Three Simple Mental Training Tips
Monday, 11th October 2004
Author, Steve Ward, Maximum Potential
Here are my top three (or should that be top FREE) simple tips for mental training to improve performance for people at all levels:
1. Plan Your Journey To Success
Set some clear, specific , measurable goals, which you regularly review and update. Set goals which are under your control e.g. times to achieve, techniques to improve etc. Write them down and commit to them. Think about your goals regularly - last thing at night and first thing in the morning are ideal.
The mind has to try and process millions of bits of data per second - it cannot do it, so it has a filtering system which filters the information which is most important i.e. that which you regularly think about with feeling your goals and unconsciously helps you to try to achieve them.
Goals provide direction, motivation and feedback.
Have a goal for each time that you train, and for each time that you race. A session with a clear focus is FAR more effective than just swimming, cycling or running. Is it an endurance builder, race pace session, tempo run, Time Trial for confidence and race practise etc. Arnold Schwarzenegger was definite about the need to focus fully on each repetition he did if it was to be effective.
Imagine a magnifying glass - notice how all the suns rays are transformed into one point of intense heat! This is the effect that focussed goals have.
2. Mind Your Language
Be aware of your thoughts. Your thoughts affect how you feel, and how you feel affects how you perform. Keep your thoughts positive. We have between 50,000-60,000 thoughts per day, and negative ones have a deep impact on your self confidence. When you are aware of a negative thought, have a stop signal - could be a word, or an image, or even pinch yourself! - and then replace the thought with a positive one - spin the thought round, what would the opposite be? Have some positive statements prepared. Think of times when you might get a negative thought in a race, and have a positive replacement prepared.
3. Seeing Is Believing
Use visualisation - it is very powerful. Good uses for visualisation are:
a. Imagine achieving your goals, which aids motivation. Good for the off season.
b. Imagine your perfect race prior to an upcoming event. This is good to do leading up to race day, and on the day of the event. Provides focus.
c. Practise a skill/technique - also good if you are injured and cannot practise physically.
d. Replay past great performances to boost confidence.
The mind cannot tell the difference between an imagined and a real experience! You can have some fun with that one! Think about a nightmare - an imagined experience with a physical response, sweating, heart pounding, faster breathing, feeling scared etc.
Visualising focuses the mind on exactly what you want to achieve. It also creates the brain cell pathways to enable you to perform more the task more easily, and helps to build confidence. You must be able to SEE yourself doing something before you can then BELIEVE that you can do it, and then ACHIEVE it.
Spend 2-3 minutes relaxing before visualising, and use all of your senses to make the experience as real and as intense as possible. See things from your own eyes. 10-15 minutes at a time is plenty.
Remember
Goals - Thoughts - Visualise.
I challenge you to try just these three techniques, and to notice the difference in your training and racing performances over the coming months.
WARNING! Using these techniques can seriously improve your performance.
Happy training and racing!
Steve Ward is a sports performance coach, providing mental and emotional skills for athletes, clubs, teams and organisations in a variety of sports at all levels from recreational to international/professional, and works with many age group and elite/professional triathletes from the UK, USA and New Zealand. He has competed in endurance sports for over 20 years and is currently an Age Group duathlete, and cyclist.
For more information about the services that Steve offers through his company Maximum Potential UK Ltd