Athletes do all sorts of physical things to prepare for competition…from nutrition, weight training, sport-specific drills and all sorts of other things.

But what about mental preparation?  Are you taking the time to develop a strong mental game that gives you an advantage over your competition?

I’m linking to an article from one of my favorite mental game teachers, Dr. Patrick Cohn of Peak Sports Performance. Dr. Cohn is a sports psychologist out of and he’s always preaching on how to build mental toughness – as well as the techniques athletes can use to grasp it.

I’d invite you to read the entire piece here…

Here are Dr. Cohn’s top 10 ways to improve the mental game:

  1. Pushing past the discomfort of a hard training session.
  2. Maintaining a positive attitude when you experience a rough patch during your season.
  3. Ignoring distractions and keeping your focus during grueling competitions.
  4. Sustaining motivation throughout a long season.
  5. Bouncing back after a mistake in competition.
  6. Rehabbing from injury and readying yourself for your return to competition.
  7. Managing your competitive emotions especially when playing in hostile environments or playing against opponents who try to taunt you.
  8. Being confident when your performance is not up to par.
  9. Overcoming comfort zones in sports and breaking out.
  10. Coping with high expectations from others to perform well.

Dr. Cohn has put together a free online e-book that can be found here: http://www.peaksports.com/baseball-softball-confidence-report/

If you are a player, or parent of a player, I’d recommend that you download it and get to know the contents!