Break Out Of Slumps
Every athlete gets to the point in a season where motivation dips a bit.
Motivation can be difficult to maintain through a long season with hours and hours of repetitive practice and training sessions.
Repetitive workouts can lead to boredom for some athletes, “I get so bored in practice and just want it to be over.”
Dips in motivation occur when an athlete loses their “why.” “Why do I continue to put myself through the arduous work?” or “Why do I sacrifice so much of my life for this sport?”
Losing your “why” can cause you to question, “Is all of this really worth it?”
By knowing the warning signs of waning motivation, you can effectively counter it and swing the momentum back in a positive direction.
Low Motivation Warning Signs:
- Lack the desire to practice or train
- Going through the motions in practice with little effort or focus
- Boredom in practice
- Missing training sessions for no good reason
- Reduced enthusiasm for competing
- Diminished enjoyment for your sport
Breaking Through The Grind
Practices and competitions can be a grind.
Training can feel monotonous, tiring and painful but that is the very point where you need to lay the hammer down and push forward.
It is at this point where the greatest gains can be achieved.
Your competitors are experiencing the same thing.
Imagine the advantage you will have if you respond with that extra effort, focus and discipline.
Strategies For Maintaining High Motivation:
- Find your “why” – Reminisce about why you chose your sport in the first place. What did you imagine achieving when you began competing?
- Make it fun – Find ways to make practices a game. Have fun with it. This will combat those boring workouts.
- Keep a proper focus – You have a choice: You can focus on the boredom of a workout or the opportunities to improve and develop your game.
- Focus on your goals – Remind yourself of why you’re working so hard. Imagine exactly what you want to accomplish and the work required to get there.
- Enlist a training partner – You can work so much harder when challenged by a workout partner. A workout partner can help motivate you when you don’t feel up to practice. Having a workout partner will keep you accountable for your level of effort and focus.
- Think of your greatest competitor – Try to outwork your greatest competitor. Ask yourself, “Am I working as hard as him/her?”
- Utilize inspiring cues – Use inspirational phrases, pictures, role models, stories or photographs to keep you motivated. Collect them in a notebook and view those sources of inspiration during tough moments of the season.
Try these tips to keep motivation high:
- Tip #1: Create if/ then statements. If I (get bored in practice), I will… This way you can remedy situations when they occur.
- Tip #2: Think of what your athletic idol would do. How would your favorite athlete attack this situation?
Success is the result of doing things the right way even when you don’t feel like doing them.
Successful athletes have learned how to stay calm, focused and perform with poise in competition. We’ve created The Relaxed Athlete, Workbook and CD program to help you do this.
Boost Your Self-Confidence With Mental Game Coaching!
Master mental game coach, Dr. Patrick Cohn, can help you or your athlete(s), ages 12 and up, overcome mental game issues with personal coaching.
You can work with Dr. Patrick Cohn himself in Orlando, Florida or via Skype, FaceTime, or telephone. Call us toll free at 888-742-7225 or contact us for more information about the different coaching programs we offer!
What are our students saying?
“WOW!!! What a week I had. I was able to perform with a confidence that allowed my style to shine through–no more entering the arena with that “deer in the headlights” look or feeling. I stopped evaluating myself while I was performing, and I actually left the arena after my patterns feeling like I had experienced a lot of fun. Thank you so much.”
~Julia Dreyer, National Champion Equestrian
For All Athletes – Learn Confidence-Boosting Techniques!
D you have a negative self-image of yourself as an athlete that stifles confidence?
No matter ow positive you try to be, are you unable to shake the doubt that rushes into your head when you size up your competition?
Have you labeled yourself as a loser, poor closer, or mediocre athlete and these labels keep you stuck in a rut of self-pity and indecision?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, check out The Confident Athlete!
The Confident Athlete CD and workbook program is a 14-day plan for ultimate self-confidence. This program is ideal for any athlete or coach that wants to discover proven confidence-boosting techniques guaranteed to drastically build self-confidence and improve sports performance.
Learn more about one of our most popular CD programs in The Confident Athlete Series…
The Confident Athlete: A 14-Day Plan For Ultimate Self-Confidence
Check out all of the products in The Confident Athlete Series!
