USSA Sport Education Coaches Tip of the Week: March 26 2013

Each week the USSA Sport Education Department will post a Coaches Tip of the Week.  The information will rotate through the ski and snowboard disciplines so check back each week to see the newest tip!

Mental Strength Training and Goal Setting
{This is an excerpt taken from the USSA Level 100 Cross Country Manual}

A coach must acknowledge their role as a teacher of mental skills, and should always be mindful of their influence on the psyche of the athletes they coach. In the example you set as a coach, in the words that you use to give feedback, in your body language, and in your day-today actions you are impacting mental skills. There are many specific areas of mental strength training that should be taught and practiced, but it is important to understand that in the mental game, the coach is constantly playing a role. How you interact with your athletes can impact their confidence, anxiety, focus, stress, and motivation. Work to understand what kind of impact you are having with each athlete, and find ways to make it the most positive.

Goal setting and performance planning are critical aspects of the Cross Country Training System performance psychology domain. Goal setting helps to organize and plan, so forward momentum is optimized.  Identification of short-term and long-term goals and achievement of those goals cultivates confidence and motivates the skier to continue to set further goals, perpetuating the journey.

The coach should look at goal setting as an integral element in the task of cultivating athlete motivation. Ultimately it is the athlete's internal motivation that will drive the effort they put forth. If the athlete is giving their full effort, effective coaching will bring about positive change. Without full effort and motivation, no matter how good the coaching, the athlete will not find great success. The coach must be mindful of their skier's motivation and use strategies that will maximize that motivation.
 

Mental Strength Training and Goal Setting (PDF copy)