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The Mental Game Of Volleyball
Winners Have Calm, Focused Mental Toughness
Bill Cole, MS, MA
How satisfied are you with your mental game? Would your coach
rate you as having a strong mental approach to volleyball?
If you could improve just a few things in your mental game,
what would they be?
I've been the mental game coach to Olympic, National and State
Championship volleyball players and coaches, and to NCAA Division
I collegiate volleyball programs. I recently helped a youth
team win the Northern California Girls Championships, and
earn a bid to the national championships.
Here are four mental strategies you can use to ignite your
mental game of volleyball into the next level.
- Know What You Can Control And Let The Rest Go:
Smart volleyball players know what they can and cannot control.
They make this distinction so they can manage their minds
better. Can you control what someone may be thinking about
you? No—Let it go. Can you control what you are thinking,
about anything? Yes. It's very simple, but it takes discipline
and mental control. Try it—you'll be amazed at how
something so simple can be so powerful.
- Stop The Drama In Your Mind: In a perfect world,
everyone on your team would get along and support each other.
In reality, people can tend to snipe, complain and backstab
others. This strife and drama can ruin your on-court focus,
even though some of these social antics may be taking place
off-court. Your task is to erase these negative behaviors
with your unconditional support of your teammates, at least
when on court. Forgive people for being imperfect and simply
focus on the ball, not the team dynamics.
- Turn Your Superstitions Into Rituals: Do you pull
up your kneepad a certain way when you really need to turn
in a big play? Or do you have other lucky charms you call
on to bring you good results? These are superstitions, and
if they don't get in your way, they can be good harmless
fun. But if they cause you or others time issues or other
problems, it's time to convert them into compact, manageable
rituals. You should have a ritual before every point, and
it should be easily accomplished, no matter what.
- Take Responsibility For Yourself: When you think,
"My coach runs such a boring practice session!",
you are giving away your mental powers to that negative
thought. Yes, maybe the coach could be livelier, but you
are in charge of how you respond to every situation, so
take responsibility for yourself and make the most of the
situation. Work hard, ask questions, be focused and you
will find that those once-boring practices suddenly are
a whole lot more interesting and worthwhile. And all because
you decided to tune in, instead of tune out.
Now you know more about the mental game of volleyball, and about
how to manage your own mental process. You are in charge of what
is in your mind, and about how you react to situations. As you take
more responsibility for yourself you will gain a growing sense of
power and mastery. Take that power, because that is what will make
you great.
For a comprehensive overview of your mental abilities you
need an assessment instrument that identifies your complete
mental strengths and weaknesses. Here is a free, easy-to-take
65-item sport
psychology assessment tool you can score right on the
spot. This assessment gives you a quick snapshot of your strengths
and weaknesses in your mental game. You can use this as a
guide in creating your own mental training program, or as
the basis for a program you undertake with mental coach Bill
Cole, MS, MA to improve your mental game. This assessment
would be an excellent first step to help you get the big picture
about your mental game.
Copyright © 2014 Bill Cole, MS, MA. All rights reserved.
This article covers only one small part of the mental game.
A complete mental training program includes motivation and
goal-setting, pre-event mental preparation, post-event review
and analysis, mental strengthening, self-regulation training,
breath control training, motor skill training, mental rehearsal,
concentration training, pressure-proofing, communication training,
confidence-building, breaking through mental barriers, slump
prevention, mental toughness training, flow training, relaxation
training, momentum training, psych-out proofing and media
training.
For a comprehensive overview of your mental abilities you
need an assessment instrument that identifies your complete
mental strengths and weaknesses. For a free, easy-to-take
65-item sport psychology assessment tool you can score right
on the spot, visit https://www.mentalgamecoach.com/Assessments/MentalGameOfSports.html.
This assessment gives you a quick snapshot of your strengths
and weaknesses in your mental game. You can use this as a
guide in creating your own mental training program, or as
the basis for a program you undertake with Bill Cole, MS,
MA to improve your mental game. This assessment would be an
excellent first step to help you get the big picture about
your mental game.
Bill Cole, MS, MA, a leading authority on peak performance, mental toughness
and coaching, is founder and President of the International Mental Game Coaching
Association, https://www.mentalgamecoaching.com.
Bill is also founder and CEO of William B. Cole Consultants, a consulting firm that helps
organizations and professionals achieve more success in business, life and sports.
He is a multiple Hall of Fame honoree, an award-winning scholar-athlete, published
book author and articles author, and has coached at the highest levels of major-league
pro sports, big-time college athletics and corporate America. For a free, extensive
article archive, or for questions and comments visit him at www.MentalGameCoach.com.
Article Source: SportsPsychologyCoaching.com
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