What are mental skills? #
Sports training refers to a complex and systematic process consisting of different preparatory activities meant to enhance and maintain high performance. Since most sports are competitive and attaining victory is not a mean feat, sportspersons require a holistic type of training that equips them with a wide range of skills (Grobbelaar, 2018). In this sense, players require technical skills training to understand and successfully apply the physical skills learned. Alternatively, players need tactical training to understand overcoming challenges and attaining victory in a competition. More importantly, they require mental skills training to equip them with positive thoughts, emotions, and perspectives that consolidate their abilities and translate them into optimum performance. According to Richard & Hatch (2011), mental skills are inherent or learned abilities that enable players to harness their thoughts, emotions, and experiences to enhance their performance and attain sport-related objectives. Although most sports training focuses primarily on improving physical, tactical, and technical skills, mental skills are more valuable, especially when other skills are futile.
The benefits of mental skills training in sports #
Goal setting #
According to Lunenburg (2011), goal setting determines what one wants to achieve at the end of a specific process. The primary purpose of engaging in sports is to attain victory in a competition. In this case, in a mental skills training session, athletes internalize both short and long-term objectives in words or writing to stay focus and execute them once they are in action (McCarthy & Mc Cann, 2020).
Relieving stress and anxiety #
Since sports are competitive and attract massive attention and interest of the fans, most participants often worry about their efficiency, the quality of their performance, and, more importantly, the outcome. In this state of affairs, most players experience anxiety, nervousness, and psychological stress, which adversely affect their performance leading to undesirable results. In such circumstances, MST enables players to manage their emotions, control anxiety, adhere to rules, and focus on winning the competition (Olusoga et al., 2014).
Creating a vision #
Like setting goals, mental skills training enables players to create a vision of what is required of them or what they may experience or encounter in the competition. Such a vision creates a psychological familiarity that helps in reducing stress and overcoming anxiety ahead of an upcoming event. Alternatively, visualizing boosts recovery from injuries and helps in identifying and rectifying any weakness that might contribute to dismal performance (Ong & Giva, 2017).
Increasing and maintaining attention #
Sports are characterized by a lot of distractions and aspects that often interfere with how participants finally deliver. For instance, boxing bouts are familiar with promotion events in which contestants trade verbal insults, threaten one another, and in some instances, almost fight physically. In such situations, mental skills training helps players shift their focus from negative aspects and direct their energy to improve their performance (Sharp et al., 2013). Besides, MST helps players persevere under pressure, regain their focus, and limit preoccupation with the outcome.
Developing self-confidence #
According to McCarthy & McCann (2020), having self-confidence denotes a state where a person has a profound sense of control over their life and accepts themselves the way they are regardless of their flaws. In sports, self-confidence is a mental process that boosts the player’s willingness to participate in the sporting activity. Typically, self-confident athletes or teams remain optimistic, accept the challenge, and actively participate in a competition even when the possibility of winning is slight or when they are visibly defeated (Birrer & Morgan , 2010). Combined with motivation, self-confidence creates emotions, behaviors, and attitudes that make it easy to win and honorably concede defeat.
Self-talk #
All humans have an internal debate concerning the most significant affairs of their lives. Typically, such a debate is referred to as self-talk. Athletes experience self-talk concerning a wide range of critical issues that mainly relate to the performance and outcomes of sporting events. According to Hatzigeorgiadis et al, (2011) self-talk bears numerous implications on performance. In this case, MST enables athletes to identify positive from disturbing thoughts and focus on the desired outcome. Combined with self-confidence, self-talk boosts self-esteem, alleviates stress, and reduces anxiety.
Why MST is often neglected #
Despite its countless benefits, MST rarely features in most sports training programs. Below are some of the reasons why MST remains neglected.
Lack of knowledge in sports psychology #
Most times, coaches, trainers, or other professionals in charge of training activities lack professional knowledge of the relationship between mental processes and physical performance. Due to this, they train players focusing more on their physical, technical, and tactical skills. This is the typical coaching technique where instructors require athletes to be stronger and faster (Freitas et al., 2013). Unfortunately, such type of training always yields undesirable results as it lacks a vital component.
Perceived lack of time #
At times, athletes commence training only a few months or weeks before an upcoming event. Typically, such training is guided by the purpose of winning rather than preparing adequately for the competition. Due to this, the athlete trains hastily and does not devote enough time to all vital activities. In this situation, athletes are more likely to downplay critical aspects like MST and revert to tactical, technical, and physical skills training which focus more on end and not the process. According to Wood (2014), lack of time is the most critical factor why most athletes do not undertake MST.
