Welcome to the Raising Elite Competitors Podcast. I'm Coach Sailor, a mental performance coach for girl athletes, and I am so excited that you are tuning in for today's episode, which is a special tip just for our athletes really on diving into what mental training even is. And why physical training will only get you so far in your sport. I'm so excited to give you that intro so that you can get a little taste of mental training and start to implement it in your training habits in this season and this year. So before we get into it, I want to give a quick shout out to one of the athletes inside the Elite Mental Game, which is our signature mental training program for girl athletes. So a huge shout out to Samantha, who is a golf athlete and has definitely overcome some big challenges recently and is using the mental tools that she is learning inside of EMG. Samantha has really been working hard on trying to level up her mindset, so she shared with us a quick win that she recently had and she said that I'm a champion because my mental game has improved. Tremendously before starting the elite mental game. If I hit a bad shot, I would get so mad and blame other people for my mistake. Now if I hit a shot that I don't like or play bad at a tournament, I learned to move on by doing my reset routine and after games understand to analyze what I did wrong to fix it for next time. Another win that I had was coming back in a tournament. It was a two day tournament, and the first day did not do well, and I hit all new clubs and it was just not hitting them well. I was in the bottom of the field, so the second day I was playing for a better score and pride. I proceeded to do so much better by shooting 10 strokes less. My mental game was so much better that day because I was more relaxed. Samantha, we are so proud of you and thank you so much for sharing this win with us. Samantha was able to use something called her Snapback routine, which is a way that athletes in our program learn to bounce back from mistakes really, really quickly because that is one of the fastest ways to give yourself a competitive advantage. Is to come back quickly because it's not an if a mistake is going to happen, it's a when. So you need to be prepared to have a system that really works for you so that you can come back for that very next moment when it really matters most and rise above the challenge. Samantha was also able to reflect and not just. Sit in that post competition spiral that most athletes do and just beat herself up. She was able to think about what she can fix and go out there and crush it that very next tournament day. So, Samantha, keep it up. We are so proud of you and just thrilled that you are cruising through the elite mental game and continuing to add more tools to your tool belt. So now athletes, let's dive into today's. Tip, which is what is mental training? How can I use it, what is it not? And how can I really separate myself from other athletes in my sport? There are a ton of myths and just misconceptions about mental training out there. So. We are going to debunk some of those myths and misconceptions that you might have or maybe you have heard as an athlete. The first one is that you only need mental training when you are struggling. This is not true. This is a myth. Every athlete can benefit from mental training because it is going to separate you from the rest of the athletes. It's not just when you're struggling, right? You need these tools to overcome normal challenges in your sport, and also just to play consistently at a very high. Level comparison, perfectionism, pressure, mistakes, all of these are normal parts of your sport, and you need the tools to be able to bounce back from them. Mental training also comes in handy when things are going well for you because you probably don't stop to think about. What is going well? Why is it going well, and how can I continue to recreate my success? And mental training allows you to do just that. So mental training is not just for athletes who are struggling. It is for any athlete who is ready to level up their performance with their mindset. The second myth is that mental training is just about talking about feelings or it's counseling. This is not true. Okay. Mental training is so much more than that. Of course, we acknowledge that we have emotions as humans and as athletes. And you learn tools to actually navigate those emotions so that they're not holding you back in any way. You're actually able to think about them effectively and then go and move on and perform your very best. And mental training is not counseling. It is rooted in sports psychology, and that is backed by science. It's not something you're just talking about your feelings. There is definitely a time and place for counseling, and it is a great outlet and a great resource of support to have, but mental training allows you to really tap into your potential by learning about how the brain works and. How you can manage your nerves going into performance. And like Samantha shared with us in the beginning, it's easy to let your emotions get the best of you and put blame on other things. And mental training is gonna allow you to take that accountability and responsibility and actually make those changes that you need to make as an athlete. So mental training is not counseling, it's not just talking about feelings. It is rooted in. Real science backed tools to give yourself that mental edge. The next myth is that physical training is all that you need. This is not true. The best athletes are doing mental training and physical training, and this is maybe gonna be a hard truth for you, but everybody in your sport is doing physical training. That's not something that is groundbreaking. That's not something that is new. Everybody around you is putting in the reps. They're focusing on strength, speed, skills. That is kind of the bare minimum right now in sports. To separate yourself from others and actually play and compete at your potential, you need to get these mental reps. You have to be intentional and prioritize mindset training so that you can be. The best of the best because all the best athletes are already doing physical training, so you need to do something that is a little bit different than not every single athlete is doing. And to be quite honest, we have talked to many college and pro athletes and all of them use mental training and also say they wish that they've had these tools when they were a high school athlete, a middle school athlete, because it would've made them that much better. The best athletes are using mental training at any level. You can think of Simone Biles. Right, the gymnastics goat, she is huge on mental training. She prioritizes her mental health as well. Has taken some really important breaks and has learned to overcome the challenges in her sport, and she is out there competing on the highest platforms. Mia Ham, one of the best soccer players. She says that the most important attribute that a player can have is mental toughness. Before you can win, you must have the will to prepare to win. So mental toughness, that is part of mental training. You don't just go out there and learn to be mental tough. You don't just do it in the physical reps. You need to have the tools that actually back it up so that you can be resilient and adaptable in those moments. Naomi Osaka, one of the best tennis players right now. She is a rising star. She has been very outspoken about how she manages her anxious or negative thoughts and emotion. Through mental training, through prioritizing her mindset. So the best athletes, yes, are putting in the physical training, but if you want to separate yourself and get that extra edge, you also have to put in the mental reps. And so how can you actually put in the mental reps? One, you're tuning in here today. That means that you care about your mindset and you are ready to take that next. Step, so continue to tune in. We have lots of athlete tips from the past, and we also are going to continue to have athlete tips. Every month, and you can hear from other athlete stories with our Athlete of the Month episodes where athletes inside the elite mental game show share their success stories of what is working for them right now and where they started and how they have made progress through working on their mental. And then the final way to work on your mindset is through the Elite mental game. I've already shared about it in this episode, but it is such a great resource. The Elite Mental Game is a mental training program that was designed and built specifically for girl athletes between the ages of 11 to 18. And it is such a great resource if you are again, struggling with any of the normal challenges in your sport or if you are just really wanting to. See what your capabilities are and unlock your potential. It is a self-paced program. There's tons of lessons in there that are short, so you can listen to them on the go. You can incorporate it into your weekly training schedule, and we go over all sorts of things from. Breathing and managing nerves. Coming up with a hype level so that you can have a great pregame routine. How to process post competition just like Samantha shared at the beginning of this episode in her win, your snapback routine to come back from mistakes, getting evidence that you can overcome challenges and that you are getting closer to your goals. How to deal with comparison and perfectionism. You name it, it is inside the elite mental game, and that's where thousands of athletes have learned to level up their mindset, and we would love to have you in there and we'd love to support you. This was a little bit of an intro of what mental training is and how you can start to think about using it, incorporating it, and making it a consistent priority for you as you enter this new year. This. Season, whatever is coming up for you in your sport and in your life. So going over some of these myths. The first myth is that mental training is just for athletes who are struggling. It is for any athlete who is ready to separate themselves. The second myth, mental training is counseling or just talking about your feelings. No, you are getting tangible science-backed tools that are going to help you overcome the normal challenges in your sport and compete with joy. The third one is that physical training will get you far enough. That is not true. Physical training is the bare minimum right now. Everyone is doing physical training and you have to add mental training to your plate if you really want to have that competitive advantage. Thanks for joining and learning more about mental training, and we will see you next time on the Raising Elite Competitors podcast.