{"id":4276,"date":"2015-09-17T18:20:02","date_gmt":"2015-09-17T18:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports_psychology_blog\/?p=4276"},"modified":"2025-06-11T05:04:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T09:04:16","slug":"how-to-overcome-athletes-resistance-to-mental-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-overcome-athletes-resistance-to-mental-training\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Overcome Athletes&#8217; Resistance to Mental Training"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Benefits-of-Mental-Training.jpg\" alt=\"Benefits of Mental Training\" class=\"wp-image-5677\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Benefits-of-Mental-Training.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Benefits-of-Mental-Training-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Top_Athletes_Have_Benefited_From_Mental_Training\"><\/span>What Top Athletes Have Benefited From Mental Training?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Article Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-overcome-athletes-resistance-to-mental-training\/#What_Top_Athletes_Have_Benefited_From_Mental_Training\" >What Top Athletes Have Benefited From Mental Training?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-overcome-athletes-resistance-to-mental-training\/#Lets_debunk_these_issues_one-by-one\" >Let\u2019s debunk these issues one-by-one.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-overcome-athletes-resistance-to-mental-training\/#Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Sports Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-overcome-athletes-resistance-to-mental-training\/#The_Confident_Athlete\" >The Confident Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Whether athletes are young or college-age, talented or less talented, they all can <strong>benefit from mental training.<\/strong> Yet, a number of obstacles prevent athletes from embracing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What does this mean for parents and coaches? Read on and you\u2019ll learn how to help athletes <strong>overcome<\/strong> their resistance to mental training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, the obstacles. Here are just some of the reasons young athletes give for resisting <strong>mental training<\/strong>. They might say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Coaches and teammates will think they\u2019re weak if they embrace mental training.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If their coaches don\u2019t use mental training, why should they?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Performing well is about working hard, not about what goes on in athletes\u2019 heads.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Something must be wrong with athletes to use mental training.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lets_debunk_these_issues_one-by-one\"><\/span>Let\u2019s debunk these issues one-by-one.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>First, all great athletes have one thing in common: They are interested in improving themselves\u2014including their <strong>mental game.<\/strong> There\u2019s nothing weak or wimpy about taking advantage of <strong>mental training.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Says Mia Hamm, &#8220;The most important attribute a soccer player must have is <strong>mental toughness<\/strong>. Before you can win, you must have the will to prepare to win.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s more, athletes who worry that they\u2019ll be seen as wimpy should embrace mental training because they think too much about how others view them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Second obstacle: Many coaches\u2014especially good ones\u2014use <strong>mental training<\/strong> intuitively. If they don\u2019t, they often don\u2019t know much about sports psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After all, they haven\u2019t received any instruction in it! It\u2019s more than likely that coaches who learn about the benefits of <strong>mental training<\/strong> will use it with their teams. But individual sport athletes might not have the same exposure to <strong>mental training.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Third: Yes, hard work and dedication are critical to performing well. But athletes need to understand when and why they\u2019re doing well. That\u2019s where <strong>mental training<\/strong> comes in! What\u2019s more, athletes might perform well in practice, but not during competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, sports psychology can help athletes solve this\u2014and many other challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to convince athletes to take advantage of <strong>mental training,<\/strong> you need to dispel these and other myths they buy into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might tell your athletes they\u2019re not broken or dysfunctional if they need <strong>mental training.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You want to educate them on the real purpose of <strong>mental training<\/strong>: to improve performance and consistency in sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You also need to explain the many benefits of <strong>mental training<\/strong>\u2014how, for example, it helps athletes boost confidence, improve their focus, prepare mentally, and improve their performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might also discuss role models that use <strong>mental training<\/strong>, such as Mia Hamm and many other top athletes who have benefited from <strong>mental game coaching.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Check out our video of the week, <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/xpnoh8XtQvA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How Self-Intimidation Destroys Confidence<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-979ef383-5bc7-43ee-b8f9-249663ca1a6c\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Sports Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-05642731-8752-4dbf-9c18-5cc4d276e821\" class=\"wp-block-list has-normal-font-size\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/debunking-mental-training-for-athletes\/\"><strong>Debunking Mental Training for Athletes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/what-skills-are-learned-in-mental-training\/\"><strong>What Skills Are Learned in Mental Training?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/what-do-you-learn-in-a-mental-training-lesson\/\"><strong>What Do You Learn in a Mental Training Lesson?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-281f5afb-980b-4c71-9aa0-11d606b5f7c9\"><strong>Download a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/mental-toughness-report-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free sports psychology report<\/a>&nbsp;to improve your mental game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-94138e75-d591-4645-bb1d-212cf57a8841\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sport-psychology-training-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Confident_Athlete\"><\/span>The Confident Athlete <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/confident-athlete-audio250.jpg\" alt=\"The Confident Athlete Audio\" class=\"wp-image-16347\" style=\"width:198px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d consists of 2 audio programs that include 14 days of confidence fueling exercises and a simple to follow workbook that guides you through the 14 days, helps you apply the strategies, and customizes the exercises to your personal needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me help you put a <strong>stop to the confidence leak<\/strong>. You can learn to have greater levels of confidence in competition than you do in practice by identifying the specific ways you undermine your own confidence and <strong>how to convert your practice confidence into COMPETITIVE CONFIDENCE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d is a ground-breaking system to teach you how to think like a champion and have ultimate self-confidence every time you step on the playing field, court, track, or course. The confident athletes was <strong>developed for any athlete \u2013 junior to professional \u2013<\/strong>that wants to gain confidence. However, coaches and sports parents can learn how to teach others to perform with ultimate confidence. Use my program if you want to bust a slump or just wanting higher or more consistent levels of self-confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-0b39f7aa\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-a74417ae gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-461ab57c gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-confident-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Top Athletes Have Benefited From Mental Training? Whether athletes are young or college-age, talented or less talented, they all can benefit from mental training. Yet, a number of obstacles prevent athletes from embracing it. What does this mean for parents and coaches? Read on and you\u2019ll learn how to help athletes overcome their resistance to mental training. &#8230; <a title=\"How to Overcome Athletes&#8217; Resistance to Mental Training\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-overcome-athletes-resistance-to-mental-training\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to Overcome Athletes&#8217; Resistance to Mental Training\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,13,142],"tags":[380,246,643],"class_list":["post-4276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mental-game-of-sports","category-mental-game-skills","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-mental-game-skills","tag-mental-toughness","tag-sports-mental-training"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.5.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Whether athletes are young or college-age, talented or less talented, they all can benefit from mental training to help them improve. 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