Personal coaching habits #
As much as most coaches recognize the essence of MST, they rarely integrate it into their training programs. The most prominent reason behind this behavior is that most trainers find it easier to teach practical skills rather than struggle in teaching abstract concepts whose effectiveness is primarily subjective.
Myths and misconceptions #
The most significant challenge to MST is the countless myths and misconceptions created chiefly by people who do not understand it. Such myths make it difficult for athletes to understand, much less utilize MST to improve performance and attain their objective. The most notable myths relating to MST areas are outlined below.
It is for athletes with psychological problems. #
To most people, anything to do with psychology relates to mental disorders. For example, if a person says that they had a session with a psychologist, what first comes to mind is that they may be having stress, depression, or any other psychological problem. Using this perspective, most people think that MST is specifically for athletes suffering from mental challenges. Contrary to this notion, athletes acquire mental skills training not from any psychologist but only from a qualified sports psychologist with profound knowledge on various aspects like imagery, goals setting, concentration, arousal regulation, and mental preparation (Wood, 2014).
It is suitable only for elite players. #
Although professional players are mainly undergoing MST, it does not mean that ordinary players are not fit for the exercise. Typically, MST is fit for all athletes, regardless of skills and experience, and suitable for people living with disabilities, psychological disorders, or even hearing problems. Through MST, professional sports psychologists enable athletes to enhance performance and promote mental health. Notably, the notion that MST is only for pro athletes stems from the fact that the mass media focuses mainly on elite players while ignoring young and upcoming athletes who also need MST (Wood, 2014).
It is learned quickly and easily. #
Since MST does not involve many physical activities, people often think they can rush through the process in no time. However, the reality of the matter is that MST requires time, tolerance, and practice like all other facets of sports training. In this case, MST is not a process that one can use to quickly fix problems that they may encounter within a short time. Besides, since MST is not magic, it works gradually as the athlete develops psychologically and utilizes their abilities to improve their performance (Rickertsen, 2013).
MST methods are suitable for all athletes #
Although most of the methods and techniques used in mental skills training are compatible with most athlete’s psychological abilities, sometimes problems emerge since players naturally have different perceptions and thinking abilities (Rickertsen, 2013). In this light, MST cannot be effective if the trainers decide to employ a universal approach when dealing with all athletes. Considering their differences, coaches should adopt an individual focus on every player to ensure their psychological needs are met.
All athletes require MST. #
Regardless of the importance of having a sport psychologist on the team, it does not make it mandatory for every athlete to work. In this sense, some athletes exhibit high levels of confidence, motivation, discipline, and respect for the game, and thus, such players need minimal assistance from the sports psychologist. Besides, coaches should not compel athletes to work with psychologists because such actions ultimately ruin the cordial relationship between the three parties and adversely affects performance.
MST can replace training #
Regardless of its benefits to performance and psychological health, MST is merely a part of sports training. In this case, it can never be more important than physical, technical, and tactical training (Wood, 2014). Much less, it can never replace the other types of training since it does not serve similar purposes as they do. Based on these factors, athletes should never depend only on MST to enhance their performance. Besides, it is wrong for players to lay back and assume that sports psychologists are entirely responsible for conducting the MST programs.
Successful and unsuccessful athletes #
At all times, athletes must employ specific strategies to remain successful. Contrary to the popular view, success in sports is not defined by victories or losses but rather by the physical and mental growth attained after engaging in a sporting activity. According to Simpson & Wrisberg (2013), success stems from the satisfaction attained by knowing that they did the best they could to become the best they are or capable of becoming. In this light, specific factors differentiate between successful and unsuccessful sportspersons.
Trust in the process #
Becoming a successful athlete requires one to endure a process of growth from being an amateur to a world-class professional player. Besides this journey being processual, it is also characterized by adversities and setbacks. For instance, a player could sustain injuries during training just days before making their debut appearance in a world-class sports event. Or yet still, the coach can decide that they require more training and preparation before getting into action. For successful athletes, such setbacks provide more time for self-reflection and more perfection, which gradually leads to success since they want to achieve via a legitimate and straightforward process (Huber 2012). On the other hand, unsuccessful athletes view such delays negatively and contemplate giving up or using dubious methods to transcend the process. Unfortunately, the athlete later finds out that such shortcuts are useless and detrimental than they initially thought.
