MENTAL PERFORMANCE

Question 1

What is mental performance coaching?

Answer 1

In the same way you can train a client or athlete to become stronger or faster, you can also train them to become more focused, aware, motivated, and disciplined. 

Question 2

At all levels, athletes and clients who don’t possess the mental skill set will…

Answer 2

Struggle to reach their goals and achieve their full performance potential

Question 3

The top for mental skills coaches and trainers need to be able to teach

Answer 3

(1) Elite mindset
(2) motivation and commitment
(3) focus and awareness
(4) self-control and discipline

Question 4

The top for mental skills coaches and trainers need to be able to teach will help them become…

Answer 4

A better, more complete coach so that you can grow your business and get better results for your clients and athletes

Question 5

What are the two different mindsets people used to think about change?

Answer 5

Growth mindset and fixed mindset

Question 6

Growth mindset

Answer 6

Believes that one can grow and change with practice and training

Question 7

Fixed mindset

Answer 7

Believe that you just or how you are and there’s nothing you can do about it

Question 8

What does the word “mindset” mean? (2)

Answer 8

(1) Your perspective of how you see yourself in different situations.
(2) It will determine what you will do or won’t do; whether you stick with it when things get hard or if you give up.

Question 9

Building an elite mindset (3)

Answer 9

(1) Many people struggle with negative self–talk.
(2) Part of developing an elite mindset requires that you stop listening to yourself and start talking to yourself.
(3) With the right mindset you can overcome negative self-talk by developing the skill of positive self-talk.

Question 10

Changing your mindset comes down to a three-step process:

Answer 10

(1) Awareness
(2) strategy
(3) action

Question 11

Elite mindset strategies (4)

Answer 11

(1) BFS: Body language, focus, self-talk
(2) Self-talk test
(3) Visual reminders
(4) One–word focus

Question 12

Motivation and commitment

Answer 12

(1) Motivation is what gets you started.

(2) Commitment is what keeps you going.

Question 13

Why are motivation and commitment important?

Answer 13

Your levels of motivation and commitment will ultimately determine whether or not you do what you need to do, at the level you need to do it at, to reach your goals

Question 14

What are the two types of motivation?

Answer 14

Intrinsic and extrinsic

Question 15

Intrinsic motivation

Answer 15

Motivated by personal reward; performing an activity for its own sake rather than to earn a reward or avoid a punishment

Question 16

Extrinsic motivation

Answer 16

Motivated to earn a reward or avoid punishment

Question 17

Regarding motivation, what is important in order to help clients and athletes be successful?

Answer 17

You have to help them develop intrinsic motivation

Question 18

Evaluating motivation and commitment (2)

Answer 18

(1) This is done by asking targeted questions, and then listening.
(2) Self motivation is the best detriment of exercise adherence

Question 19

When asking targeted questions to evaluate motivation and commitment what should you look for?

Answer 19

Through these questions, look for clarity and depth in their answers, whether their why is intrinsically or extreme based, how often they are on time for workouts, how often they miss workouts, what they have tried in the past etc.

Question 20

What are seven strategies for creating motivation and commitment?

Answer 20

(1) telescope and microscope goals
(2) Daily + weekly success list
(3) WOOP plans (Wish, outcome, obstacle, plan)
(4) SMART goals (Specific, measurable, accountability, relentless, time specific)
(5) Measurement = motivation
(6) Dopamine release (exercise, meditation, checklist, avoid addictions)
(7) Smart, stop, continue weekly evaluations

Question 21

FOCUS

Answer 21

Is your ability to keep your mind on a task

Question 22

AWARENESS

Answer 22

Your ability to know what’s happening around you, to you, and inside you so that you can judge if you are on or off course towards your goals so that you can adjust accordingly.

Question 23

Why are focus and awareness are important? (4)

Answer 23

(1) The more focused you are the better your training
(2) The better your training the better your results
(3) The better your results, the more you like it
(4) The more you like it, the more you want to train

Question 24

Evaluation Strategies (5)

Answer 24

(1) Eye contact in communication
(2) Observation ( are they “in the moment”)
(3) Concentration grid - time to complete
(4) Ask them about their signal lights and BFS (what is body language, focus, self talk like when at their best vs. Worst?)
(5) Ask these questions:
- How often do you randomly catch yourself on your phone?
- Do you do any type of focus and awareness training? (Meditation, yoga, swimming)

Question 25

STRATEGIES TO CREATE BETTER FOCUS & AWARENESS (7)

Answer 25

(1) CONCENTRATION grid
(2) 6-2-8 breathing
(3) Signal light awareness
(4) Rubber bands awareness
(5) Start, stop, continue
(6) The peak performance journal

Question 26

Self-control & discipline (2)

Answer 26

(1) Motivation gets you going, commitment keeps you going.

(2) Self-control and discipline keep you on the right course and allows you to say no!

Question 27

Self-control

Answer 27

Your ability to be in control of your emotions, your decision making, and your behaviours.

Question 28

Discipline

Answer 28

Your ability to make a decision and put off what you want in the moment for what you want most (think: delayed gratification)

Question 29

Why do you need self–control and discipline? (2)

Answer 29

(1) Without it, you won’t maximize the benefits of exercise.
(2) Results essentially come down to how consistently you can do what you need to do to reach your goals – and without self–control and discipline, you won’t be able to do that.

Question 30

Evaluation strategies for self-control and discipline (3)

Answer 30

(1) Tractor food and workout performance – are they able to do this consistently?
(2) Keep them accountable are they doing the homework you assigned them?
(3) Ask questions:
- What are you having the most difficulty stopping yourself from doing?
- Why do you keep doing that?
- What do you do on a daily basis to build self-discipline?

Question 31

What are some strategies for building self-control and discipline? (5)

Answer 31

(1) Make your bed
(2) Identify people, places and things + strategize (what people, places and things will negatively affect your goals? Positively? What strategies can you put into place to remove the negative and get more of the positive?)
(3) Clarify her goals + track your progress
(4) Clarifier start, stop, and continue
(5) IFTTT Plans - If this happens, then that is what I will do