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Are you watching the Olympics? You don’t have to watch too many events before you hear a commentator talk about an athlete’s “strong mental game.” Olympians train their bodies. That’s obvious.What’s less obvious but equally true is that they also train their minds. So, how does one develop such an elite mindset?

Mental toughness is simply a skill set that can be taught, developed, and continuously improved just like the physical part of your game in golf. Mental performance is strength and conditioning for the six inches between your ears that control the six feet below them. Having a mental performance system is essential to playing your best when it means the most, one shot at a time. mental performance will give you a skill set to be successful in golf and, more importantly, successful in life. So, how do you condition your mind for success. The same way you condition your body for success! With drills. In my latest article, I show you the three of the best mental performance drills you can practice:

Coaches must know how to establish a winning culture. Sure, you’ll have leaders on your team. But they will not rise to the occasion accidentally. They will fall to the level of leadership you establish. A winning culture starts with you. And therefore, it must start with your own self-awareness. Are you aware of all the skill sets required of champion coaches? If not, let me remind you in this article about How To Establish A Winning Culture.

We all know the outcome we want. To win. But, do you know the process it takes to reach your outcome? Process Over Outcome. It’s one of the pillars of my Mental Performance Certification Course; perhaps the most important one. A process over outcome mentality is the ability to stay focused on the journey without getting too caught up in the destination.

Did you ever hear about something that made you stop in your tracks? Stop walking. Stop talking. Stop scrolling (if we’re on social media). You think: Wait. What? I never knew that. Say that again. This is the exciting moment where growth begins.  But, growth is uncomfortable. So, we resist. This is where the 4 stages of buy-in begin.

I don’t need to tell you how important discipline is. But, what a lot of coaches don’t know is that discipline is a muscle that can be trained. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “Well, he’s just not disciplined enough.” When really, what should be said is “He Does Not Train For Discipline Enough.” The things we do everyday build patterns in our minds. Practice makes perfect, right? Well, then … we better be super aware of what we are practicing! Training. For Discipline. The elite teams who are headed to Omaha practice discipline. Many times a day. How do I know? Because I taught many of them how! Here is a sample of what I teach:

Talent doesn’t win championships because by the time you get to the championship game, everyone is talented. Effort wins championships. Effort comes from the knowledge that anyone can grow. Elite champions have elite mindsets and know that they can grow. As a coach, you need to develop an elite mindset, and you need to know how to coach your players to develop theirs.

Are you committed to leading your team? Do your players trust you and are they committed to the process you’ve put in place? Staying committed to the process is a daily decision.  You must decide everyday to stay the course. All the coaches and players headed to Omaha are committed to the process we put in place. Here is how they maintain their commitment:

Todd Cetnar, founder and CEO of Cetnar Consulting Group, has 25+ years leading strategic growth with prominent companies and sports teams across the globe. Today, Todd sits as a Vice President of Sales for a leading medical device company managing over $300M. Todd is a former professional basketball player and 3x Hall-of-Famer who played throughout Europe. Now, as a corporate executive, Todd combined the skillsets learned in both arenas to formulate the framework called the 3 Pillars of Elite Results.

All winning coaches and teams have clearly stated principles. The coaches with the most championship titles expect that the team’s principles are developed and demonstrated.

What are the core principles driving your player’s performances?

Where in your office or locker room do you advertise these principles?

Can your players quickly name these principles if I ask them?

Earlier this week, the NCAA released the Division I Men’s College Baseball World Series Tournament Bracket. In the college baseball world this is more commonly known as “The Road to Omaha”. Tomorrow starts the regionals where 64 teams will compete in 16 different 4 team brackets, narrowing themselves down to the following weekends 8 super regionals where 16 teams will battle and give us the 8 teams who will compete in Omaha, Nebraska vying for the National Championship.

Every college baseball player dreams of this time of year and competing in the “The Road to Omaha”. But, in order to win, each team will have to treat these regional and super regional games like any other game or practice.

Nothing special. Even though it’s crazy special. Why? Because champions…

In episode 3,  Cain and Carp discuss the mindset of playing to avoid double bogey vs. going for birdie and the difference that this mindset shift can make in your scoring. They also discuss how making committed swings to conservative targets can completely lower your handicap and help you to GO LOW.