Vulnerability #
Vulnerability is the state of being in a position to sustain a physical or psychological attack or harm. Typically, sports involve competition between individuals or teams that aim to attain victory after the engagement. Even with top-notch training, profound experience, and impressive records, successful players never underestimate that they can get outsmarted and lose their competitors (Zandi & Mohebi, 2016). With this mindset, every failure serves as a helpful lesson that eradicates the possibility of making the same mistakes again in the future. On the other hand, unsuccessful athletes often assume that they have all that it takes to beat their defeat their competitors and thus, rule out the possibility of losing. In this sorry state of ignorance, unsuccessful sportspersons shockingly realize their mistakes when it is already too late to make any meaningful amends.
Self-confidence #
Arguably, all athletes have a considerable level of self-confidence that firstly propels them into participating in a particular type of sport. Notwithstanding, extraordinary self-confidence is what distinguishes between successful and unsuccessful players. Typically, successful players believe in themselves and, more importantly, are willing to pay any price for success (Singh, 2020). With such high confidence, successful players can perform under pressure, manage stress and anxiety, and, more importantly, remain optimistic in the face of adversity and imminent defeat (Zandi &Mohebi, 2016). On the contrary, unsuccessful players have low self-confidence, making them vulnerable to making excuses and blaming other people even when it is their fault. Such behavior stems from knowing that they lack specific professional attributes and thus they are not among the best athletes in the world.
Inherent desire to succeed #
Combined with the outcomes attained after winning a sporting competition, the notion of “us Vs. them” reduces the purpose of engaging in sport to simply winning trophies, medals, titles, and other impressive objective outcomes. Nevertheless, successful athletes recognize the importance of competing with themselves even before meeting their competitors (Kolosov et al., 2019). For instance, most runners typically train hard to break their records before proceeding to international events. Such training assures the athlete of the effectiveness of their skills and exposes any areas that need rectification. Conversely, unsuccessful athletes primarily focus on the opponent and thus overlook their flaws, which ultimately contribute to their downfall.
Self-discipline #
Self-discipline refers to one’s ability to control their emotions and overcome their weaknesses. Typically, all sporting activities are conducted with specific rules and regulations that uphold respect, dignity, and discipline among the participants. Due to the sports being competitive, most athletes experience intense emotions, which, if not well-controlled, lead to indiscipline. In such situations, successful players contain themselves and display high levels of self-discipline even when they are offended (Piepiora et al., 2019). Even when they win or suffer from defeat, successful sportspeople remain humble and embrace the outcomes of the contests. Besides, when not engaged in a sports activity, successful athletes rarely miss training sessions and strictly adhere to their sports nutrition plan. Unlike successful players, unsuccessful players have less or no control of their actions and emotions, whether in or out of sports. Typically, such athletes have problems with conceding defeat or accepting responsibility for their mistakes. Even when they perform well, unsuccessful athletes use their victory to taunt and laugh at opponents and boost their lacking personality.
Focus and realistic optimism #
In training, successful athletes develop a mental connection between what they are doing and how it will translate to success. Such a focus provides a clear path which the athlete follows until they achieve their objectives. Even with a sharp focus, athletes need surplus energy against the challenges, and unanticipated changes present during the game. On the other hand, unsuccessful athletes have a vague focus on what they want to achieve, and thus, they are at a greater risk of not attaining their objectives. For instance, if an athlete enters into a race to compete with their rival rather than win the contest, their focus is on the wrong objective, and thus, they stand to lose a lot.
Appreciation #
Typically, athletes undergo numerous adversities to perfect their craft and become the best. Most times, athletes strain their bodies and sustain both in training and actual performance. If one had to ask why athletes persevere all these experiences, the answer would be simple. Athletes sacrifice their lives, not for wealth or fame, but because they know that becoming the best requires diligent and intelligent work (Mano & Schreiber, 2020). In this sense, successful athletes are grateful for the early mornings, late nights, spending extra hours in the gym, failures, and all other aspects that mold them into what they are. On the contrary, unsuccessful athletes prefer a smooth passage to victory and often perceive the adversities they counter on the journey as some type of punishment. Even when they endure and do not give up, unsuccessful athletes are always bitter about their past experiences and use them to attract the necessary attention.
