News Release: December 1, 2021 - Silicon Valley, California
Bill Cole, MS, MA, Founder and President of The International Mental Game Coaching Association, has been installed as a member of the Board of Advisors of Motiv Health, Inc. Bill was also brought on board in the roles of Executive Coach and Performance Coach for Motiv Health clients.
Motiv Health is a medical startup that is creating the world's most advanced precision behavior platform for health coaching. Motiv Health is a personalized and persuasive digital health coaching system. The company leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) and coaching to help improve human behavior. Motiv Health highlights how lifestyle and behavior impact health, and the importance of training our mindset to be healthy. The company’s mission is to build a persuasion-driven, mindset-first, precision behavior change platform. Motiv Health is located in San Diego, California, and was incorporated in 2021.
https://www.motivhealth.io/
Bill Cole stated, “Upon first hearing about Motiv Health I immediately knew that it was an idea whose time had come. I’m extremely excited and honored to have been asked to be a part of such a visionary venture. Motiv Health is poised to change how people approach their health, wellness and medical pathways. The confluence of the company theme of awareness, intentionality, mindset, cutting-edge knowledge and self-coaching, all pulled together by advances in artificial intelligence (AI) make this venture a force to be reckoned with.
Motiv Health is a highly advanced, personalized, and persuasive digital health coaching system. The company focus is on AI and coaching to help people become their own change agents and to be able to make better, wiser decisions about their health. It all begins with the proper mindset, and that then drives their proper health choices.
The big three when it comes to influencing our health are sleep, nutrition and exercise. They seem so simple, yet we often take them for granted. But they deeply impact our health, to a higher degree than any other variables. Motiv Health is poised to play a bigger, better, more high-powered game with these three factors.
I am incredibly excited to be part of such a talented team with a far-reaching vision with the ability to craft intelligent strategies to fulfill that promise.”
Bill Cole has held many leadership positions, from starting and running his own ventures as President and CEO, as entrepreneur and businessman, as an executive mentor, coach and trainer, as an association executive, and from being on Boards of Directors and Advisory Boards. He is an internationally and nationally recognized performance psychology expert and multiple Hall of Fame Honoree, an award-winning scholar-athlete, and has coached at the highest levels of the Olympics, major-league pro sports, big-time college athletics and corporate America.
As an internationally-known performance psychology / stress management expert, Bill has often been invited by the medical world to speak at state, national and international medical conventions. For years he's trained physicians and other medical professionals in many fields in his mental peak performance system.
Bill Cole has been the mental game coach or sports psychology consultant with athletes or coaches of 25 world and national teams, 11 international and Olympic teams, 32 professional sports teams, associations or leagues, and of athletes who have won 40 world and national championships. He has been the mental game trainer for thousands of athletes, coaches and parents in over 100 sports, at all ages and skill levels.
Bill has been a leader in the field of sport psychology for over 40 years, as a scholar, researcher, writer, teacher, coach, athlete, trainer, speaker and consultant. He is a thought leader and expert in the worlds of peak performance, coaching and the mental game. He is the Founder and President of the International Mental Game Coaching Association, which trains and certifies mental game coaches worldwide.
"Bill Cole is a mind guru...he is among the elite mental game peak performance experts in this country."
American Society of Anesthesiologists
"an expert in optimal performance and stress management"
California Society Of Anesthesiologists
"Bill Cole, president and founder of the International Mental Game Coaching Association, says the key to achievement is enthusiasm for your goals. Cole coaches both Olympic and major-league athletes, and teaches his disciplinary techniques to corporate America."
WebMD
"Performance psychology consultant Bill Cole has counseled many of the world's top athletes and knows how to combat stress and anxiety."
Forbes Magazine
"Bill Cole is a leading Olympic sports psychologist and a world-renowned peak performance coach."
British Broadcasting Corporation (The BBC)
"Bill Cole is a leading author on sports psychology."
Yahoo! Sports
"Bill Cole is a renowned sports psychologist and 'mental game coach' who helps athletes cope with the demands of intense competition."
