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6 Ways to Build Pre-Season Mental Toughness

pre-season mental toughness

  1.  Set the Mental Tone. Everyone is optimistic, driven, and enthusiastic during pre-season. Determine how you and your teammates will approach the entire season with unshakeable belief. Adversity will hit so start preparing and practice patience. 

    How do you show up and start practice? 

  2. Be #Blessed. Every day someone is #blessed on social media that they received a scholarship. #Blessed has become a cliché’. Don’t brag about the work you are putting in during the pre-season mental toughness sessions. Save that for the real season. Remember, results are for other people, you need to be all about the process! 
  3. Sprints- The best way to get in shape is to stay in shape. Sprints prepare the body and the mind to embrace the discomfort. Mental Toughness is often about doing what you don’t want to do. How many “really” want to embrace the suck and do sprints? But, it will develop the mindset needed. 
  4. Avoid Grabbing Your Shorts- Push yourself through these workouts and training so you’ll be prepared when the season begins. Fatigue makes cowards of us all. You build up your pre-season mental toughness by putting your hands over your head and breathe instead. If you can’t, then take a knee and stretch. I realize much has been written about “it’s okay to grab your shorts.” I get it, so just be tougher mentally. 
  5. Just One More.  There is a secret to success—Just do one more. One more sprint, one more rep, read one more page, etc. Finish strong- just do one more.
  6. Talk With Coach. Re-connect with the coach and ask how you can best help the team! Most issues that I’ve seen between coach and athlete are due to a lack of proper communication. 

6 Ways to Build Pre-Season Mental Toughness 

 

 

dr rob bell speakerDr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. DRB & associates coach executives and professional athletes. Some clients have included three different winners on the PGA Tour, Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens. 

 

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