Why use mental skills with boxers? #
Boxing refers to a combat/fighting sport where two (and only) participants (boxers) compete in a square ring by throwing punches at each other while wearing different types of protective gear like gloves for a specific period which the referee and the judges often determine. In boxing, a boxer is declared a winner if they punch their competitor to submission. A fighter is disqualified or withdraws from the competition. The referee stops the fight to save a fighter from sustaining more damage or when judges declare victory based on points calculated throughout the contest. Although some people argue that boxing promotes violence and has adverse long-term effects, it is one of the oldest sports and one of the most popular in the world. Moreover, studies indicate that boxing is one of the most suitable sports for enhancing physical fitness and developing self-defense skills.Psychological challenges experienced by boxers
Despite that boxing employs physical, technical, and tactical skills like speed, coordination, and power, boxers also require mental skills which contribute to high performance and, ultimately, victory. In this sense, MST should be an essential part of training boxers. Like in any sport, boxers face numerous psychological challenges that impair their ability to perform well. Some of the most significant problems are as discussed below.
Stress #
Stress refers to the emotional reaction to the changes that occur in a person’s life. Most times, stress stems out of negative factors that cause psychological anguish and depression. In sports, athletes experience stress due to competitive, organizational and personal factors. According to Jay (2020), competitive stressors are issues relating to training or the actual sports event. From this perspective, athletes experience stress mostly when they sustain or recover from injuries, face problems in implementing a particular skill, worry about the opponent’s readiness or are under pressure to perform. On the other hand, organizational stressors are the challenges between the athlete and the organization they represent. These include issues with training, disagreement with team members or instructors, contractual disputes, or problems with scheduling. Lastly, personal stressors are the causes of stress that relate to the athlete’s personal life. Such stressors include family problems, traumatic life events, financial difficulties, and commitment to other endeavors like studies (Jay, 2020).
Combined with the above stressors, boxers experience stress due to the aggressive nature of the sport. Although elite boxers overcome the fear of getting hit, the thoughts or memories of a brutal fight are overwhelming. With time, they result in stress, depression, and PTSD to boxers who sustain severe damage in the sport and even those who inflict critical harm to their opponents.
Anxiety #
According to anxiety is characterized by unsettledness, worry, and tension caused by uncertainty due to an unknown outcome of a future situation. Usually, human beings worry and become anxious due to the unpredictability of life. Since sports are competitive and the outcomes define success and competence, most athletes experience anxiety known as performance anxiety. Performance anxiety presents when an athlete loses focus, remembers past mistakes, fears that they may perform unsatisfactorily, fears being judged, fears being embarrassed by the opponent, lack self-confidence, and has negative self-talk. Alternatively, athletes experience anxiety due to a lack of adequate preparedness and fear of embarrassing their teammates. Due to anxiety, athletes experience physiological changes such as increased heart rate, high blood pressure, abdominal discomfort, sweating, slow breathing rate, and inability to focus (Simpson & Wrisberg, 2013). Although some studies indicate that anxiety promotes survival, too much anxiety adversely affects performance in boxing. When a boxer is too anxious, the adrenaline in the blood impairs their concentration and coordination abilities, and thus, they cannot fully exploit their technical and tactical skills. In this state of affairs, they are highly vulnerable to attacks from the opponent due to poor defensive skills (Jay, 2020).
Fear #
Fear is an emotional reaction that warns against an impending physical or psychological danger. Quite often, people experience fear when the perceived danger outweighs their ability to fight back. In sports, athletes fear losing their opponents, performing below expectations, making mistakes, sustaining injuries, or failing their teammates and instructors. According to Hsu et al. (2017), fear slows most athlete’s recovery process and contributes to poor performance. Although elite boxers never fear the idea of getting hit, they fear and hate the humiliation, ridicule, and lack of appreciation that follows a defeat. Even the victorious fear too because they know that winning a fight or earning a title or winning a title invites the possibilities of facing more formidable opponents (Jay, 2020).
High expectations #
As a result of quality training, experience, and expertise in a particular game, elite athletes make promises and set high expectations of how excellently they will perform in a specific event. Alternatively, some go further and predict the outcome in their favor due to being overconfident. In this situation, such athletes pile unnecessary pressure to fulfill the promises they make to their fans and coaches. However, when they realize that it is impossible to meet such demands, they get stressed and perform poorly. In boxing, there are numerous incidents where athletes predict the number of rounds to defeat their opponent. Other boxers underestimate their challengers and taut them only to get knocked out or defeated effortlessly (Simpson & Wrisberg, 2013).
