Learn Four Keys To Sports Mental Training
Sports Motivation – Visualization
Can sports mental training or visualization help you trust in your ability during competition?
One Olympian thinks so.
To perform your best, you must have trust instead of over-think your performance…
I certainly learn a lot from Olympic athletes when I pick their brains. That’s why I do several interviews a year with top athletes and coaches.
Recently, I talked with Olympic Equestrian Chris Kappler about sports mental training for show jumping. No matter what sport you compete in or coach, you can learn a lot from this Olympic athlete.
I’ve always agreed that sports mental training includes knowing you can adapt to any challenge that might happen during competition.
“So much of the mental game is feeling like you are ready for anything they can throw at you at major competitions,” said Kappler.
His mental preparation starts several weeks before competition. He wants to have a detailed plan of how to attack the course. And much of his mental preparation includes mental rehearsal of the course.
If you’re not familiar with show jumping, riders have to memorize the obstacles or jumps on the course and how many strides their horse takes between jumps.
His key to a reactive mindset in competition is visualizing the course. He rides the course 100 times in his mind prior to the start of his performance!
Kappler goes as far as to use flash cards to memorize each obstacle or jump, which he says helps him react during competition.
“I do a lot of picturing of the fences, the number of strides, and the type of turns I’ll do. I keep going through this over and over and over until I feel like I have it in my mind just the way I want it. Thus, I have already ridden the course 100 times in my mind before I have done it.”
Unlike many other athletes, Kappler has complete control of his mental images. During his imagery, he wants to review the ideal performance instead of the mishaps.
“I go into competition and my mental rehearsal with a positive outlook. I try to rely on my instincts and having years of riding experience to take over if things go off plan to get back on plan. I try to go into it with only the best intentions possible,” said Kappler.
If Kappler struggles with an obstacle, he relies on his instincts and experience to carry him…
“If I have a tough moment, my years of riding, training, and mental rehearsal kicks into gear and I try to get through that tough moment and get back on track where I left off.”
Four keys to sports mental training:
1. Study the course (or opponents) and develop a plan
2. Review the plan in your mind until it becomes second-nature
3. In competition, react to the plan you saw/felt in your mind
4. Trust your instincts to make adjustments when needed
Tagged with: Mental Toughness • mental training • sports mental training • Sports Motivation • Sports Psychology • sports visualization
Filed under: Sports Motivation
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What I can take from this excellent article is that the power of positivity combined with preparation will lead to success. It’s true to say that many of us dwell on anticipated problems rather than visualising success. A lot to think about, thanks.
That is true. Trusting your instincts and believing in yourself will drive you to success. If you stick to thinking the negative consequences or thoughts, you’ll be likely to get distracted from your concentration while at the competition.
I love the analogy between riding a horse and a bike. Being in tune with your ride is the best way to react to what it needs from you to help you perform to the max. Developing that instinct is something I want to work on.
I always knew that mental preparedness is important, but this article brings out how important it is. I especially like it that rehearsing it the ride in a positive way in your mind was brought out. I think that is a very important point.
I think learning how to adapt to the things which may challenge you is the essential key to success in any sport, so it was good to see it confirmed here. I hope one day I can be at that ultimate point of being able to stay in the zone I work hard to get into.