CNET Magazine
For more information, to engage Bill as a guest expert, or to schedule a media interview, please contact:
Bill Cole, MS, MA
Founder and President
The International Mental Game Coaching Association
Phone 408-705-8877
E-Mail: BCole@MentalGameCoaching.com
Website: https://www.mentalgamecoaching.com
News Release: November 8, 2021 - Silicon Valley, California
The International Mental Game Coaching Association Announces Kristin Grube Is A New Level I Certified Coach.
Kristin Grube based in Langeoog, Germany, has earned the Level I Certification from the International Mental Game Coaching Association training program. Kristin was awarded the title of Certified Mental Game Instructor, (CMGI).
Bill Cole, MS, MA, Founder and President of IMGCA stated,
"Kristin Grube is a force of nature. She is an action-oriented, unstoppable beam of laser light aimed at her goal of being the best mental game coach in the game of Polo!
Everything Kristin does shows that she is on a mission.
For example, most IMGCA graduates take at least many months, if not an entire year to develop, write, plan and execute a basic web site. Kristin did all this, and at a very high level, within a few weeks! Her website:
https://polomentalcoach.com
This gives you a glimpse of how Kristin operates. When she sets her mind on something, she goes for it, and at lightning speed.
For some new mental game coaches, they slowly and gradually gather “test clients” to practice new methods with. This can take them many weeks to find people. Not Kristin! Within a few days she had secured a set of students to coach and off she went.
So this is Kristin at her best. She sees a goal, makes a plan, then executes that plan. And she does it with gusto and a positive expectation for success.
Kristin shared with me that in the last few years she became more and more interested in all things concerning self-awareness and personal development. Unfortunately, she was not aware of these when she was in university, so she did not choose any psychology classes. But now, she is unstoppable and wanting to learn everything. Kristin is a dedicated, life-long learner. She is deeply curious, smart and one of the fastest-learning trainees I’ve ever had in IMGCA certification.
Kristin is a delightful person to know. She’s very friendly, smiling often, and open to new experiences. Her pleasing personality will help her attract new clients and help put them at ease in her coaching sessions. Kristin’s background in sales will also help her in setting up her new business, and in meeting and enrolling new clients. I can already tell she has an excellent business sense, and she’s putting it to good use!
Kristin has a very strong sports background. She’s been involved with sports all her life. She started with soccer, then vaulting, then classical horse riding, and then swimming. Polo followed shortly after that. Now Kristin competes alongside the best Polo players in the world.
Kristin still strives to regularly visualize before every game. She uses positive thinking and views YouTube videos and reads books about personal development.
Kristin Grube is already taking the Polo world by storm as a mental game coach. We will see what other sports she ventures into in the future. One thing is for certain however. Kristin will be a major force in whatever area she uses her mental game coaching skills. We at IMGCA have been very fortunate to have had Kristin join our training program. I know her clients will also be very fortunate to have her."
For Kristin, sport has always played a big role in her life. At 6 years old she discovered her passion for horses and for equestrian sports. Since then she has permanently been riding and caring for horses. Being interested in all sorts of equestrian disciplines, she started Polo when she was a student at University. And got infected with the Polo virus right away! She has now played in many countries all over the world, for example in Germany, Argentina, the country of Polo, the UAE, Thailand and Denmark. Kristin is quite a curious person and does not limit herself to Polo ponies: In Elephant Polo she ranks amongst the best female players in the world. (Yes, Elephant Polo is a real sport!). Her first experience with coaching was shortly before a game. Nerves set in with so many guests and friends watching the match. She asked her friend, who was a mental coach at the time, to show her a couple of techniques. That afternoon Kristin scored 6 out of the 7 winning goals for her team and so began her fascination for the Mental Game. Kristin played for years in an all-ladies team in Dubai and was always responsible for their game plan and team morale back then.
Why Kristin Wanted To Undertake IMGCA Certification
Kristin stated: "I felt my life and my career needed a new direction. I always liked helping people achieve things and coaching our ladies team. The great experience I had with the short coaching session of my friend reminded me that there is that path of career right in front of me and that I can take it, if I wanted. I wanted, did some research on courses and institutions and found the IMGCA page. I liked what I saw, got in contact with some IMGCA certified coaches and they all recommended this great programme and working with Bill Cole. So I enrolled in the programme."