Perfectionism #
Perfectionism is a state whereby a person strives to be flawless or lack any mistake in everything they do. In simpler words, it is the belief that it is possible to be perfect. In sports, perfectionist athletes and coaches insist on not making any mistakes or failing in a competition. Although perfectionism promotes success, it equally causes harm when it is not attained. For instance, when a football team maintains a winning streak throughout a particular season, their coach, trainers, and fans will likely start believing that they cannot lose. Such notions lead to bitter disappointments when such teams or athletes make mistakes and are defeated. In another light, perfectionist boxers are willing to pay any price to maintain a clean record, even if it brings both physical and psychological harm to them (Jay, 2020). Such athletes usually fight for many rounds and get hurt to win. Most times, the need to be perfect sways the athlete’s focus from the main objective and impairs their performance.
Essential mental skills for boxing #
Like other sports, boxing requires a combination of technical, tactical, and mental skills. According to Colmenares (2020), successful boxers are the ones that employ their mental abilities to enhance performance and promote their safety during an encounter. Such mental skills are outlined below.
Anxiety control #
Boxing is one of the most popular sports in contemporary society. Such popularity exerts massive pressure on athletes who seek to their fans that they are the best (Tazegul et al., 2015). As a result, most fighters experience intense thoughts, anxiety, and emotional turmoil before and during the fight (Colemenares, 2020). Such anxiety and psychological arousal gradually interfere with performance as demonstrated by the catastrophe model In such situations controlling anxiety enables athletes to remain calm, calculate their actions and make swift decisions.
Self-confidence #
Arguably, the most prominent reason why athletes participate in contests is that they believe in themselves. In this light, confident fighters are most successful as they are willing to face adversities, prepare adequately and learn through their mistakes or other people’s experiences. Besides, self-confidence inspires fighters to accept responsibility for their flaws and develop a better outlook, leading to success (Colmenares, 2020). For instance, a fighter lacking self-confidence may lose in the initial rounds due to fear and anxiety. However, once they believe in themselves, they brave all odds to the end regardless of the outcome.
Discipline #
Regardless of the type of sport, discipline keeps all athletes aligned to the routine, schedule, and, more importantly, the sport’s rules and regulations. In boxing, discipline regulates fighters from doing specific things even when they have the power to do otherwise. Besides, discipline normalizes adherence to training and diet programs which have tremendous implications on performance.
Goal setting and focus #
Before an athlete develops and maintains focus, they must first set the objectives they want to achieve. Typically, such objectives influence their efforts in training which eventually enhance performance. For instance, if a boxer aims to win a particular title, that serves as their goal. However, to achieve it, they must focus on specific aspects that will determine the possibility of meeting the objective (O’Brien et al., 2009). In this case, they must work on their concentration, technique, and other skills by training in situations similar to the actual fight.
Self-improvement #
One of the costliest mistakes that elite athletes make is to assume that they know everything only to get a rude awakening when they are defeated and humbled by a seemingly “lees dangerous” opponent. Even the best fighters recognize the importance of learning and improving themselves throughout their career to avoid such embarrassment. Even at the peak of their professions, successful fighters seek advice from their trainers, fellow fighters, and other people who add more value to their skills (Colmenares, 2020).
Mental toughness #
In sports, mental toughness refers to the psychological resilience that enables an athlete to tolerate and overcome adversities and demands that limit their chances of succeeding (Lin et al., 2017). Although some people argue that people are born with mental toughness, scientific studies have proven that they are both natural or learned skills (Gucciardi, 2020, p101). Mental toughness is described by the ability to recover from defeat, composure and self-control, resilience against challenges, intrinsic motivation, optimism, willingness to succeed, strict focus on detail, careful organization of thoughts and actions, and determination (Cowden, 2017). In addition to being physically tough, fighters must also be mentally tough since success in boxing is defined by the ability to recover from defeat, staying focused and consistent, and, more importantly, staying composed regardless of the opponent or the situation one is facing.
