The 4 Mindset Principles
Here is a simple but very effective strategy to incorporate with your team before and after every practice. Have your team stand up and recite the mindset principles listed below out loud and together. At first it may seem awkward but let’s face it doing anything for the first time isn’t always comfortable but eventually feels normal. Once your team starts to accumulate a large amount of mental repetitions you will start to notice your team’s culture strengthening in many ways.
The U.S. Military and some of the greatest warriors of all time have two things in common. They know what they believe in and they are willing to make sacrifices for it.
I Am Thankful For The Opportunity To Compete
There couldn’t be more of an important time than now to emphasize the importance of being thankful to your athletes with all of the athletic events being postponed or cancelled. It is very important for all athletes to understand that athletics are used as a vehicle to drive their lives in positive directions and not that athletics are life.
I Am Aggressive And Relentless
Encouraging your athletes to be persistent in and outside of athletics will lead to a much faster learning curve as we learn most often from our mistakes. There are many variables within an athletic contest that the athlete cannot control at all times so it is very important for athletes to focus on the performance factors within their control. A team can perform well but still end up losing and a team could perform poorly but still win. Being aggressive doesn’t guarantee winning but it will increase the probability.
I Have No Fear Of Losing Or Making Mistakes
One of the most common mindset red flags we observe from all age levels is the fear of losing or letting others down. Of Course we all want to win but giving consistent maximum effort from each team member is far more important than winning or losing a single athletic event. Coaches who compliment their athletes for their efforts especially when the result wasn’t in their favor will lead to gaining the trust of your athletes and minimize their fear of making mistakes or losing.
I Will Never Ever Give Up
No matter what the score is if there is time on the clock there is always time to score. One of the most powerful tools any team can have is the ability to believe especially when the score isn’t in their favor or when adversity strikes. As a coach these are the most important moments to stay positive and show your team that you believe in them. Athletics can offer many valuable teaching moments to help prepare athletes for future challenges especially when adversity strikes. How you as the coach and your athletes respond to adversity within a competition will ultimately determine the outcome of the performance.
Here is a simple equation that best describes this that you can use with your team:
E + R = O
E = Event, R = Response, O = Outcome