How Olympic Athletes Prepare For Rio

Benefits of Mental Preparation For Athletes

With the 2016 Rio Olympics around the corner, sport psychology is receiving increased attention.

It’s no longer a secret that the majority of Olympic athletes utilize mental training as a regular component of their training regimen.

Olympic athletes understand the importance of having their body and mind running at optimal levels during intense competition.

Take a moment to think about a competition or game where you were physically ready to compete but your mind was ill-prepared and battled you even before the event kicked off…

Maybe you were battling negative thoughts, lack of confidence, an inability to focus, overwhelming anxiety or a fear of failure… Whichever the case, your body and mind were not acting as a cohesive unit…

What was the result of that performance? Do you want to erase it from your mental archive?

Now think of how that result would have differed if your body and mind acted together as one dynamic force.

Olympic athletes train for four years preparing for this one competition and, for that reason, leave nothing to chance… Especially their mental game.

Olympic hopeful and platform diver, Sarah McCrady, is readying herself Olympic trials in hopes of earning a spot on the US team.

Platform diving is a complex and difficult sport. McCrady starts each dive 33 feet about the water, travels more than 30 miles an hour in the air while performing a series of acrobatic moves then plunges into a pool.

McCrady admits there is definitely an element of fear in competitive diving that needs to be managed in order to be successful in the sport.

McCRADY: “Honestly, I do still get scared jumping from it. When I walk to the end [of the platform], I’m like, calm down, you’ve done it so many times. But it is scary looking down and seeing how high it is you’re going to jump off of.”

Not only does a diver need to manage fear, they need to deal with the discomfort that comes with slamming their body through the water at such high speeds.

McCRADY: “It hurts your wrists, because you enter the water with your hands grabbed like this (in front of you) and locked out. So it hurts your wrists a little bit, it hurts your shoulders and elbows a little bit.”

McCrady believes that mental training is not only helpful in order to compete at a high level, it is absolutely necessary.

McCRADY: “It’s like a 90 percent mental sport. It’s a 10 percent physical sport. [To be successful], it’s all the mental training with a sports psychologist all the time. [You need to] train the mental side of it… Because my body can do the dives; I know my body can do the dives. It’s just, can my brain get my body to do those dives?”

So, it’s not just mental training that separates Olympians from all the rest; it’s the amount of mental training they schedule into training regimen.

How to develop a mental training program:

There are 3 steps to developing a mental training program:

1. Assess your current mental game. What are your mental strengths and weaknesses? (Contact us for a one-page test we’ll email you).

2. Select 1-2 mental skills that would benefit your overall performance the most. Increased confidence? Managing fear of failure? Improving focus? Taking your practice to competition? Trust in your skills?

3.Create a training plan. How will you go about developing these mental skills? How much time will you dedicate to mental training? Will you seek the expert advice from a mental training or mental game coach? (Contact us for program options).

Don’t leave your mental game to chance… It does NOT mean you are weak if you work with a mental game coach! It only means that you want to improve all facets of your performance. Get your mind and body on the same page:

Mental Training Programs for Athletes

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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?

“Patrick, with your great instruction on the mental game, I had the best nationals I have ever had. And even more important, I got through the five days relaxed and had fun – a new concept in my life! The bottom line – I got five firsts and one second! Thank! You are just what I needed.”
~Dennis O’Brien, swimmer & member

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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)

“We are amazed at how much ‘The Confident Athlete’ program has helped my niece play her best tennis during matches. She literally made it to the farthest round of a tournament (semifinals) after finishing the CDs/workbook. We are going to do all 3 in the series.”
~Jason Bourguignon, Uncle

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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?

“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

“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

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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

“Congratulations on your Mental Edge workbooks. I have been through the package and it looks great!  The MGCP program just got a lot better.  Your workbook program makes it much more tangible and easier to use the mental strategies. This is the missing link in the MGCP program!”
~Bob Simpson, MGCP