Sport is more than physical. It is also a mental game. Mastering the five essential skills below can strengthen your performance on and off the field. Read on to learn about each one and start developing a healthier mindset.
1. COMMITMENT
What it is
Your motivation. Your goal. This is the drive that propels you to try, to practice, to keep going, and to excel. Commitment is the energy that fuels you, and allows you to never give up.
How it’s done
“Our student-athletes have BIG goals: to play at a big college or be a professional athlete. These can be abstract, overwhelming, and feel discouragingly out of reach,” says Dr. Lindsey Hamilton, Head of Mental Performance at IMG Academy. “The real magic happens in the daily commitment, taking the granular steps toward getting you closer to where you want to be. We call these smaller goals ‘process goals.’ What can you strive for right now that will ultimately get you closer to your big goal? With each step, you will get there.”
Ask yourself…
What is your Why? How will you go about achieving your goals
2. CONFIDENCE
What it is
Belief in yourself, your abilities, and your strengths. You have prepared and practiced for this. You know you can succeed.
How it’s done
“It’s important to identify what confidence means to you so that you can connect to it and really believe and feel that it’s possible,” Hamilton says. “Muhammad Ali said he was ‘the greatest of all time’ before he actually was the greatest — but he felt deep in his heart that he really could achieve it, and that’s the most important part. Keep in mind that confidence isn’t just on the field.
It takes confidence to walk down the halls at school and say hi to someone you don’t know, or to speak in front of people.” Pro tip: “When you’re struggling with self-confidence, write down all of the small great moments you’ve had up until that moment,” says Diamyn Hall, former Leadership Coach at IMG Academy.
Ask yourself…
What does your most confident self look like?
3. FOCUS
What it is
The ability to concentrate 100% on what is in your control at the present moment. Blocking out all the unnecessary distractions, noise, and chatter, including negative thoughts. Focus on what you can control, on processes, the present, the positive, and staying composed.
How it’s done
“It’s often distractions that hold us back, especially under pressure,” Hamilton says. “A common tool we use at IMG Academy is the acronym WIN: What’s Important Now? In the middle of a basketball game, when a player has just missed three shots in a row and is passing off shots they should be taking, that’s when he or she needs to ask: What’s Important Now? Guide your attention to just one action you can take at this moment.”
Ask yourself…
Can you lock in when it matters most?
4. RESILIENCE
What it is
The ability to bounce back from a disappointment, and learn from the experience. The mental fortitude you need in order to withstand pressure before, during, and after a stressful challenge. It’s how you choose to react, not the events themselves, that changes your mindset, and the outcome.
How it’s done
“I worked with a student-athlete who suffered a severe knee injury that sidelined her for the soccer season,” Hamilton says. “In the middle of her rehabilitation, she was in a bike accident — another massive setback. She rehabbed again, and two years later she was back on the field and scored a winning goal. It was straight out of a movie! She went off to college at a Division I school and still uses the mental performance tools of Resilience that she learned at IMG Academy in her life moving forward.”
Ask yourself…
How do you deal with a setback, or a high-stress moment?
5. HANDLING PRESSURE
What it is
Using rational thinking and mental flexibility when faced with a challenge. Stress is simply another opponent you can meet (and beat) proactively with preparation, training, and practice.
How it’s done
2023 IMG Academy salutatorian and current Princeton student-athlete Flora Zhang learned actionable tools from her mental performance coaches that she still uses every day to help her perform under pressure: “Dedication and practice is the starting point. Performance is not magic. You have to put in the work and do everything you can to be confident with your game.”
Ask yourself…
How do you cope with stress when it counts?
Want to learn how to improve your ability to handle pressure, focus better, and become more resilient? Explore IMG Academy+ mental performance coaching.
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