Kristin's Other Business Background
Kristin has a German Diploma in Economics with a focus on Marketing and International Business. She used to work in Sales and Marketing of consumer goods until she decided to give her career a new direction in the world of coaching. Kristin’s career has taken her outside Germany, so far in Italy, Dubai and Argentina. Kristin loves travelling and is curious to explore other cultures. She is a constant learner and speaks German, English, Italian and Spanish. Kristin loves writing and has published already a book about Dubai.
Overview of IMGCA Certification Programs
Level I IMGCA certification requires two hours of live private in person or web-based video 1-1 coaching with Bill Cole, MS, MA, IMGCA President. Level I students are required to view 13 videos, listen to over six hours of audios, understand two assessments and read 20 articles. Level III and IV IMGCA certification students have access to over 120 hours of IMGCA pre-recorded audio classes, over 500 mental training videotapes, over 50 content articles and 12 assessments. Across all certifications, IMGCA has over 140 specialized sport psychology content articles. New content is being added continuously.
Each student completes reading assignments, written homework, practical application of the class content and coaching practicum with groups, teams and individuals as applicable, and coaching feedback evaluations. Each student passes the IMGCA Level I certification written examination.
This sport psychology certification training is provided by the International Mental Game Coaching Association, based in Fremont, California. The IMGCA was the first international mental game coaching membership organization, created January 1, 2006. It remains the only international mental game coaching membership organization in the world today. The mission of the International Mental Game Coaching Association is to advance the research, development, professionalism, and growth of the discipline of mental game coaching worldwide. The IMGCA is comprised of individuals and institutions interested in sports, movement, health, fitness, business, the arts, achievement, work-life balance, stress control, and peak performance. IMGCA members come from all walks of life, and have varied backgrounds in sports performance, coaching, teaching, writing, business and consulting. They are professionals, students, parents, and interested observers of the mental game.
Topics Of Study In The IMGCA Certification Programs
With IMGCA you can learn over 700 topics, issues, techniques and methods of the mental game:
https://www.mentalgamecoaching.com/IMGCACertification.html#TopicsOfStudy
Just a few of the areas of study:
- Attention and Concentration Control
- Assessments, both written and oral
- Coaching communication
- Enlisting parents and coaches as allies
- Motivation and goal setting
- Individual differences and customization of coaching plans
- How to read people and understand them better
- How to create rapport
- Using metaphors and analogies in coaching
- Creating a coaching dialogue
- Coaching vs. consulting vs. training vs. teaching
- Conducting the first coaching session
- How to get clients and have a busy practice
- How life stress events intrude on sport performance
- Common mental obstacles to peak performance
- Coaching parents of athletes
- The inner game and zen sports
- Top ten mistakes coaches make in building their business
- Running your business day to day
- Business policies and procedures
- Understanding why and how mental game coaching works
- Personal qualities of a great mental game coach
- Your personal values and how they impact your coaching philosophy
News Release: November 1, 2021 - Silicon Valley, California
The International Mental Game Coaching Association Announces Brendan Kelleher Is A New IMGCA Certified Tennis Psychology Coach.
Brendan Kelleher, based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA has earned the IMGCA Certified Tennis Psychology Coach title from the International Mental Game Coaching Association training program. Brendan was awarded the title of IMGCA Certified Tennis Psychology Coach, (CTPC).
Bill Cole, MS, MA, Founder and President of IMGCA stated,
"It was a pleasure getting to know Brendan. His enthusiasm and passion for tennis is truly infectious.
I’ve rarely found anyone with Brendan’s degree of love for tennis that he has. His exceptional drive and focus has already helped him make a big mark in tennis and I know it will propel him as far as he wants to go.
Brendan has many strengths that will take him very far in his career. He has already made many key inroads.
One of his biggest strengths is that he a true student of the game. He wants to know about it all to become an expert in every area of tennis. He is already doing this by taking trainings and certifications in many domains of tennis. He reads all he can and studies videos endlessly. He speaks to as many top experts he can to learn from their experience.
Another huge strength of Brendan’s is his action-oriented mindset. He believes in taking what he learns and putting it into practice--fast. He learned about the web and designed and executed a fantastic website in very short order. He is teaching himself SEO and marketing. He is very savvy about creating and posting videos. His website at Acetennisonline.com is a high-quality archive of cutting-edge tennis content. His goal is to add one new video every day.
