A Dual Approach for Ultimate Success
A truly successful athletic performance in any sporting event, doesn't "just happen." It takes tremendous preparation, enormous dedication, passion, a good level of skill and irrepressible will and spirit. It also requires great coaching, intense physical training, commitment, consistency, dedication and very clearly defined goals. But in addition to all of these things, without practice (or the repetitive successful execution of the mechanics involved in any sport) any athlete, no matter how talented, is setting themselves up for failure.
So athletes practice, constantly honing and perfecting their skills. They spend hour upon hour in the weight room sculpting and strengthening their bodies. They run mile after mile each week to build endurance and stamina. They work with personal trainers and their coaches to improve technique, form, precision, power and proper execution. They watch tapes of games on a regular basis. They listen to their Coaches and work hard every day to become the best they can be. Then they practice even more, consistently training and conditioning their bodies for peak performance and ultimate success.
But think about this for a moment... The human body does NOTHING without first having the thought to do so. Before you throw that football, rush down the field, go for an extra point or make that awesome tackle, your mind has to direct your body to first take that specific action. So, doesn't it just make sense that if you work so hard training your body, you might also want to take some time to work on the mental side of your game as well?
The human mind is truly one of the most powerful forces in the universe, so it should come as no surprise that your inner world helps mold and create your outer world. Fact is, your thoughts, feelings and emotions have a significant impact on your athletic performance because your TFE's (thoughts, feelings and emotions) steer and direct your body toward whatever you are focusing on the most. That said, if your TFE's are positive and powerful at the start, don't you think you'll have a far better athletic performances when your thoughts are in the right place? Fact is, it is just as important to train your mind for success as it is to train your body!
Let's just say that you and your team are up against a fierce competitor who hasn't lost a single game all season. Physically, this other team consists of a bunch of behemoths who charge out on your field to warm-up with lots of attitude. All week long everyone at school's been taking about how you are going to need a miracle to win this game. In addition, maybe your Mother and girlfriend (with the best of intentions) have made some reference to the fact that they are worried about you getting hurt. Looking out at the other team, you notice they've got a FB who appears to be about 6' 9" and weighs at least 350 lbs. All week long your mind has been conditioned to be fearful, concerned and apprehensive. You find that you cannot focus on all of the things you KNOW you and your team CAN do. Instead you find yourself focusing completely on precisely all those things you don't want to have happen. How do you think you're going to play this game when you've pretty much already decided you don't have any chance of winning?
On the other hand, if you charge onto your field with enormous determination, really feeling and believing that you and your team has every bit as much of a chance as winning as your opponent... If you know that you're just as fast, just as strong, just as formidable, and you go out there and play football to the very best of your ability, with more drive, will, confidence and determination than you've ever had before, and not a single negative thought enters your mind... What do you think might happen?
Mental Conditioning can help you move past that nagging little voice inside your head, that says "YOU CAN'T." It helps remove negative, self-limiting and self-defeating, thoughts, feelings, emotions and attitudes and replaces these with powerful and positive TFE's instead. Mental training can also help you train your brain, so physically every move you make is more effective and is exactly what you want your body to do the most.
Mental Conditioning also helps athletes think, see and envision greatly improved performances. Nearly every month, the results of new and even more in-depth studies are being released with very surprising and welcome results.
In one study, the muscle movement of sprinters was measured and recorded. Then the same athletes muscle movements were measured while they were only "thinking" about themselves running a particular race. Results clearly noted that when a sprinter only imagined running a perfectly flawless race -- the exact same muscles he or she would use while actually running were suddenly engaged as though the athletes were actually physically moving on the track. Heart rate and blood pressure also increased and many of the athletes even perspired, although every athlete was resting comfortably in a chair in a highly relaxed state of focused concentration.
Fact is, science has proven that the same neurons that fire during physical action, fire in the exact same way while only IMAGINING it happening. Many believe that by repeatedly "imagining" successful performances in one's mind an athlete can pre-program their success and/or train their brain to produce the most desired results!
Want to PR on the track consistently throughout the season? Want to play every minute of your football game at peak levels of performance? Do you need to remove psychological barriers that have been negatively impacting your game play, such as returning from serious injury, moving past a crushing defeat or a series of disappointing performances? Want to greatly improve speed, focus, endurance, consistency, strength, reaction time and accuracy? Many of my athletes surprise themselves by what they are suddenly able to do when Mental Training is added.
Elite and professional athletes know that when added to a solid physical training regimen, mental conditioning is 300% more effective than physical training alone. Unfortunately, not all athletic training programs devote nearly enough time to the mental side of sports. But mark my words, as more and more athletes actively embrace mind and body conditioning many more games will be won and many more records will be broken.
Bottom line, if you don't currently utilize mental conditioning techniques, you and/or your team are probably not performing at peak and optimal levels and you are missing out on an enormous competitive edge. With mental conditioning you can expect superior results from your athletic training program and far more success during each and every competitive event!
