#106 Improving Athlete Motivation & Mindset

And episodes one oh two , oh four , one oh five . We looked at helping athletes improve confidence , focus , controlling physical energy levels , and we're going to continue on this transformative journey . Today we're talking about motivation and mindset . How do you reignite that inner fire in athletes whose drive maybe seems to be fading ?

Or how do you instill that championship mindset into those who struggle to see their direct impact on their success and that of their team during competition ? We want to make sure , when they take the field or they take the court , that they feel like , yes , I have what it takes and they're expecting success . These questions are crucial .

That's what we're going to explore today . If you've missed out on any of phase one , I want to quickly take you back through that journey . Episodes 94 to 98 kind of laid out our foundation of this program that we're implementing with our athletes . We talked about the roadmap first .

How do we set goals , direction , evaluate , where am I at , where am I trying to get to ? How am I going to get there ? We looked at practice strategies to maximize training effectiveness . We looked at competition techniques to really excel when it matters the most , and then evaluation methods to ensure that , yes , we are on the right track .

So if you missed any of those , or you want some of that more foundational piece , go back to phase one , starting on episode number 94 . Also , if you're eager to dive deeper , don't forget to check out MTP dot Academy . There's a link in the show notes . We offer a free five day trial to explore and see .

Is this the right fit for me , for my team that our approach is straightforward . We want it to be as simple as you print the worksheet , you play the video and then you're set to guide and support your athletes in implementing their plan that they put together . As always , if you have questions , don't hesitate to reach out . Again , that's MTP dot Academy .

So , whether you're fast forwarding to a specific section today or you're here for the full ride , let's get ready to unlock the full potential of your athletes minds Welcome to the coaching minds podcast . Let's get it so . Within this motivation and mindset .

We're talking about a championship mindset where before , during and after the game we feel like , yes , we have what it takes , let's keep moving forward . We kind of bunch this mindset and this motivation together because it's really kind of that inner drive , that inner fire that we're not going to quit At some point .

We all know , as coaches , that it's going to come down to who wants it more . It doesn't matter the competition , it doesn't matter the sport .

At some point someone's going to give in or give up just a little bit , or let off the gas just a little bit , and somebody else that's got that pedal to the floor is going to come in and they are going to be successful .

And so we want to make sure that our athletes understand that expectation , what we're talking about before competition , determination , the ability to keep fighting during competition , and then perseverance . We're not going to quit , we're going to keep moving forward , especially after a loss .

All of those three things kind of play into this mindset piece that we're trying to develop .

And so in this activity with a group of athletes that either you've identified through the mental skills assessment , as these athletes are kind of struggling in this area , or you know you just have the feeling that as a team culture wide , program wide we are not really where we need to be .

And so you know when we're , when we're dealing with this group of athletes that don't have the championship mindset , I think the the first thing that they need to understand is why this is so important .

And so you know there've been studies done in shooting baskets and throwing darts and running specific distances and lifting weights , all kinds of other areas where you know we talk about in the Academy that when we have positive expectations going into these activities that you see increased results , and when there's negative expectations , you see decreased results across

all kinds of different populations , across age groups , across activities . If you feel like , yes , I have what it takes , you are going to be more successful . And so you know , if that is lacking , we want to help our athletes come up with a plan .

Determination is the second one , and you know we want to make sure that we're able to really control those things that we can control . We can control our effort , intensity , enthusiasm , body language , what we're focusing on , deciding ahead of time that I'm not going to quit . You know sometimes athletes need a little bit of the mental toughness . Here .

The next podcast , we're actually going to talk about optimistic perfection . That can tie in a little bit if people are getting too negative and that's what's causing them to want to quit or want to give up in the middle of competition .

And so , you know , maybe we need to help our athletes kind of evaluate what is my determination like during competition and is this an area that we need to improve , and we'll talk about here in a little bit how we do that . The last piece , the third piece here is perseverance At the end of the game , kind of evaluating .

You know , sometimes you win , sometimes you learn was something that Jake Gilbert said . Probably after every single game that I ever coached with him , you know he reminded us that we need to be learning , we need to be growing , we need to be continuing to move the program forward .

And , you know , in 2016 , for example , we lost two games early in that football season and , you know , in to make it worse , it was by a combined two points .

And so , you know , we thought we were practicing hard enough and we thought that we had enough intensity and we thought that we were playing hard enough , but those two losses really made us kind of evaluate and examine like , where are we coming up short or what can we improve ?

And so , you know , we looked at how we practiced with a with a , went through it with a fine tooth comb . We looked at how we evaluated film , how our players evaluated film . We looked at our preparation . We looked at teeny , tiny little details like sleep and nutrition and hydration . What were we focusing on during the game ?

What was our attitude like as coaches ? How were we interacting with our players ? And we just we put in work until we couldn't get it wrong . And you know , by the end of the season we ended up winning a state championship that year .

And you know , I will say to this day , if we don't lose those two games early and kind of ramp things up a lot , you know I don't think we win a state championship . I think if we go undefeated during the regular season , that we wouldn't have , we wouldn't have had that expectation , that determination , that perseverance .

