds.
The correlation?
They are the ones committed to division 1 schools, getting drafted by high-major junior hockey clubs, and consistently performing in the biggest moments. Training their mind is not something they have to do. It’s something they look forward to doing and seek out ways to continue to get better because they realize the impact it has on them.
Let’s take a moment to relate training the mind to training the body.
When working with athletes in the gym we ask them to do exercises like squat, lunge, bench press, or rows. After completing these exercises, they have an effect on the body that impacts an athlete's physical skills like strength, endurance, power, speed, and agility.
There is a parallel process to training your mind.
When working with athletes in the mind gym we ask them to do exercises like:
Meditation
Breathwork
Relaxation
Imagery
Perceptual cognitive skills
Reflection
Goal setting
After action reviews
Competition planning
Routine building
Self-talk
These exercises have an effect on the mind by increasing mental skills like self-confidence, motivation, self-awareness, attentional focus, and reducing stress.
Whether it’s the body or the mind. The ultimate outcome of training is for athletic performance, resilience, and well-being to be enhanced.
Building new habits is not easy, it’s hard work establishing routines. I don’t expect athletes to do this by themselves. We give them support in the gym, well the mind is no different.
Working with us is like having a trainer for your mind. We are skilled in developing workout plans that support you in building the habits that lead to breakthrough performances that get you to the next level.
Through periodized plans, this is how you take your game from good to great.