Brendan also has an excellent YouTube presence:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXQyr-hmkUcfEuvT0PDLjhQ
Here you will find superb videos of top pros, in targeted content lessons with Brendan doing narration, step by step. He also has very clever and helpful graphics that assist with understanding. I’ve watched many of his videos and he never fails to entertain and educate.
Still another strength is Brendan’s upbeat and strong personality. Brendan has a lot of energy and focus and he is very interesting to listen to. He’s highly articulate and since he’s so well-versed on his topics, the words just flow out of him. I know Brendan has found his true calling. He’s a master teacher and communicator and I know we will see him make ever bigger marks in coaching, videos, writing and presenting.
Brendan Kelleher is already on his way to being a true force in the tennis world. It’s just a matter of time before he has more people than he can handle flocking to him for instruction."
Brendan's Motivations For Undertaking IMGCA Certification
Brendan wanted to further his knowledge and education in the sports psychology world because he knew that understanding mental limitations can help unlock higher levels of performance. He has recently enjoyed learning more and more about the mental side of the game and wanted to continue his education.
His Background
Brendan played four years of college tennis at Virginia Wesleyan College and he has coached for the better half of the last decade. He is dedicated to staying in shape and in maintaining a healthy way of life, including diet and regular workouts at the gym.
Brendan is a certified USPTA Elite Professional, Certified Tennis Performance Specialist, PTR Certified Professional, Tennis Serve Specialist, Tennis Speed Specialist, and Tennis Analytics Match and Technical Analyst. He is also a certified psychology expert by the IATP, which is a baseline certification by a mental game coach.
Brendan has worked with and learned from top NCAA coaches and former ATP and WTA professionals, and he’s worked with players ranging from complete beginners to high performance players, from Africa to the Middle East, from Europe to Asia, from Australia to the Americas.
Brendan is currently a tennis coach in Virginia, teaching lessons in person, and he also has an on-line business teaching specialized content in tennis.
His website:
Acetennisonline.com
Brendan also works at Stanford University each summer, where he is in charge of the hiring, and of running some of the day to day operations, along with being a master instructor.
Overview of IMGCA Certification Programs
The IMGCA Tennis Psychology Certification Program requires two hours of live private telephonic or web-based video 1-1 coaching with Bill Cole, MS, MA, IMGCA President. IMGCA Tennis Psychology Certification students have access to a compilation of 25 specialized tennis psychology videos, over 30 hours of audios, two assessments, and 45 articles. Level III and IV IMGCA certification students have access to over 120 hours of IMGCA pre-recorded audio classes, over 500 mental training videotapes, over 50 additional content articles and 12 assessments. Across all certifications, IMGCA has over 140 specialized sport psychology content articles. New content is being added continuously.
Each student completes reading assignments, written homework, practical application of the class content and coaching practicum with groups, teams and individuals as applicable, and coaching feedback evaluations. Each student passes the IMGCA Tennis Psychology Certification written examination.
This sport psychology certification training is provided by the International Mental Game Coaching Association, based in Fremont, California. The IMGCA was the first international mental game coaching membership organization, created January 1, 2006. It remains the only international mental game coaching membership organization in the world today. The mission of the International Mental Game Coaching Association is to advance the research, development, professionalism, and growth of the discipline of mental game coaching worldwide. The IMGCA is comprised of individuals and institutions interested in sports, movement, health, fitness, business, the arts, achievement, work-life balance, stress control, and peak performance. IMGCA members come from all walks of life, and have varied backgrounds in sports performance, coaching, teaching, writing, business and consulting. They are professionals, students, parents, and interested observers of the mental game.
News Release: September 1, 2021 - Silicon Valley, California
Bill Cole, MS, MA, Founder and President of The International Mental Game Coaching Association, has been installed as a member of the Board of Advisors of the National Amateur Baseball Federation.
Bill Cole, MS, MA, was invited to join the National Amateur Baseball Federation Advisory Board based on his years of leadership in the field of sport psychology and expertise with baseball players. Bill Cole, MS, MA was the first person in the world to earn a Bachelor of Science in Sport Psychology. USA Today said "Bill Cole is a pioneer in performance psychology." The British Broadcasting Corporation (The BBC) said "Bill Cole is a leading Olympic sports psychologist."
