If your athlete daughter feels like she’s doing everything she can to improve, but it’s not happening, it can be frustrating as a parent to know what to do. 

I’ll tell you it’s probably even more frustrating as the athlete to feel like…

-She’s putting in the work
-She’s doing the extra reps
-She’s getting the training

…and yet she feels like her hard work isn’t paying off. 

I see and hear about this all the time. Athletes that are stuck feeling like no matter how hard they train, they aren’t seeing results. 

What gives?!

Simply put, they are missing the link to high performance: Mental Training. 

And without it, at some point all athletes will get stuck. The fact is, many of the physical blocks they are experiencing: not playing to potential, making multiple mistakes in a row, inconsistent performance…are actually NOT physical blocks. 

They are mental. So, if mental training is the missing link, why isn’t it the norm? Why isn’t it as routine as practicing a layup, a serve, or any other foundational skill in sports?

I have a few theories why. 

And they aren’t necessarily anyone’s fault. However, with knowledge comes responsibility! And we owe it to our athletes who are grinding it out daily and putting in the work to allow their hard work to pay off. 

So, here’s why we don’t see mental training as often as we should and how you can provide your daughter with what she needs to access the missing link to her performance! 

Reason #1: Most people don’t understand the value of mental training 

If you’re reading this blog or in our community or programs, I’m willing to bet that you aren’t one of these people that doesn’t understand the value of mental training. 

However, there are many people who don’t understand the value because the physical is so easy to see, and therefore prioritized. 

Most people would agree with the statement that sports are 80% mental and 20% physical, however our training looks nothing like this most of the time. 

In my experience as a high level player, head coach, and mindset coach, it’s not the physical part of the game that is holding players back from reaching their potential. 

They know how to pass, dribble, shoot, serve, hit, swim, and tumble. They’ve done it for hours and hours on end. They’ve received training, coaching, and reps their whole careers. 

It’s the mental that holds them back. 

The inability to do these skills under pressure. 
The rut they get stuck in because they are worried about failure or what people will think. 
Not having the skills to recover from mistakes. 

Mental blocks are often disguised as physical blocks. 

Reason #2: Coaches aren’t trained in mental training (or have lack of resources)

We can’t rely on our child’s coach alone to provide high-quality mental training. 

They likely haven’t been trained in it! It is VERY uncommon to find a coach that is well-versed in both the knowledge of the sport and how to coach it effectively AND has been educated and trained on how to deliver mental training to their athletes. 

That is in part due to the lack of resources that exist to train them. When I started to recognize that it was the mental (not just the physical) that was holding my players back, I had to invest my own time, money, and resources to seek out the best training. It wasn’t easy to find! However, I’m so glad I did because it has made all the difference in my athlete’s lives. 

Not all coaches do this, so we can’t rely on them to provide this aspect of training for our athletes.

Often, parents seek out additional resources for their athletes but only in the areas of more physical training. 

Seeking out high quality people and programs that deliver mental training to athletes should be as normal as investing in training to get extra reps or physical training. 

Reason #3: Mental training is usually an afterthought

Often, athletes, parents, and coaches don’t start to seek out mental training until performance is suffering so much that they don’t know what else to do. 

Can mental training help in these situations? Absolutely!

Even better? Having these skills BEFORE the snowflake turns into an avalanche! 

It’s like getting regular maintenance on your car. We do it to avoid the big disasters that could happen if we don’t. 

Mental training shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should be as embedded into an athlete’s training as all her other foundational physical skills.

It’s when she is armed with mental training skills that she has the confidence to compete and perform at her highest potential. 

Don’t wait until your athlete is struggling to give her the skills of confidence and mental training. Do it now so that she knows how to navigate the struggle! 

The secret sauce: Mental + Physical Training = Elite Performance

In no way is mental training a replacement for physical training. 

Just like physical training can’t replace mental training. 

They go together and compliment each other perfectly to allow an athlete to achieve peak performance over and over. 

An athlete can have all the physical training, lessons, and practice in the world. But if her mind is not in the optimal place to utilize that physical training, it’s a waste. 

You can’t just “rep” your way out of a negative mindset. 

The most effective way to ensure athletes are getting the absolute most out of their physical training is to pair it with high quality mental training that will allow them to cultivate their confidence, respond well to adversity, and perform consistently. 

Like PB&J, mental and physical training perfectly complete one another. 

===

There you have it. If you feel like your athlete is doing everything she can to level up her game, but is not seeing results, it’s likely because she’s missing the key link: Mental Training. 

Want to get started NOW providing her with high quality, professional mental training so that she can set herself up for elite performance?

Here are a couple options to get you started (One for your athlete, one for you!):

#1: Sign up to have her receive weekly confidence and mindset strategies, tips, and exercises straight to her phone Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays! Easy to access, effective, and at a price that is less than what you likely spend in coffee in a week! Sign up here: www.kristinabreanne.com/boost

#2: Join The Elite Competitor Society! It’s our free Facebook group where female athletes, moms, and coaches come together to learn tips, resources, and engage in free trainings to set our female athletes up for success and confidence on and off the court/field! www.kristinabreanne.com/community