Coaches Must Teach Athletes That Preparation is Not Just Physical
Coaches typically teach athletes that you can only earn the benefits of preparation through blood, sweat, and tears. The common belief is that the gold standard of preparation requires going above and beyond on physical preparation.
Unquestionably, going above and beyond with physical preparation is a key to success. However, physical preparation is not what separates those who are good and great. Physical preparation is only the entrance fee.
Now more than ever, coaches must teach athletes that to earn the benefits of preparation they must also prepare mentally. This means eating right, getting enough sleep, visualizing success, living with purpose, and practicing emotional intelligence.
This also means spending equal time thinking about how they can improve and optimize their training as they spend actually training. Consequently, athletes must learn how to apply process thinking, use intrinsic / task-oriented goal setting, and apply metacognition techniques among other mental skills.
Every athlete knows they can’t be great without the physical skills. However, it’s a fact that being a physical specimen is not enough to be at the top of a sport. If an athlete wants to be elite they must learn to be mentally sharp, psychologically savvy, and humble enough to know they will never be a finished product because there is always more to learn.