The National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) is a nonprofit organization hosting regional and national Championship tournaments held coast to coast. The NABF is a governing body for amateur baseball in the United States, founded in Louisville, Kentucky in 1914. They are the oldest continuously-operated national amateur baseball organization in the United States. The NABF holds over 50 regional championship and eight national championship tournaments. These range from various skill levels and age groups, with age groups starting at 10 and under youth, teen, summer collegiate, senior, up to major.
The National Amateur Baseball Federation has a deep focus on helping athletes and coaches develop leadership, character and sportsmanship. The NAFBF states: “Sports teaches valuable lessons that will benefit you off the field and down the road. We want every athlete that comes through our program to form a solid foundation of character. We seek to instill positive traits that are valued in baseball and in every other aspect of life: traits like commitment, teamwork, composure, selflessness, integrity, humility, courage and appreciation.”
https://www.nafbf.com/
The NAFBF values on leadership, character and sportsmanship align closely with those in IMGCA. The International Mental Game Coaching Association is a leader in the mental game of sport education for coaches, athletes and parents. IMGCA strongly believes that sport should be a living laboratory for learning about sportsmanship and for developing character. IMGCA has three sportsmanship pledges people can use: The Athlete Sportsmanship Pledge, the Parent Sportsmanship Pledge and the Coach Sportsmanship Pledge:
https://www.mentalgamecoaching.com/IMGCAArticles/Sportsmanship/AthletePledge.html
https://www.mentalgamecoaching.com/IMGCAArticles/Sportsmanship/ParentPledge.html
https://www.mentalgamecoaching.com/IMGCAArticles/Sportsmanship/CoachPledge.html
Bill has been mental game coach to numerous baseball players with the Texas Rangers, the Atlanta Braves, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Oakland Athletics, the Seattle Mariners, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets and the Chicago White Sox.
Bill Cole has been the mental game coach or sports psychology consultant with athletes or coaches of 25 world and national teams, 11 international and Olympic teams, 32 professional sports teams, associations or leagues, and of athletes who have won 40 world and national championships. He has been the mental game trainer for thousands of athletes, coaches and parents in over 100 sports, at all ages and skill levels.
Bill has been a leader in the field of sport psychology for over 40 years, as a scholar, researcher, writer, teacher, coach, athlete, trainer, speaker and consultant. He is a thought leader and expert in the worlds of peak performance, coaching and the mental game. He is the Founder and President of the International Mental Game Coaching Association, which trains and certifies mental game coaches worldwide.
For more information, to engage Bill as a guest expert, or to schedule a media interview, please contact:
Bill Cole, MS, MA
Founder and President
The International Mental Game Coaching Association
Phone 408-705-8877
E-Mail: BCole@MentalGameCoaching.com
Website: https://www.mentalgamecoaching.com
News Release: August 10, 2021 - Silicon Valley, California
The International Mental Game Coaching Association Announces Preston Sullivan Is A New Level I Certified Coach.
Preston Sullivan based in McLeansville, North Carolina, has earned the Level I Certification from the International Mental Game Coaching Association training program. Preston was awarded the title of Certified Mental Game Instructor, (CMGI).
Bill Cole, MS, MA, Founder and President of IMGCA stated,
"Preston was a pleasure to have in the IMGCA Certification program. I really enjoyed learning from him, with his extensive experience in law enforcement, safety and the medical world. I really learned a great deal. He has the inside view of how humans respond under the most extreme pressures and stresses. His everyday job places him and his colleagues under tremendous stress to make the right decisions, often with very little time, and in quite ambiguous situations.
Fire, safety and police are really on the front lines and Preston has lived those experiences for over 20 years. He brings an invaluable perspective to the field of mental game coaching. I know he will quickly and adeptly apply what he learned in his IMGCA Certification program to his world. I can see Preston creating programs for fire, safety and police personnel that are real-world, hard-hitting and practical. Preston's strengths as a mental game coach are his intellect, his curiosity, his creativity and his drive. He really cares about people. And he cares enough to want to make their lives better. I know he's going to do that with what he learned from IMGCA.
