Mental conditioning (in my opinion) is one of the most important kinds of training when it comes to athletics.  The sad thing is that mental conditioning is undoubtedly the most ignored aspect of training (especially at the high school level).  The information below is not only for the jumpers but can be used in everyday life and be tailored to fit almost any situation.

1 Minute of Visual Work Equals 7 Minutes of Physical Training - Seriously!

The brain is the driving force behind all we do.  If the brain truly understands something, why do we need to pound our bodies in training to see results?  One of the first things I do is instruct athletes to start watching as much video as possible to help them visually understand what must happen in their chosen event(s).  I do this by directing them to my YouTube channel and sharing videos I've broken down with them so they can both see and hear an in-depth look at their jumps.  The gains I've seen (time and time again) from athletes dedicating a small portion of their night watching videos are truly amazing.  If you're a coach, I highly recommend rethinking your approaches to training to include more mental/visual work so that kids can stay both healthy and motivated as the season progresses.

Mentally Prepare For Big Meets!!!

I have witnessed countless athletes attend the state meet for the first time and become completely overwhelmed.  Their inability to process the nearly 20,000 fans and the enormity of the meet is completely understandable!  But, could it be avoided?  Could it be prepped for?  I think so! 

I've included two resources that I've created to help my athletes mentally prepare for "the craziness" that is the State Meet in here Wisconsin.  The first one is a 360-degree video of our state meet so they can see the mass number of spectators, see the track, and hear some of the familiar sounds we hear year after year.  The second is a video I created for one of my state competitors from the 2018 state meet.  I personalized to meet her needs heading into the meet and she had a fantastic day!

Make It a Routine!

A few years ago I took everything I'd learned about 'mental toughness' and put together this routine for my athletes.  This is something even I struggle to implement as much as I would like, but I can promise you that the most successful athletes are generally the ones that are able to fight through mental weaknesses.  Use this routine as you see fit - I promise you won't be disappointed!