Prioritizing Mental Performance
Last week I was chatting with the head coach of a pro soccer team, and that conversation led us to talking about mindset and mental performance. He shared that he’s looking for a sports psychologist/mental performance coach to help his team and players improve their performance. But unfortunately, he’s having a hard time getting club leadership on board. Not because they don’t know how important it is, but because it’s an afterthought. Because they believe that it’s not a priority unless something is “broken.”
And that’s where a lot of people go wrong. They think that working on mindset is only necessary when things aren’t going well.When the reality is, like this coach said, that the game is 80-90% mental, and therefore requires confidence and a strong mindset if a player and team really want to reach their full potential. Mental performance needs to be a forethought, not an afterthought. It’s something to prioritize early on…not as a reaction to “fix” something, but to harness the power of our minds to thrive in sports AND life.
After that conversation, I had the realization that there seems to be two types of people in the sports world - those who truly believe that mindset is one of the most, if not THE most, important aspect of excelling in sports; and those that either don’t quite understand it (yet), or think that Xs and Os, or technique is the most important.
In my experience talking to parents, coaches, and athletes, the ones that have played, coached, or been involved at a high leve,l are usually the ones in group #1 - those who KNOW that cultivating a strong mindset is what separates the good from the great. And on the other end, it seems that parents, coaches, or athletes that haven’t quite had the experience of higher levels of athletics, don’t YET understand the POWER that mindset plays in sports. Which is why it is my goal is to:
Educate people on the power of mindset and mental performance for more success, fulfillment, and improved well-being
Provide tools, resources, education and share experiences that will help those athletes, parents, and coaches that are ready to take the next step in harnessing the power of their/their athlete’s mind.
Thanks for reading,
Shay
P.S. I know I seem to consistently harp on this subject, but I do want to make it clear that I do believe we have come a long way in prioritizing the mental game! We still have a long way to go, but with the growth of women’s sports in particular, I am hopeful (and so excited) that this shift and understanding will continue to grow and trickle down through all levels of sports!
Thanks for being a part of this growth with me.