Preston's Motivations For Undertaking IMGCA Certification
Preston's motivations for undertaking IMGCA Certification were to provide coaching and consulting services to assist individuals with the survival mindset, confidence, and the determination as well as the tools to succeed.
Preston's Career Background
Preston has been involved in fire, EMS, and Police work for the last 20 years. He is currently a police training officer and has held training positions in each field. He played organized sports year round from the age of 4 until 18. He well understands the individual link in a team environment. Preston holds an AAS in Emergency Medicine, and is looking to complete his bachelors degree within the next 2 years. He attended UNC-Greensboro for a year and a half. He has also attended seminars given by Dave Grossman, and several officer survival schools. Dave Grossman is a well-known book and article author and trainer who conducts seminars on the psychology of lethal force for law enforcement, the military and the civilian world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Grossman_(author)
https://www.grossmanacademy.com/
Although these experiences have provided Preston tactics to stay safe, he had a desire to learn the mental side of this as well as to be able to teach others to survive and understand their mind and body under stress.
Overview of IMGCA Certification Programs
Level I IMGCA certification requires two hours of live private telephonic or web-based video 1-1 coaching with Bill Cole, MS, MA, IMGCA President. Level I students are required to view 13 videos, listen to over six hours of audios, understand two assessments and read 20 articles. Level III and IV IMGCA certification students have access to over 120 hours of IMGCA pre-recorded audio classes, over 500 mental training videotapes, over 50 content articles and 12 assessments. Across all certifications, IMGCA has over 140 specialized sport psychology content articles. New content is being added continuously.
Each student completes reading assignments, written homework, practical application of the class content and coaching practicum with groups, teams and individuals as applicable, and coaching feedback evaluations. Each student passes the IMGCA Level I certification written examination.
This sport psychology certification training is provided by the International Mental Game Coaching Association, based in Fremont, California. The IMGCA was the first international mental game coaching membership organization, created January 1, 2006. It remains the only international mental game coaching membership organization in the world today. The mission of the International Mental Game Coaching Association is to advance the research, development, professionalism, and growth of the discipline of mental game coaching worldwide. The IMGCA is comprised of individuals and institutions interested in sports, movement, health, fitness, business, the arts, achievement, work-life balance, stress control, and peak performance. IMGCA members come from all walks of life, and have varied backgrounds in sports performance, coaching, teaching, writing, business and consulting. They are professionals, students, parents, and interested observers of the mental game.
Topics Of Study In The IMGCA Certification Programs
With IMGCA you can learn over 700 topics, issues, techniques and methods of the mental game:
https://www.mentalgamecoaching.com/IMGCACertification.html#TopicsOfStudy
Just a few of the areas of study:
- Attention and Concentration Control
- Assessments, both written and oral
- Coaching communication
- Enlisting parents and coaches as allies
- Motivation and goal setting
- Individual differences and customization of coaching plans
- How to read people and understand them better
- How to create rapport
- Using metaphors and analogies in coaching
- Creating a coaching dialogue
- Coaching vs. consulting vs. training vs. teaching
- Conducting the first coaching session
- How to get clients and have a busy practice
- How life stress events intrude on sport performance
- Common mental obstacles to peak performance
- Coaching parents of athletes
- The inner game and zen sports
- Top ten mistakes coaches make in building their business
- Running your business day to day
- Business policies and procedures
- Understanding why and how mental game coaching works
- Personal qualities of a great mental game coach
- Your personal values and how they impact your coaching philosophy
News Release: July 10, 2021 - Silicon Valley, California
The International Mental Game Coaching Association Announces Lukáš Martinka Is A New Level I Certified Coach.
Lukáš Martinka based in Slovakia, has earned the Level I Certification from the International Mental Game Coaching Association training program. Lukáš was awarded the title of Certified Mental Game Instructor, (CMGI).
Bill Cole, MS, MA, Founder and President of IMGCA stated,
"Lukáš Martinka is a person who is completely dedicated to excellence. He has demonstrated this in his athletic career, his academics and his professional teaching and coaching. Lukáš made history by being the first and only person in IMGCA to achieve a perfect score on the level I final examination. He achieved a perfect 100% over 100 questions on this comprehensive examination. This is no small feat. No one has ever done this since IMGCA began in 2006.