What are customers saying?
“I first purchased The Confident Athlete to see how the program went and immediately saw results. I then purchased the rest of the confident athlete series and have noticed a dramatic improvement in my level of play or should I say consistency. I currently play NCAA Division 1 baseball for Lamar University, and even my coaches have noticed a change in the way that I approach the game. My attitude and confidence at the plate.”
~Tylor Prudhomme (Listen to his success story)
“I am a ASP world qualifying professional surfer and after beginning the ‘The Confident Athlete’ I had an almost instant change in attitude about my own surfing ability and my mindset going into competition. By using the Confident Athlete strategies, my confidence has done a complete 180 degrees. I won a local pro/am a few weeks back, and just had my best result of the year in one the last big events on the world circuit this last week in Brazil! It is my secret weapon!”
~Shaun Burrell, Professional Surfer (Listen to his success story)
For Young Athletes and Parents – Learn More About How to Help Kids Improve Confidence Quickly!
We’ve got a great program for you called “The Confident Sports Kid: A 7-Day Plan for Building Ultimate Self-Confidence.”
The Confident Sports Kid is a 7-day program for sports parents and kids to boost young athlete’s performance, happiness and success… in sports and life!
The Confident Sports Kid is two programs in one. There’s a manual and CD for parents/coaches, and a workbook/CD for young athletes.
Packed with mental strategies that you and your kids can start using immediately, this program teaches your athletes how to identify confidence busters, proactively deal with them, manage expectations that undermine confidence, and mentally prepare to stay confident when faced with adversity.
What’s more, our program teaches you, as sports parents and coaches, how you may be hurting your kids’ confidence and gives you instructions for changing your behavior in ways that will improve your athletes’ performance, confidence and enjoyment.
Learn more about one of our most popular CD programs in The Confident Sports Kid Series…
The Confident Sports Kid: A 7-Day Plan for Building Ultimate Self-Confidence
Check out all of our products in The Confident Sports Kid Series!
What are parents and coaches saying about our program?
“I appreciate the advice to parents as to how to help your child become more mentally resilient to bullying in sports. The specific advice and scenarios are extremely helpful for any child on a team and very helpful in guiding parents, coaches and administrators in how to deal with bullying in sports. I cannot thank you enough for your input, and I am so reassured to know that there are people like you who are writing articles and doing interviews on such timely and important matters.”
~Julie Goot
“Dr. Patrick Cohn and Lisa Cohn are to be congratulated! Together, they offer a wealth of knowledge, information, and practical mental tools for sports parents on the substantial “mental game” challenges and pressures facing today’s young athletes.”
~Marc D. Anderson, LCSW, MGCP, Mental Game Coach
For Mental Coaches – Add More Value To Your Mental Training Programs!
This workbook series was designed for coaches and mental coaches to use with their athletes.
The Athlete’s Mental Edge workbooks complement your existing mental training program. Each of the 15 workbooks in the Athlete’s Mental Edge System teaches your athletes a specific mental skill to improve their performance.
For mental coaches, this system is ideal for between session education.
For sports coaches, you’ll be able to conduct 15 team seminars using the workbook system.
In the Athlete’s Mental Edge workbook system, you receive 15 easy-to-read, practical Mental Edge Workbooks on PDF, as well as 16 coaches’ game plan MP3 audio files.
Athlete’s Mental Edge Workbook System
What are coaches saying?
“I am really pleased with the Athlete’s Mental Edge workbooks – they are fitting in really well with my coaching! I find they offer a great framework for doing workshop sessions. I have also used the workbooks with a few individual athletes – for the younger ones (12 and under). They are giving a good structure and framework to our sessions. The workbooks have worked well with all of them!”
~Kerri Morgan, Mental Game Coach
“I am impressed with the willingness and openness of Dr. Cohn to share all of his assets (intellectual, products, etc.) with the MGCP students. You have developed an incredible model/package for mental training. Even though we are paying for your service, you are passing on a legacy built on your contribution to the world of sports. Thank you for that.”
~Tony Melito, MGCP