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How Athletes Can Re-Focus (VIDEO & INFOGRAPHIC)

 

How Athletes Can Re-Focus

It is a good question. The reason it’s a good question because when you were an athlete, who taught you this skill? 

Mental Toughness is caught more than it is taught, but this skill is one that is best learned through trial and error, during practice!

Athletes can be taught to re-focus through specific cues, and these cues are best utilized when they are merged with one’s specific learning style: auditory, visual, or kinesthetic. This helps with how athletes can re-focus. 

Obviously each sport will differ on HOW to implement the skill, but it is about getting creative and working within an athlete’s natural ability. 

This skill is the top of food chain and watch our flagship video here for more keys; NO FEAR: A Simple Guide to Mental Toughness 

Re-focus is the second most difficult mental skill because it is the second most important. However, when it comes down to the actual how athletes can re-focus tools: A strategy is more important than technique. So, here are three. 

how athletes can re-focus

 

 

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

Please Check out all the books and the mental toughness podcast - 15 Minutes of Mental Toughness as we interview expert athletes and coaches about Mental Strength and their Hinge Moment. New blog posts are published weekly. 

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30 Seconds To Build Mental Toughness | DRB |

30 seconds to build Mental Toughness

30 Seconds to Build Mental Toughness

Playing baseball in high school, all I wanted for Christmas was to go to a baseball camp in Sarasota Florida.

As a pitcher, we learned these rotator cuff strengthening exercises that are now the norm.

The Major League instructor told us all that when we returned home, we wouldn’t do these exercises.

I balked at the notion and bought the 5 lb weights and performed these rotational movements.

He was correct however, this lasted just a few weeks…

Mental Toughness is often difficult to evaluate because it involves our response in difficult and/or stressful situations. It means doing those things that we simply don’t want to do, getting out of our comfort zone, and taking care of the little things that it takes to be a champion.

Most of you will dismiss this mental strength exercise, won’t see any value, and scoff at the notion that it takes 30 seconds to build mental toughness. Here it is:

At the end of your shower, turn the water on cold for 30 seconds

It’s like doing the ice-bucket challenge, but in your shower and for longer, and no-one will film it.

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It’s like doing the ice-bucket challenge, but in your shower and for longer, and no-one will film it.

If you do a tough mudder, 50 miler, 100 miler, or ironman, it’ll be much worse.

We must not fear a cold shower for 30 seconds to build mental toughness.

The 30-seconds is no different than pushing yourself in a race or workout or having a pressure situation in a game. You have to push through it and focus. More importantly, you must recognize the type of thoughts that arise and how to control these thoughts.

What’s amazing though is the fear and apprehension to the build up.

Trust me, you will not die!

Yes, it will be uncomfortable, most likely take your breath away, and involve some physical reactions to the cold water. Remember, it’s just 30 seconds to build mental toughness.

Check out our guide on 5 minutes to build your mental strength! 

The cold water causes you to narrow your focus and it’ll be near impossible to distract yourself from the sensation. You’ll notice immediately what your thoughts attend to and you’ll instantly develop a strategy to build mental toughness. 

You can count to thirty, sing yourself, spin around, or tell yourself motivating statements.

Either way, you’ll find very quickly what type of thoughts enter your mind and what you do with them. At the end, bask in the thought that you just did what most aren’t willing to do. You just got better! 

Carry that motivation into your day. 

Of course, you can refuse this 30 seconds to build mental toughness and no-one will know… except for you.

“Do something everyday for no other reason than you would rather not do it, so that when the hour of dire need draws nigh, it may find you not unnerved and untrained to stand the test.”–William James

 

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

Please Check out all the books and the mental toughness podcast - 15 Minutes of Mental Toughness as we interview expert athletes and coaches about Mental Strength and their Hinge Moment. New blog posts are published weekly. 

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Build Their Confidence

What confidence does NOT do! |

confidence does not

Confidence does NOT do this…

Have you ever driven in an unfamiliar place, following your GPS, and suddenly sensed that we were not quite in the right spot? So, we turned at the next corner or drove straight ahead disregarding the directions. 

(I sometimes believe that the GPS takes me past businesses so I’ll have to stop.) 

We all have a built-in GPS system. It’s called confidence!

It is the belief that our needs will be met, and the ability to trust in our decisions, and those closest to us. Trust is the most important mental skill, but we have to recognize what confidence does not do., 

Trust is your gut, your intuition. It’s another reason why confidence is just a feeling. 

The GPS just points us in the direction we are supposed to go. It’s our decision whether or not to trust our gut. Even though, if we don’t trust it, we will often be incorrect. 

But, what this mental skill does not do is this...

To date, I’ve never had the GPS ask me “How did you get here?”  “Why are you in this part of town?” “Are you going to be late?”

Confidence does not judge!

It does not ask questions like

  • “how did you get in this situation”?
  • “This should be over”
  • “why are you even here”?
  • “Are you really good enough”?

Doubt tries to hi-jack our own mind into mindless questioning of ourselves.

Yes, we need to reflect and assess, but these are done before and after the trip, not during the actual drive to our immediate destination.

When we think too much, we get off at the wrong exit. 

Confidence is the ability to re-focus, to let go of mistakes, and to listen to our gut, our inborn GPS. Confidence does not judge ourselves, however.

It allows us to move on! 

Confident people can do THIS skill. 

 

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

Please Check out all the books and the mental toughness podcast - 15 Minutes of Mental Toughness as we interview expert athletes and coaches about Mental Strength and their Hinge Moment. New blog posts are published weekly. 

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How To Tap Into Your Focus Like Pete Sampras

How to Tap into your focus like pete sampras

How to Tap Into Your Focus Like Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras was obviously one of the greatest. Personally, I started liking him after Winning the US Open at age 19. He won 14 total grand slams and SEVEN Wimbledon titles.

Sampras mentality was one of stoicism, rarely showing emotion, especially negative emotion. 

Thus, on January, 24, 1995, during the Quarterfinals of the Australian Open, two tennis heavyweights, Pete Sampras and Jim Courier faced off.

Courier won the first two sets and Sampras battled back to win the next two sets. During the fifth set, Sampras became very emotional, crying during a serve. Only later, we learned that Tim Gullikson, Pete Sampras’ coach and friend, had a brain tumor. 

Jim Courier saw what was going on and offered an olive branch that turned into a weapon. He asked Pete during his serve, “You okay, Pete, we can do this tomorrow, you know?” 

Pete Sampras took the remark as sarcasm by Courier and used it to his advantage. He said, “It kind of woke me up to be like, ‘OK, let’s focus’.” 

Pete Sampras ended up winning the match. Want To Know How To Tap Into Your Focus Like Pete Sampras? 

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Mental toughness is caught more than it is taught!

What is required for our own focus is to be able to use any outside agency for our own good and to use it. 

The best focus is only on the task at hand. This shot, this point, this day…

The more we can center only on one shot at a time, the better we will accomplish it.

But, it is also about being able to find the edge to our competitiveness that allows us to go even higher and further than we thought. The best have another gear! The best in any endeavor HAVE that skill! It’s how to tap into your focus! 

How to tap into your focus Can you achieve a relentless type of focus?

Sometimes we will be called into this type of focus with a hinge moment, so embrace it.    

 

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

Please Check out all the books and the mental toughness podcast - 15 Minutes of Mental Toughness as we interview expert athletes and coaches about Mental Strength and their Hinge Moment. New blog posts are published weekly. 

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