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Performance Setbacks

Every athlete has their own set of mental challenges that prevent them from performing at their best.  This section of Mind Gym will offer classes to help define, identify, and breakdown these common problem areas.  

Distractions

The world of sports is full of distractions that are created by both internal and external factors.  Some of the distractions this course will discuss and break down are the pressures athletes feel from:

     -friends

     -family/parents

     -social media

     -personal goals/accomplishments

     -parties/drugs/alcohol

     -college coaches/recruitment process

Anxiety

Anxiety is defined as the general feeling of uncertainty or dread, a sense that something bad is going to happen.  Do you (your athlete) struggle from constantly feeling like they are afraid of making a mistake?  Then this course is for you. 

 

Anxiety is a fear of future events, ones that have not even happened.  First we will identity what situations are causing the anxious feelings.  Athletes will then learn to detect early signs of their anxiety and learn methods to prevent it from hindering their performance.  This class will teach coping mechanisms such as breathing techniques and build skills to live in the present.   Athletes will learn how to become task-conscious instead of self-conscious.    

Fear

Fear of failure, more than any single thing keeps people in sports from realizing their full potential.  And fear of failure prevents more of us from succeeding than any opponent.  Fear is natural part of performance.  We cannot resist, deny, or conquer it.  This class will help athletes ACCEPT fear and recognize it as their body's way of telling them to become energized.  

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What could you accomplish if you played with no fear?  Take this class to help make those dreams a reality.

Self-Consciousness

Some athletes are afraid of looking bad.  They focus on the image of how they look instead of the task at hand.  You cannot perform well if you are afraid of embarrassing yourself.  Confidence comes from preparing, both physically and mentally for given situations.  This class will teach athletes how to see themselves being successful.   It will also help develop their overall self-concept including techniques to improve self-image and self-talk.

Perfectionism

Some athletes set the bar for themselves so high, that they are never satisfied with their performance.  Perfectionist also usually have a very critical, self-condemning voice.  This class will help students create realistic, SMART goals that push the athlete to get better, but are achievable and build confidence.  They will be taught methods to focus on progress, not perfection and be introduced to positive self-talk that will help improve their overall mindset.  It is not fun to constantly feel like you are not good enough.  This class will help athletes understand that basketball is more than scoring and statistics.  By breaking down these unreachable expectations, the goal of this class is to make basketball challenging and enjoyable.   

Anger

All athletes become frustrated at some point during competition.  Anger in sports comes from failure of personal expectations or outside factors that are out of our control, such as bad officiating calls.    Athletes need to learn how to control their emotions, otherwise their emotions will control them and result in poor performance.  This class will teach students how to properly react to adversities they face throughout a game and how to regain composure in the heat of the moment.  

Stubbornness

Some athletes are not open to change and unwilling to learn.  This class will teach students that the game of basketball can be played in many different ways, so it is important to be able to adapt to different coaches, roles, and teams to be successful.  In this class, athletes will be challenged to come out of their comfort zone and open their minds to learning and mastering something new every single day.  

Persistence

Remaining optimistic during difficult times is not easy.  The most successful people are those who look at setbacks as opportunities for comebacks or growth.  This class will help athletes view hard situations through a positive lens.  It will help students remain persistent and build a refuse to lose attitude.   Students will learn to look at failure as feedback to improve on, rather than a punishment. 

 

Are you (or your athlete) struggling with accepting failure?  Are you (they) giving up or losing hope?  Are you (they) physically injured?  If so this class is for you.  Learn how to preserve and grow during adverse situations. 

Lack of Motivation

Do you know an athlete that has all of the talent, but is inconsistent when it comes to effort?  This class aims to spark the flame to becoming and remaining self-motivated.  We will break down the 4 D's of Motivation: Desire, Dedication, Determination, and Discipline.  From there students will reflect on which aspects they are missing and will be given examples and techniques to help build their internal drive. 

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