You know , by the end of the year that that we really needed . And so if , if you've never gone through the focus cycle , you don't have any idea what I'm talking about , you know , go back and listen to episode . Number 69 in the podcast talks about that in great detail .

But for for what we're talking about here , I'm going to assume that you at least have kind of a general idea of what I'm talking about here . So you know , the next step in helping this group of athletes who need to improve in one of these areas is having them work through . You know what are the events . Is it there's a big game coming up ?

Is it , you know , in the middle of the game , after I throw an interception , after I miss ? You know , back to back layups , after I walk two batters ? What are those events where , you know , all of a sudden , by this expectation , this determination , this perseverance kind of falls off . You know , is it after you lose a game that you shouldn't have lost ?

Is it after you pitch a terrible game ? Is it after you go over on the day , like what's that event ? And then what do we have a tendency to focus on and have them work through ?

You know , because it's one thing to want to quit in the middle of a game because you know you're just , you're feeling , you're feeling hopeless , like I , just I don't have what it takes . That's the point . Or it's another thing because you're so hyper focused on the outcome and you're such a perfectionist that it's just eating away at you .

And so maybe in golf , one bad shot turns into two or three bad shots or back to back bad holes . But we've got to kind of uncover . What is it that's causing you to doubt yourself ? What is it that's causing you to quit ? What is it that's causing you to sort of to clam up and not want to ? You know , band together with your teammates and go .

You know , go , move forward and accomplish great things . Still chase down those goals . And so , you know , we'll have them figure out . What is it that they're focused on ? You know what's that little mind , what's that little voice in the back of their mind saying , you know , is it ? Oh , what if we lose ? Or I don't know if I have what it takes ?

You know what's their body like , what's their heart rate , what's their breathing , the adrenaline levels . You know . And then helping them figure out , like , where do you want to be ? If all of this is leading you to feel , you know , unconfident , it's leading you to feel doubtful , hopeless . You know where do you want to be ?

You want to be feeling more confident , more calm , more in control , more hopeful . Well , what are the things that you need to focus on . Say to yourself , how do you need to carry yourself physically to accomplish that , to achieve those goals ? That's that first section , that championship mindset we're helping them work through .

You know , where am I at in these three areas ? Which one can I set some goals to improve ? So the next activity in this section is goal setting and talk . You know , because some athletes here goal setting they're like , yeah , whatever , I've done this a million times . Well , we've got to make sure that we're reframing this .

Again , we're talking about a group of athletes that we've identified as lacking some motivation , lacking that championship mindset , that inner drive to never quit .

So we bring up in the video , you know , some information that Dr Steven Curtis , who's a neuropsychologist down in Bloomington , indiana which I think this field is fascinating because again it's we're hooking up functional MRI machines to people's heads and we're looking at what is actually happening , you know , as they start to feel these certain emotions , what's going

on in their brain . And so you know he talked about how the lateral prefrontal cortex evaluates everyday behavioral options , with input from emotions first and cognitions second . So we've got this part of our brain that is literally only running on habit . It only wants to do what's easy . It only wants to do what's safe . It wants to keep us from harm .

We also have this frontal polar cortex that doesn't light up , he said , until we can recognize or imagine a really large benefit and say , oh my goodness , that could happen for me . And he talked about how , you know , we have to be able to imagine this big goal down the road .

But then we have to be able to say , yes , this risk is justified because this new behavior is going to lead to this new large benefit . It needs to be then lit up on a regular basis .

He said quote has to be reignited over and over big vision , over and over , multiple times per day , end quote . And so you know , our athletes need to be setting goals with this in mind . There needs to be that big dream down the road that they're working towards that justifies changing these behaviors , that justifies changing these daily habits .

And so you know , we work through helping them come up with a plan that's going to say here's how I'm going to do this on a daily basis . And then again , they've got to be reminding themselves over and over , multiple times per day yes , I can do this . Yes , here's the plan , here's why this is going to be worth it .

You know , I think we've done a pretty good job as coaches in general of you know showing our athletes that goal setting is valuable and you know , a lot of times we really focus on and I'll just read some quotes here from a Harvard study setting goals increases motivation , achievement and clarity of action . It decreases anxiety , disappointment and frustration .

It turns vision into reality . It can help you direct action , organize time , raise confidence . Studies quote have documented that individuals with clear , written goals are significantly more likely to succeed than those without clearly defined goals . End quote .

But I think where we can really , where we can really tweak this for this specific group of athletes that struggle with motivation , is reigniting that frontal polar cortex , reigniting that part of the brain that says , yes , this is going to be worth it and you can do it , because we have this plan , and Dr Steven Curtis talked about how that part of the brain

is so vulnerable it can get shut down almost instantly by fear , by other negative emotions , and so we've got to help our athletes set this goal and realize I can do this , I can do this , I can do this over and over and over . It's a really powerful activity if you kind of set the expectations the right way .

