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- Mental Monday - June 2
Mental Monday - June 2
Zachary Etter
June 02, 2025
3 Steps to Improvement
As a coach, behavior and performance modification that allows the athlete to work towards their potential is the name of the game. In life, one of the most important qualities that leads to happiness is “psychological flexibility,” — to be able to adapt and adjust to events that don’t go according to plan, that are unpleasant, or ones that were entirely unpredicted.
“To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often.”
Let’s simplify. There are 3 main steps to improvement. None of them are ground breaking, but laying out the process for your players may be helpful to them.
Awareness of the issue
We can’t solve problems that we’re not aware of. Elite athletes desire feedback and seek out the advice of others. They want to know what their blindspots are. As a coach, it’s often your job to bring the player’s awareness to something they’re not doing well that’s in their control to improve. Bringing awareness to an issue out of our control simply adds stress and hurts confidence.
Willingness to change
Everybody WANTS to play well, get good grades, accomplish their goals, etc. But are they willing to do what it takes to get there? Are they willing to be uncomfortable and challenge themselves. We don’t make progress in our comfort zone.
Developing the necessary skills to change
The combination of talent and hard work that results in improvement.
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