A physical advantage won’t get you much further in the game. It’s more important to make quick decisions in your head”. – Uwe Gensheimer
The higher the level your team plays at, the smaller the differences in physical and tactical preparation among the top contenders. Mental strength is what increasingly makes the difference in decisive moments. At the elite level, as athletes mature, many of them begin to seek more mental support, even as they become more independent in practical matters.
In the past, mental support in sports mostly focused on isolated individual challenges. Today, mental trainers are increasingly embedded in the staff as permanent members. Individual and team-level training aligned with performance goals is becoming part of the planning and the yearly calendar. As head coach, you’re the one integrating this new area into the team’s system, even without a ready-made template. That speaks for itself.
I trust you’ll find a few useful tips here:
What worked with your strength and conditioning coach may also work with the mental trainer. For example, your style or how you share the work can be transferred.
You’re the one who sets the goals, whether they focus on individual progress or team-wide development. How deep or detailed you want to go is up to you. You might say, for example, that you want performance to remain consistent even under greater pressure.
Or even more specifically, the start of away matches with high-stake is regularly a problem, and you want to see progress in that area.
Maybe you’re not satisfied with the creativity in attack, and your focus is on strengthening the mental “muscles” that support it.
You can also turn to your mental trainer to identify the area that would make the biggest difference.
If you have a question or are considering working together, feel free to get in touch.