The First Thing High School Coaches Should Do for Mental Skills Training
Today I have a few simple recommendations for high school coaches who understand the importance of mental skills training, but don’t know yet what to do.
First, don’t try to do too much to start. Mental skills training is a case when doing more of less is better than doing less of more. There are numerous competencies that make up a good mental skills training program. However, mastering one is better than having beginner knowledge of them all.
Second, all training including mental skills training starts with self-motivation. Moreover, the only way to develop self-motivation when athletes aren’t there yet is by helping them become more self-aware. Desiring something but not having the energy to do it is a common problem for high school athletes. They want to win, be a state champ, or play in college, but don’t commit to the work it takes to achieve these goals.
So, instead of focusing on the outcome, focus on what drives energy. This requires figuring out what activities provide energy and dissecting the reasons why.
How do you do this?
By getting every athlete a journal. This is the first thing a high school coach should do for mental skills training. Implement a process of journaling to develop self-awareness.
The idea is to start by spending 5 or so minutes either at the beginning or end of practice to have athletes talk about what’s currently motivating them amongst 2 or 3 teammates in which they share commonalities with. The focus should be on getting the athletes to talk about what’s making them be at their best and what doesn’t before, during, and after practices and competitions. Then let them spend 5 or so more minutes writing down what they talked about in a journal format.
Next, coaches take one or two days each week to have one-on-one or small group conversations with the athletes to learn from their insights. This is informal, and not about getting the athlete to read from their journal. It’s really just a conversation in which the athlete can use their journal as a guide to help them remember and share. The coach is there just to listen, take notes, and facilitate the conversation without judging.
Finally, after this step, the coach can introduce more mental skills using the insights from their athletes. But getting to this step is easier said than done without executing the self-awareness journaling process first. That is why, coaches must focus on mastering that first before worrying about any other mental skills.