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But often, these crucial skills are left up to chance. We just “hope” athletes come to us highly motivated and committed.
When adversity comes knocking—as it always does—the level of motivation and commitment one has will largely determine whether they push through and stick with it, or whether they give up.
By learning how to coach motivation and commitment, we can help athletes develop the grit needed to stick with it even when things get hard and they don’t feel like it.
PILLAR #4: SELF-CONTROL AND DISCIPLINE
We’ve all seen athletes who, despite incredible talent, fall short of their potential… unable to withstand the pressures of competition. By learning how to coach the skill of self-control and discipline, you CAN turn things around for those who struggle with this.
When you begin to intentionally and consistently train self-control and discipline, you will notice athletes who are better able to:
- Refocus when facing the inevitable obstacles (have a bad game, mess up their diet, skip workouts, etc.)
- Calmly evaluate different challenging scenarios and make the most effective decisions. As the self-control and discipline “muscles” strengthen, expect to notice those you coach are better able to make objective decisions under pressure, rather than being run by emotion.
- Embrace the process—good and bad—as an opportunity for growth.
PILLAR #5: PROCESS OVER OUTCOME
As coaches, one of the biggest battles you face is this: getting your athletes to do the day-to-day, mundane tasks necessary to reach their goals, even when they don’t feel like it.
By coaching the process over outcome skill set, you can redirect focus to what is within OUR inner locus of control—and drive the actions needed to achieve the desired outcome.
As those you coach begin to develop this crucial pillar of mental performance mastery, they will become better at executing the day-to-day plan consistently—whether they “feel” like it or not.
This allows you to teach an appreciation of focusing on what they can control, letting go of what they can’t, and aiming for daily improvement.
