Helping Athletes Apply Mental Game Lessons

How to Help Athletes Apply Mental Game Skills

Not all athletes follow the mental coaching lessons you teach them…

Today’s tip is based on a question I received from my mental game coach survey and the challenges mental coaches face.

Here’s the question:

“How do you motivate the athletes you coach to follow through and actually practice what you teach?”

Wow! This question pinpoints a critical concept in sports psychology: How do you get your athletes to practice the mental skills you teach and not throw it all away?

It’s much, much harder to be successful with your athletes when they fail to apply the lessons to practice–and eventually to competition.

Here are a few examples of what can get in the way of athletes’ application of your lessons:

  1. Athletes don’t know how to apply the mental game.
  2. Athletes are just looking for a quick fix.
  3. Athletes are distracted or busy with other issues in life, such as school.
  4. Athletes abandon what you teach them if it does not work immediately (the first day).

What’s the solution?

How can you help you athletes practice and apply the Mental game skills they learn?

  1. Structure your mental game programs so they know it’s not a quick fix.
  2. I lecture to my students that they are responsible for the REAL learning that takes place in practice and competition after each lesson.
  3. You can provide summary tools and pregame routines to help them transfer the mental game to their sport, which I teach in the MGCP course.
  4. You can use technology today to help remind them of their mental game tasks. For example, you can use Mp3 audio recordings to remind them of their tasks.

You can help your athletes’ improve their success when they know how to practice and apply the mental game every day…

My MGCPs understand this concept and have the tools to help athletes apply the mental game.

If you have not done so, please complete an application at the MGCP website:

Mental Game Coaching Professional Application

Please call me at 888-742-7225 if you have any questions about the MGCP course. Or check the website:

Mental Game Coaching Professional Certification

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