Harness the power of your mind and achieve higher goals in sports and many other areas of life. Start mental training now!
Table of contents
1. What is mental training?
The term mental training encompasses a variety of psychological training methods that can help you positively influence your cognitive and athletic abilities, as well as your emotions. Mental training has its origins in sports psychology.
A few decades ago, athletes began to train movement sequences not only physically but also mentally , that is, using their imagination. Mental training methods are therefore based on the realization that psychological and physical processes are closely linked .
Later, coaches used mental training in sports not only for movement sequences, but also to prepare individual athletes and entire teams for the pressure of sporting competitions [1].
In sports mental training, athletes learn how to cope with stress and become more successful through positive thinking. Mental training can now be applied in sports as well as in many other areas of life.
With mental training you pursue different goals: optimizing movement sequences in sports, overcoming fears , strengthening resilience , promoting well-being and resistance [2].
You can do mental training with a mental coach or on your own. It's important that you follow the principles of the training: the continuous repetition of appropriate mental training exercises.
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2. How does mental training work?
Whether mental training in sports, at work or in your private life: In mental training you use methods from psychological behavioral therapy to develop mental strength .
A large part of the mental training exercises are based on the principle of conditioning : By repeating certain cognitive exercises, you learn to interpret your environment positively and to actively counteract bad emotions and a negative mindset.
Below you will find some example techniques for sports mental training as well as mental training against stress and negative thoughts .
Techniques mental training sport:
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Subvocal training (self-talk) : Sounds strange, but it's effective. Through controlled self-talk, you can outsmart the negative thought cycle .
Instead of thinking about failures and embarrassments, verbalize the upcoming movement in your mind - this could be a high jump, a 50-meter freestyle swim, or a marathon stage. -
Achieve optimal performance through activation regulation : You have probably already observed it in yourself: There is a certain emotional state in which you achieve your best performance.
With activation regulation, you actively bring yourself into this state. Biohackers also like to refer to this as the FLOW state . Being too relaxed is just as harmful as being too tense. Depending on which emotions you tend to experience, relaxation or activation techniques can help you improve your performance in sports with mental training.
Mental training techniques for mental strength:
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Two-column technique to change beliefs : When you mentally train yourself using the two-column technique, you'll naturally develop a positive belief system. To do this, take a piece of paper, divide it into a left and right column, and think of an upcoming situation that needs to be mastered.
Now, jot down all the negative thoughts that come to mind on the left. Then, for each negative thought, write down a corresponding realistic or positive thought on the right. Keep the sheet and read the notes in the right column repeatedly to establish them as a thought pattern. -
Learn to cope with stress through mental training : Reducing stress and building resilience is a primary goal of mental training. To achieve these goals, you should embrace and implement time and conflict management methods.
This includes distinguishing between what is important and what is unimportant, working with to-do lists, and rewarding yourself for completing tasks.
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3. Who benefits from mental training?
Mental training can be beneficial for everyone and help you achieve your goals . We therefore encourage you to simply try out one or two mental training exercises. Mental training is also recommended for you in the following situations:
- If you are an athlete : Whether specifically for sporting competitions or to achieve top performance in training – special sports mental training will help you.
- If you're anxious and nervous : If public speaking or the next salary negotiation keeps you awake at night, you should boost your confidence with mental training. With the right technique, you can overcome your fears and create a positive mindset.
- If you're training for a marathon : Mental training is especially recommended for runners [3]. We all know that completing a marathon is not only about fitness, but also about mental strength.
- If you feel stressed : Do you feel like your tasks are getting out of hand? Mental training is an effective way to combat stress. Relaxed and with a cool head, you can work with greater focus and complete your tasks much faster.
4. Mental training exercises
Are you convinced and ready to start your mental training program? You can choose between guided training with a mental coach or implementing methods yourself . You can find a few simple mental training exercises here that you can use to start your mental training right away:
1. Visualization:
If you can imagine it, you can do it. Our brains have a hard time distinguishing between fantasy and reality. You can take advantage of this in sports mental training by repeatedly imagining or "telling yourself about" how you overcame a particular hurdle in sports.
For the visualization method, close your eyes and imagine the situation you're trying to master as realistically as possible. Repeat this exercise several times, and you'll see: your motivation increases, and your fears and concerns disappear.
2. Meditation:
There are various meditation techniques that you can use for your mental training, for example mantra meditation .
You choose short, benevolent, motivating messages that you quietly recite or chant repeatedly during meditation. Mantra meditation can give you power and serenity .
3. Autogenic training:
Mindfulness exercises like autogenic training help you free yourself from tension, stress, and worry . With clear thoughts, you'll approach your goals more positively and confidently.
The best prerequisite for your success. The so-called heaviness exercise is a popular and simple form of autogenic training. To do it, sit or lie down in a relaxed position, close your eyes, and mentally wander through your body, "feeling" how each body part becomes heavier one after the other.
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4. Affirmations:
Changing beliefs and establishing new thought patterns – you can achieve this with affirmations. An affirmation in mental training is a positive, affirmative statement that focuses on your goal and needs to be repeated constantly, for example, two or three times a day.
You should also pay attention to your emotional world. When speaking the affirmations, you should feel joy and gratitude. Affirmation examples include: "Every day I gain self-confidence," "I am a very good team leader," "My life is rich and fulfilling." [4]
5. Mindfulness exercise:
If you want to focus more on yourself and block out critical voices, you should incorporate mindfulness exercises into your mental training.
With these exercises, you 'll learn to view thoughts and opinions objectively . Other people's opinions and successes won't throw you off track so easily.
5. Conclusion
Mental training encompasses a variety of psychological training methods that can help you positively influence your mental and athletic abilities. With mental training, you can overcome fears, become more self-confident, and achieve more success.
6. Sources
[1] Amler W, Bernatzky P, Knörzer W. (2006). Integrative mental training in sports.
[2] Unestahl LE, Bundzen P, Gavrilova E, Isakov V (2004). HYPNOS. The Effects of Integrated Mental Training on Stress and Psychomatic Health. [https://www.mentaltraining.com/wp-content/uploads/effects-of-imt-on-stress-and-psychosomatic-health.pdf]
[3] Schomer H. (1986). International Journal of Sport Psychology. Volume 17. pp. 41–59. Mental strategies and the perception of effort of marathon runners. [https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1987-14208-001]
[4] Gawronski B, Deutsch R, Mbirkoua S, Seibt B, Strack F. (2008). Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Volume 44. pp. 370-377. When “Just Say No” is not enough: Affirmation versus negation training and the reduction of automatic stereotype activation. [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103106001909]
