If your child wants to up his or her game, it’s time to learn mental toughness.
There are three affiliate links in this post and if you spend money on their programs, I will get a small commission.
Are you frustrated because your athlete is struggling to learn mental toughness? Sports is a huge mental game and if your child doesn’t focus on that as much as she focuses on the skills, she’s never going to play up to her potential.
Helping athletes learn the mind game is tricky business. Although I’m no expert, I’ve shared what I’ve learned after 22 years of sports parenting. However, I’d like to point you in the direction of some true mental toughness experts. I’ve talked with three of them people personally and I would recommend any of their programs. Here’s a quick overview of a few that I would recommend:
Craig Sigl, mental toughness trainer
Craig knows that mental toughness is adopting an attitude of never giving up and knowing that the athlete is in charge of building his own confidence. He believes that knowing how the mind works, and changing it, changes everything.
The athletic field can be a place that powerfully forms our idea of who we are. Using the lessons learned by playing sports, we can train the mind and open up new performance possibilities, new levels of self-confidence and new levels of self-satisfaction.Here’s a list of his programs:
- Mental Toughness Academy (kids up to 16)
- How To Be A Fearless Competitor (adult/16+ competitors/performers)
- Advanced Mental Toughness (adult/16+ competitors/performers)
- How To Be An Outstanding Youth Sports Parent
- Youth Sports Coach Training
- Conquering Your Sports Injury
- Mental Toughness For Catholic Athletes (kids up to 16)
- Confidence From Scratch (all athletes/performers)
- High School Coaches Mental Toughness Toolbox
To learn more about Craig’s mental toughness training, click here.
John Haime, high performance coach
John Haime is a former professional athlete and understands how athletes think and feel … he’s been there – under the most intense pressures of amateur and professional sports. John coaches athletes in all sports, executives and artists in a variety of performance areas. He is trusted by some of the world’s leading athletes – professional and elite amateur. His clients include athletes from all of the major professional sports leagues. He regularly works with athletes in the World Top 50.
His Be World Class program includes 12 video modules. Learn more here.
Gary Ryan Blair, 100-Day Challenge
Known as the “goals guy,” Gary is the author ofthe New York Times bestseller, Everything Counts! He believes anyone is just 100 days from transforming their life…from crushing their goals in record time.
The 100 Day Challenge is an online, hardcore goal setting program that reveals the most potent execution strategies for getting more accomplished in 100 days than most people do over the course of ten years.
Learn about the 100-day challenge here.
Jenn, right, with one of her MVP girls.
Jenn Starkey, MVP Leadership Academy
Jenn focuses on helping female athletes, ages 10-18 Build the team, the tools and the toughness to win in sports, school and life. She hosts mental toughness clinics (if you want her to come speak to your team), runs a “better your best” challenge and offers an all-star club for athletes to learn and grow on their own, with her mentorship.
I’ve been to one of Jenn’s clinics and she really knows how to connect with young athletes. Her enthusiasm, love for the game, and genuine spirit are very evident.
Learn about MVP Leadership Academy here.