They Call Him Coach

Shaun Goodsell, MA
President and CEO of Mental Edge

This month we lost a legend. John Wooden the legendary coach from
UCLA died at the age of 99. Not only did he coach 10 different
teams to national championships and become the most winning coach
in college basketball, but also he has truly become the gold
standard of effective coaching. This last week players and former
coaches have been making statements as to the IMPACT Coach Wooden
had on them.  There are a couple of things I would like to
highlight about this incredible man that I think we can learn from.

First, winning was seen as the by-product of preparation, teamwork
and character. Success, for coach Wooden was decided by the type of
men he was able to shape not only the performance of a player. The
scope of Coach Wooden's influence was life and he wasn't willing to
win a game at the expense of a life lesson. It is possible he saw
this trade simply too costly.

Second, preparation was crucial to being a person of great success.
He drilled fundamentals of basketball and life consistently and was
unwavering in this approach. He not only required detailed
preparation from his players but also modeled this as well. The
game provided the opportunity for Coach to evaluate the quality of
preparation.

Third, influence occurred through being clear, wise, and
self-controlled. The greatest coach ever to live was clear in his
expectations, brief in his communication, and wise in his dealings
with his players. Listening to former players talk of their coach
inspires me to lead the way to inspire coaches to capitalize on the
opportunity they have to make a significant IMPACT on the players
that call them COACH.

Coach Wooden's life has impacted me from afar. I have read many of
his books and resonate with his philosophy. The Mental Edge deeply
respects this legend and will seek to replicate his legacy.  My
hope is that someday I will be remembered as one that was called
COACH.

If you're a coach and would also like to be remembered in this way,
simply email us (dawn@mentaledgenow.com) to get started!

Shaun
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Find the Motivation to Train

Justin Johnson, Performance Coach

Weather in Minnesota is a factor in so much of our behavior
throughout a given year. It can determine our mood, level of
activity and in some cases even inspire us. Summer is often the off
season for many sports so it can become increasingly difficult to
stay motivated to train when the weather becomes increasingly
hotter. Because so much evidence exists around the importance of
consistent and focused practice...I feel a little help in motivation
might be needed as summer approaches.

First thing I discuss when it comes to motivation is the two
C's:  Clarity and Creativity. It is nearly impossible to be truly
motivated towards a goal if you lack the clarity of what that goal
is and or how to get there. Many athletes struggle with clarity
because they feel that getting better is enough of a direction.
Unfortunately such a well-intended, yet vague, direction is exactly
what robs us of motivation. Instead find a specific action or skill
you wish to develop with your time and energy. This will increase
your clarity and motivation to follow through. For some having
clarity is all they need to sustain prolonged periods of motivation
to train. For others they need little doses of creativity to
catapult them into consistent and focused training.

The key to creativity when looking for motivation is to think about
what typically inspires you and then package it in a new way. For
example, many of us enjoy competition so perhaps you pick someone
in the weight room (maybe without them even knowing it) and say to
yourself "I'm going to stay longer than that person", or
"I'm going to out work harder". When it comes to creativity in
motivation you
can be as outlandish and unrealistic as you wish because its just
a mind game between you and your training.

Remember the motivation to do anything is inside of you. Most often
all you need is either the clarity or the creativity to tap into
it. Once you do you will be equipped with a valuable skill that
allows you to train with purpose and intensity. Even on the most
beautiful of summer days!

Like this?  When your ready to dig deeper into your creativity and
clarity, simply email us (dawn@mentaledgenow.com) to get started.

Justin
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How's Your Chex Mix?

Brady Greco, Performance Coach

There are millions of good athletes in the world trying to climb
the ladder and make it to the next level.  However, statistics
prove that only a very select few of these million make it.

A huge aspect that separates these athletes from others is their
ability to have exceptional mental toughness and preparedness.  An
athlete's thinking controls their emotions on the playing
field, court, or ice.  An athlete's emotions control their athletic
performance.  Therefore, if an athlete portrays the right emotions
in specific situations during a game or practice, they will
ultimately be able to perform at their peak level.

Unfortunately, too many quality athletes fail to take into
consideration HOW IMPORTANT the mental game is.  If you talk to any
athlete who has made it to a high collegiate or professional level,
they will tell you that the mental game in sport is what separates
the good athletes from the great ones.

The first key to becoming more mentally tough is becoming more
mentally aware of the specific items you fall victim to in a game
or practice.  If you cannot think of three mental aspects you need
to develop and improve upon, then you are probably an athlete who
needs more direction and understanding how mental toughness works.

Think of mental toughness as a bag of Chex-mix.  Within the bag of
Chex-mix you have pretzels, peanuts, cereal, and Fritos.  In order
to have a good tasting batch of Chex-mix, you must have quality
ingredients.  The same goes for mental toughness, an athlete who is
mentally tough must attain the proper amount of focus, confidence,
control, and perspective in specific situations to play at their
optimal performance.  If an athlete is intentional and deliberate
about improving upon these mental toughness concepts they will gain
the elusive mental edge that separates the good athletes from the
great athletes.

Like this?  When your ready to go from good to great, simply email
us (dawn@mentaledgenow.com) to get started.

Brady

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