How can you take your game to the next level?
Basketball players spend hours in the gym taking hundreds of shots.
Football players hit the weight room and bench, squat, and deadlift to build physical strength.
Hockey players do more edge work or take extra shots daily.
Golfers tweak their mechanics to find just the right swing.
Extra practice and technique refinement help build an athlete's confidence.
Yet, athletes often neglect one ingredient that is necessary for next-level performance, and that is the development of sound mental skills.
Developing techniques and improving your physiological capacities lays the foundation of performance, but mental work is the element that takes your game higher.
For example, taking extra shots outside hockey practice can help you feel more comfortable with your image. However, physical training won't prevent game-time frustration when you start a game by missing your first ten shots.
But the mental skills of refocusing, relaxation, and emotional management will help you mentally recover, eliminate distractions, and help you rediscover your shot.
All the weight training in the world will not help an offensive lineman who loses his cool after being flagged for several holding calls during a football game. Learning how to manage anger and communicate with his teammates will help him regain his poise and develop a better blocking strategy.
Constantly tweaking mechanics will not help a golfer manage anxiety during a major tournament. However, learning to handle pressure and stay confident throughout a round will help the golfer perform at their peak.
Next-level performance requires next-level training, and that training starts with mental training. While many athletes fall well short of their potential, you can gain an advantage by making mental training an equal focal point and physical exercise.
Here, New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt spoke about his mental/mindset coach with Tim Wharnsby
Since then, the 25-year-old has played 389 career NHL games and earned 276 points (102 goals, 174 assists). During the 2021-22 campaign, he led his team with 73 points, reaching that point total for a second consecutive season in 2022-23.
Bratt spoke about the importance of working with mental skills coach Andy Sward. The two began their professional relationship in 2017, the summer before the winger made the Devils roster.
"That summer, I got in contact with him. He worked with many of the Swedish league goalies," Bratt said. "My agent brought me in to meet up with him, and as soon as I met (Sward), it all clicked for me."
Bratt is one of many NHL players who works with a mental skills coach.
Think back to some of your best athletic performances. Could stronger confidence, improved focus, or ability to manage pressure have helped you perform even better or contributed to playing at that level throughout the season?
Even elite, skilled athletes work on their mental skills. Mental skills take you from good to great and from great to elite.
Until next time,
Coach Nye
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