I think the next one we talk about is media and we're looking at , we're challenging the athletes to kind of evaluate what's the music and the media , the videos that you're filling your mind with Just as the voice in the back of our mind is incredibly powerful , it's incredibly influential . Music can have a similar effect .

There have been countless studies that have documented music's ability to motivate , to help push beyond mental boundaries . In the MTP Academy video we talked about a study that talked about how it can impact focus and mood and emotions . It can improve exertion , it can improve performance . And then we give them a worksheet and have them figure out what are .

List my top 20 to 50 favorite songs and then next to each one of those I'm going to give it a hype rating from 1 to 10 or from 1 to 20 .

And I'm going to figure out what are the songs that help me relax or what are the songs that help me go to sleep , what are the songs that help get me kind of calm down or kind of just starting to wake up from a nap on the bus ride . What are those songs that I'm starting to play as I'm walking into the stadium .

What are those songs that I'm playing as I'm starting to get amped up and ready to go ? Maybe what's that finisher , that song that I'm going to listen to at the end of my workout , when that song that just motivates me more than anything else and I'm tired but I need to push through and finish this last half mile or quarter mile on this run .

We help them be intentional about creating playlists , and you can do the exact same thing with YouTube videos , and something that I've found really powerful is when you do this as a team and then guys start putting playlists together , either on YouTube or on Spotify or whatever , and then they share them with each other and all of a sudden , you start to have

some playlists that all of a sudden it's like oh , I like this . Obviously , you're always going to have some sections of your population that maybe want to listen to country music or want to listen to Metallica or want to listen to rap songs . There's some personal preference in there .

But rather than just hoping that the playlists that our athletes are filling their ears with on the way to a game is helping them , let's be intentional and let's have a plan and that's something that I think maybe not as powerful as some of the other activities , but I've got a few athletes that this has been a really big deal for them .

I've got a few guys and gals that listen to some very specific motivational things on YouTube at very specific times and it's been a really big help for them . And then the last tool that's in this section is what's your why ? Why do you play , if you've never looked up the Simon Sinek video that's floating around out there on YouTube .

Type in what's your why by Simon Sinek , s-i-n-e-k . But one of the things that he said was quote everyone needs a why , a purpose , cause or belief that gets them out of bed .

And you know , as athletes , we know what we do , we know what skills and we know what techniques we need and we know what sports we play , we know how we play them , but we don't spend as much time on the why . And I , you know , I think this is something that you know .

Depending on how you're implementing this with your team , this could be , you know , right at the middle of it , right in the middle of the season , right before a playoff run . You know , I think it's more impactful to have this as part of that phase , one kind of foundation . I would love to do this in the off season , if possible , way back back in 2020, .

Season two , episode nine we did a did an interview with Kurt Hines your why and purpose . You know we've done some other done some other podcast episodes where we talk about this . You know this idea or this concept of having a why , having that deep motivation . I've talked before about the wall of why . You know , however , you're going to do this .

When you know , or when an , when one of your athletes knows why they're doing something , there's kind of this deeper motivation .

You know , in the middle of a set of sprints , it's often difficult , you know , not to focus on the physical discomfort that comes with pushing your body , but elite athletes can can keep that reason or that why and the forefront of their mind . You know why they started playing , why they choose to keep playing .

You know what they're trying to ultimately accomplish and it can help them push past mental barriers when things get tough , you know . So , again , this is something that has showed up before . It showed up in other areas or other sections , but when I've got some athletes that are really struggling with this .

You know , I've even had some athletes before that were struggling with motivation , were struggling with their mindset , and it was like , all right , well , what's your why ? And you know , a couple of them could even kind of rattle it off .

But then , as you dig deeper and you ask more questions , it was like , yes , you know , I sort of just went through the activity , I didn't put a lot of thought into it or I don't believe it , I don't , I don't really truly it doesn't do anything for me .

So you know , it's a , it's another activity that I think , in a , in a smaller setting or even like a one on one setting , being able to work through this activity with an athlete , even send it home with them , can be , can be super powerful . So that's the last piece in this motivation and mindset section .

You know , when I'm , when I'm looking , when I'm working with athletes who are struggling in this area , these are some of the activities that we use . Again , we've tried to make it simple so that if you're on the MTP Academy , all you've got to do is press , print , pull up the video , press , play . You know the athlete has put together their plan .

You can hold them accountable , you can help them out with implementation . If you're not a member of the MTP Academy and you're just looking to improve in this area , you're looking to help your athletes improve in this area ?

You know , go hop on the internet . There's all kinds of information out there . Hopefully some of these activities at least give you some direction and hopefully there's still some value here for you . As always , if you've got questions , feel free to send them our way . You can go to mentaltrainingplancom . Click on the resources tab , go to podcast .

There's all kinds of links on there . You can submit a question for the show . If you've got topics that you want to hear about , feel free to send them on there . We've got some follow up episodes coming up in the future with some some guests that we've had in the past we're pretty excited about .

And , as always , until next time , make your plan and put it to work .