The Art of Mental Training - A Guide to Performance Excellence

by D.C. Gonzalez

The better your self-belief, internal self-talk, attitude, focus, and mental climate are going into an event, the better your situation will be when the event-energy is pumping through you.

Whatever is going on inside your head has everything to do with how well you end up performing.

And that’s the important point: no matter what your game is, or what the challenge is, the difference between great performances and average performances is mostly mental. Once you reach a certain level of skill, it’s your mental skills that start making all the difference. The better they are, the better you become—and the better your results will be.

Brainpower will take you further than physical power

Mental control starts with a decision.

Remember: The Warrior/Champion understands that a bad attitude can cost him everything. It affects not only how you feel, but also how you perform.

In that short time with Gary, Pelé shared with us exactly how to tap into what he considered the two essential keys to winning: Enthusiasm and a Mental Edge.

It’s also important to practice seeing yourself overcoming adversity and staying in control whatever might arise. This doesn’t make for arrogance—though it might sound like it. It creates confidence.

Practice mixing relaxation, imagery, feelings, and enthusiasm, prior to competition in a pre-game routine, in order to gain a mental edge and a sure sense of confidence going into the event.

Meditate before hitting the doors!

Remember: One must consistently practice mental skills and pre-game routines in order to tap one’s full potential.

Shutting down negative self-talk begins by interrupting it, and then instantly replacing it.”

The Art of Mental Training teaches that our performance action will follow the mental thoughts and images we entertain. In other words: you’ll get what you see in your mind’s eye.

Remember: Stay task-focused. Interrupt negative self-talk and images the moment they arise, shut them down on the spot. Replace them with positive self-talk and positive images. Concentrate on showing your brain exactly what it is that you want to achieve, never dwell on what you do not want to happen.

Even when things are at their worst, think positive. Focusing on the negative won’t help you any, so go for the opposite.

“Not completely. Confidence is a by-product of strong self-belief. The more powerful his self-belief, the more confidence the warrior is able to summons up when the pressure is on. And the stronger his self-belief, the better his performance will be.”

Imagineering—the technique of showing our minds how we want things to go, and a term first made famous by the legendary dreamer, Walt Disney.

Remember: Imagineering is vital because it leads to greater self-belief and greater confidence, which in turn leads to better performance and achievements.

Relaxation matters because when used with mental imagery it facilitates and allows our inner (subconscious) mind to clearly see our success imagery and feel our success feelings.

Remember: Champions focus on what they can control. They know that while they can’t always control what takes place during an event, they can always control how they respond to an event. Within every setback lies the hidden opportunity for a great comeback.

Ask yourself this: what type of competitor are you? Are you the kind who likes to play it safe and just do alright? Or are you the kind who’s willing to take a chance on possibly failing in order to accomplish something amazing? More than anything else, it’s a fear of failure that keeps people from achieving their full potential in sports, in life, in business—in everything.

Being afraid to fail actually helps create the conditions that make failure more likely!

A champion knows that fear is only as powerful as he lets it become.

With a little practice, you can get really good at triggering physical relaxation quickly. Be sure to learn and practice the relaxation induction technique introduced in Chapter 7, which is extremely popular among the world’s top athletes and performers.

“A man can be as great as he wants to be, if you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive, and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, anything can be done. Once a man has made a commitment, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind him, this thing we call heart power. Once a man has made this commitment, nothing will stop him short of success. The harder you work the harder it is to surrender.”

The First Critical Element: Self-Talk. Ask yourself: What would the self-talk of a champion sound like as he prepared for competition?

The Second Critical Element: The way that you carry your body. Ask yourself: How would this champion’s body be moving as he prepared for battle?

The Third Critical Element: Breathing. Watching Jeremy’s imagination, self-talk, and body motions begin to turn things around for him, I threw in the third element. “Jeremy,” I asked, “how would this champion be breathing right now as he prepared for battle? Keep the self-talk going, keep moving your body around as this champion, and now, I want you to add the breathing of a champion getting ready to do battle.”

Ask yourself: What would the self-talk of a champion be like as he prepared for competition? How would that champion be moving his body around as he prepared? And how would that champion be breathing as he prepared to enter the competition and face his opponent?

When your mind is racing, help bring it back by focusing on your breathing.

Focus on the present by focusing on your breathing; not the future nor the past

He looked at me. “The most important thing is how a champion prepares for battle. You must find the warrior within. You must do battle with all your heart in order to have no regrets as you leave the contest behind. A champion always prepares to win. Remember to act like a champion in order to become a champion.”

“The past is gone my friend. You can look back on it but it’s only a reflection. The future lies ahead . . . but it's a future that has not yet been realized. So in reality, today is all we have. And today is here. Why don't you just start walking on your new path, one step at a time? Conjure up some new dreams, cast them out to the Universe, keep your head up, have faith, and discover what lies ahead. Life itself has put you on this path. Just trust what is and be with it.”

The present is a present, so cherish it more often to enjoy the rewards associated with it.

“Self-belief is what gets everything going.”