Unlocking Peak Performance: Harnessing Focus and Awareness

Journey from Poetry in Motion to Mental Mastery

Have you ever watched an elite athlete in action and thought to yourself, "Wow, that's like poetry in motion"? You marvel at their lightning-fast speed, their explosive jumps, or how they can make a pass with pinpoint accuracy. It's all too easy to get wrapped up in the physical spectacle in those moments.

But let me let you in on a little secret:

Winning at sports is about more than just the physical game. No. There's another side to it, which often gets overshadowed—the mental game.

Let me break it down for you.

Ever wondered how athletes stay cool under the blazing spotlights of a championship game? It boils down to two mental superheroes:

• Focus: the ability to lock in on the task at hand.
• Awareness: the ability to recognize when you are distracted and refocus.

These skills allow athletes to spot challenges before they pop up and help them get back on track when distractions try to derail them.

Why are Focus and Awareness Important?

Improving your mental game isn't as out of reach as it might seem. Slipping into bad habits like getting easily distracted, hanging onto mistakes, or negative self-talk (we've all been there) are surefire ways to have piss-poor performance.

Elite athletes shine because they've mastered the art of overcoming these very mental hurdles.

Most importantly, this skill set is teachable with the right approach.

What is Focus and Awareness in Mental Performance:

So, what exactly are these mental skill sets? Besides focus and awareness, which are the third of ten pillars in the MISPIBO Mindset, there are a whole bunch of other skills that athletes can drill into their routine. Like how a sprinter practices their physical skills to shave off those seconds, athletes can practice mental drills to enhance their focus and awareness.

But what does this focus and awareness duo do? Imagine you're an athlete, and everything's not going as planned. Maybe you missed a shot or are just not feeling it today. That's where focus comes into play. It's all about locking in on what's important and tuning out the rest. And when things go sideways (because, let's face it, they sometimes do), awareness helps you realize you've lost focus and need to snap back to reality.

Being "aware" isn't just about noticing your surroundings or how you're feeling. It's about being completely and utterly present. This isn't just beneficial in sports and everyday life too—handling pressure, dealing with nerves, or tackling tricky math homework.

Practical Applications and Strategies for Coaches and Parents

And how do we coach this seemingly mystical skill set, you ask? Well, it's all about training the mind as diligently as we train the body. It involves staying focused, aware, and emotionally resilient, which keeps athletes passionate about their sports. After all, the aim is to help athletes make those intentional, game-changing decisions consistently.

You might be thinking, "But everyone's different, right?" And you'd be spot-on. That's why mental skill training needs to cater to individual needs. It's a journey that requires patience, time, and a hearty dose of focus and awareness from both the athlete and the coach.

If you want to expand your coaching toolbox with real-deal strategies on focus and awareness and steer clear of common myths and mistakes, I've got just the thing. My upcoming webinar will dive deeper into assessing focus and awareness and exploring practical applications and coaching strategies. Because, at the end of the day, training the mental game is just as crucial as the physical one.

Let's lock in it together and help our youth athletes stay in the game:

Click here to register for FREE Mental Skills Webinars. This webinars are designed with the coaches and parents of student-athletes in mind. Join and learn the missing key to elite performance.

Coach Ambrose

Your mindfulness and mental performance coach

MISPIBO Fitness

Work hard, Live Well, and Have Heart