The athlete that succeeds doesn't do so because they run away from tough situations. They are successful because they know how to overcome the obstacles that are put in their way.
Its takes a certain skillset to be able to consistently overcome these obstacles. The only way to do this is …
TRAINING
Everybody trains the physical side of their sport with drills and practices. When was the last time you trained the Mental side?
If you know how to lock in on your FOCUS and the AWARNESS you have about yourself you can take your abilities to another level.
The best way to increase your focus is to increase your awareness of when you are off task. Awareness is the first step towards growth.
Two drills you can use to help with your FOCUS is:
Concentration Grids: these timed grids will help anyone train your awareness. When doing these grids (which can be numbered from 00-100) you will notice that if your mind wanders you begin to struggle more than if you are in a quiet room.
Signal Lights: Think of a traffic light (red, yellow, green).
When the light is green you go. You're in control and you just keep going.
When the light is red you stop. This is like an athlete being out of control. STOP
But when its yellow you have a decision to make, a split-second decision.
You must calculate outside impacts with this decision.
As an athlete you spend most of your time in YELLOW. So you have to make split-second decisions and these choices have an impact on your desired outcome. Athletes must also know that these decisions and distractions spiral out of control, putting them in a red-light situation. Because now they must stop and regain composure to get back to being green and in control of the situation.
Having knowledge of yourself and how you are impacted on Red, Yellow, and Green light mentality is where you, as an athlete, can drastically improve oneself.
If you have any questions on this or the previous parts of this Mental Strength writings please don't hesitate to reach out.
Go out and put the work in and remember …
"Achieve Greatness"