How do you implement MST program #
Education and evaluation #
Considering that each athlete has a unique psychological state, there is no single MST approach suitable for all athletes. In this sense, implementing an MST program requires combining different approaches and mechanisms that resonate with individual differences. In this sense, before implementing an MST program, the coach must examine the fighter’s stress management and anxiety control ability, training and practice intensity, positive body language, visionary skills, goal setting, adherence to routine, and personal motivation (Heazlewood, 2019). Additionally, they should analyze and assess the fighter’s positive self-talk, ability to manage errors, self-confidence and composure, and competitiveness. Such an analysis provides the coach with a clear picture of what each athlete requires to perform excellently or what is termed as the individual zone of optimal functioning (IZOF) as described by Hanin (Ruiz,et al., 2017)
Tips for coaches #
Firstly, coaches must have a profound understanding of who they are and understand the athletes to establish a psychological link for implementing the MST program. Secondly, coaches should employ scientific approaches and their practical experiences to make the MST program more relatable and applicable to the athletes. Thirdly, coaches should communicate effectively with athletes to fully understand the link between training and quality performance. Lastly, coaches should evaluate the MST program to measure its effectiveness and suitability.
Acquiring mental skills #
Although fighters could use various approaches to develop and their mental skills, below are some of the most strategies for boxers.
Reflection #
According to Rogavela & Malkin (n.d), reflection is the process through which the athlete controls and enhances their performance by using past experiences to identify their weaknesses and strengths. By creating a table that illustrates their current state and how they would like to be in the future, they channel their mental energy into training and thus improve their performance. For instance, the table below shows a boxer’s reflection on training.
| Dimension | Current | Future | Action required |
| Endurance | 3 | 7 | Add more hours of sparring and running |
| Nutrition | 3 | 7 | Engage the nutritionist to create a proper diet program |
| Coping with pressure | 2 | 7 | Create a mental image of the fight |
| Motivation | 4 | 7 | Allow friends and family members to attend training and actual events. |
Relaxation #
According to Spielberger (2021) experiencing anxiety does not necessarily indicate fear but instead demonstrates that the athlete values the competition to the extent that they are emotionally involved. Regardless, excessive anxiety inhibits performance and ultimately results in defeat. In this sense, dealing with anxiety requires one to develop coping strategies. The problem-based approach helps the athlete reduce anxiety by focusing on how not to experience the impacts stemming from the competition. On the other hand, the emotion-based strategy helps the sportsperson develop a positive interpretation of the anxiety-causing circumstances. Other approaches that athletes can use to ease tension are meditation and pre-match routines (Spielberger, 2021).
Positive self-talk #
Positive self-talk is an essential source of motivation for athletes when there is no one to cheer, shout, or encourage. The best thing about positive self-talk is that it emanates from within the athlete’s mind, and thus it is genuine motivation based on belief in oneself. According to (Meijen, 2019), positive self-talk equips athletes with more power and will to continue and greater endurance against challenges.
Imagery #
Although athletes usually envision an upcoming event, most of them develop a pessimistic image of how things could turn for the worst (Gould et al., 2014). Such imagery contributes to anxiety, withdrawal, and fear towards the competition. In an MST program, the coach should encourage fighters to develop a mental image where; they look confident to their opponents, identify their competitors, relax and control the situation, and win the contest (Clough & Strycharczyk 2015).
Practice #
After developing specific mental skills, coaches should encourage thorough practice and perfection through automation, integration, and simulation. By automation, the fighters should repeatedly train until the skill becomes a part of them. Through integration, the fighter should successfully employ the skill learned in practice and the contest. During simulation, the fighter recreates and practices in a similar situation to the upcoming event (Lim & Sullivan, 2016).
Evaluation #
This is the final process whereby the coach, the trainer, and the fighter evaluate the MST program through experiments and evaluations on performance.
Challenges facing MST #
As much as it is crucial, MST has not been equally integrated into sports training compared to other aspects because of the following reasons.
Lack of knowledge in sports psychology #
Most coaches are not conversant with sports psychology and thus find it difficult to form a psychological connection with their athletes, much less implement MST. Due to the complexity of MST and other challenges like financial problems, only professional athletes have access to sports psychologists (Marti et al., 2012).
Lack of conviction among trainers and athletes #
Arguably, most instructors are more concerned with physical, tactical, and technical skills than metal skills. In this situation, they underestimate the role of MST in enhancing performance. According to Martin et al. (2012) most coaches and athletes lack the incentive to integrate MST in their training programs due to the perception that the efforts they commit to physical training are enough sources of motivation capable of enhancing performance and yielding success.
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