Mental Preparation - 1
“Half the game is 90% mental.” -- Yogi Berra

How much of our sport is mental? Ask around. You’ll hear everything from 1%-99%. In actuality, no one can accurately put a number to it. We do know that mental preparation and control is an integral part of being a successful athlete. And 99% of Olympic athletes practice an average of 12 minutes per day four days per week using visualization (Orlick, 1988).

In this series of articles we will explore the myths, truths and techniques for mental training. We will also cover the effects of stress and belief systems on performance and much more. Let’s start at the beginning.


MYTH #1: Mental preparation is more important than physical preparation.
COROLLARY: Physical training is all I need.One thing we know is that if you do not possess the physical conditioning and skills to perform, mental training will not replace that deficit! However, we also know that possessing only physical skills will not make you the best you can be. Think for a moment, how many athletes do you know who are “naturals” who never fulfill their potential? How is it that athletes can perform identical workouts in practice (same number of reps, same times and rest intervals) and yet one can totally dominate the other in a competition? Explore these issues closely and you will see the difference is in the mind game. What are some aspects mental training can address? Dedication; ability to persist, tolerate discomfort, push limits, stick to a plan, deal with distractions or adverse weather conditions; control nervousness and emotional readiness level; deal constructively with poor performances or injuries; even being able to drag yourself out for your workout today - even when you don’t really feel like it!! If you suffer from any of these problems there is great news! These are trainable/learnable behaviors, attitudes and skills. Yes, there is hope for us all.

Given similarly talented and physically trained athletes, the one who has mentally prepared will win out. And, any athlete wanting to reach that next level must train their mind as well as their body.