Mental Skills Training to Enhance Sports and Personal Performance

The differences in performance between athletes is often very slim, so they often will do whatever it takes to obtain an advantage to succeed. Many athletes who wish to improve their performances train long hours to gain an edge over the competition.

Most athletes and coaches agree that the mental aspect of sports is just as important as the physical. As New York Yankee Hall of Fame catcher, Yogi Berra, known for his witticisms, allegedly stated, “fifty percent of the game is ninety percent mental”. For example, although a golfer spends a minimum of 3 to 4 hours playing eighteen holes of golf, the physical requirements of playing a round, the actual striking of the ball, takes about 12 minutes or less. The remainder of the time is mental, thinking about the swing, planning the next shot or ruing over a missed putt or landing in the water. In fact, a professional golfer, Vijay Singh once stated, “Golf is 95% psychological; the other 5% is all in your head!”

In nearly every sport there are down times in which an athlete has time to think and that may cause problems if appropriate mental skills are not utilized. Athletes often experience pressure to execute their skills and with this pressure comes related stress that can affect performance and reduce self-confidence. Mental skills are used not only during a game or an event but also in daily preparation to improve techniques, reduce stress and build self-confidence. Athletes, musicians, actors, lecturers and others can benefit from mental skills training. Even though many professional athletes use mental skills training to enhance their sports performances, nearly everyone including novice amateurs can utilize these strategies to improve their performance and satisfaction in various aspects of life.
 
Although athletes and other performers agree that a mental approach is beneficial, relatively little time is employed in practicing mental skills. Mental skills augment physical preparation and require daily practice. The good news is that this practice usually only takes minutes of deliberate and focused attention, not hours.
 
What are the mental skills necessary to improve sports performance? Mental skills are: 1.) focusing attention and concentration, 2.) energy activation and modulation and
3.) stress management. Psychologists train athletes mental skills via mental rehearsal, visualization and imagery, relaxation training, positive thoughts, mental toughness and self-confidence. The training of mental skills requires systematic practice and repetition. Theses strategies are not quick fixes that can be used only before a competition. The goal of mental skills is to optimize sports performance to derive the most from one’s ability.

Timothy Rheinscheld
Consulting Psychologist