When I saw the application from Lukáš, I knew IMGCA had someone who would bring a tremendous amount to the program. Even though Lukáš is in the earlier stages of his career, he has accomplished a tremendous amount, and he's made a big impact on those around him.
Lukáš has a great intellect and a huge desire to learn. He takes a very professional approach to his studies. He's an excellent listener, a deep analyst and is intensely curious. He has a nice, easy-going, friendly personality and this builds fast rapport with his clients, leading to trust and a solid, cooperative working relationship. Lukáš really has the ideal temperament and personality for a mental game coach.
Lukáš has a passion for helping young athletes. He wants to go beyond helping their technical and strategic skills, to increasing their confidence and building their mental game so that can make their sport experience that much better.
Lukáš came to the Level I IMGCA certification so he would be able to help athletes of all ages and sports play their best mental game at all times. He has seen athletes struggle due to having a limited mental game and he did not want these mental barriers holding them back. He wants to help young athletes develop that winning mindset. He's seen athletes with lowered confidence or other mental issues, and Lukáš truly believes that an athlete's mindset can get them to achieve whatever goals they want.
I know Lukáš will continue to grow each year as a coach, across his entire life, because he is truly a lifelong learner. He lives what he teaches his athletes and students. He's a great role model for them. They are fortunate to have Lukáš.
Why Lukáš Wanted To Undertake Level I IMGCA Certification
Lukáš wanted to become a sport mental game coach and to start his own business in this field. The IMGCA Level I course was recommended to him by IMGCA Advisory Board Member Radek Sefcik, one of the top mental game coaches in Slovakia and the Czech republic:
https://www.mentalgamecoaching.com/AdvisoryBoard/RadekSefcik.html
Lukáš's Professional Background In Psychology And Coaching
For Lukáš, sport has been an important part of his life since he was six years old. He started playing soccer in a small village in Slovakia and reached the #1 league in Under 19. After that he went on to study Sport Sciences in Teaching Physical Education and Coaching, at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. The highest level in soccer he reached was 3 league. During his studies he did his Erasmus program in the German Sport University in Cologne where he took Sport psychology seminars with Dr. Laborde. This was a very good experience and eye opening for him when he saw what mistakes he had been making during his own sport career.
Lukáš has six years experience in coaching kids teams in soccer clubs, and four years in the biggest club in Slovakia, Slovan Bratislava. He worked as a Physical Education Teacher for one school year after he finished his master's degree.
As an athlete Lukáš often uses concentration techniques to help him remain in the present moment, and visualization techniques. At work he uses stress management techniques to better work under the pressure of deadlines. In daily life he uses specific custom routines which help him to maintain good habits and discipline.
Lukáš's Other Business Background
During his studies at university Lukáš started with martial arts (Muay Thai, and now BJJ) because he was fascinated by the importance of the mental side of performance in fighting. He wants to help athletes improve their performance not just in MMA, but also in other sports.
Lukáš has a Master's degree in Physical Education and Coaching (sport psychology was part of the studies). He completed a semester course in Sport psychology in the German sport university in Cologne. Lukáš also holds a UEFA B license in soccer coaching.
Lukáš also works as an online marketing manager in marketing agency, and has had coursework in sales and marketing skills such as Hubsport, Google, and Facebook courses.
Overview of IMGCA Certification Programs
Level I IMGCA certification requires two hours of live private telephonic or web-based video 1-1 coaching with Bill Cole, MS, MA, IMGCA President. Level I students are required to view 13 videos, listen to over six hours of audios, understand two assessments and read 20 articles. Level III and IV IMGCA certification students have access to over 120 hours of IMGCA pre-recorded audio classes, over 500 mental training videotapes, over 50 content articles and 12 assessments. Across all certifications, IMGCA has over 140 specialized sport psychology content articles. New content is being added continuously.
Each student completes reading assignments, written homework, practical application of the class content and coaching practicum with groups, teams and individuals as applicable, and coaching feedback evaluations. Each student passes the IMGCA Level I certification written examination.
This sport psychology certification training is provided by the International Mental Game Coaching Association, based in Fremont, California. The IMGCA was the first international mental game coaching membership organization, created January 1, 2006. It remains the only international mental game coaching membership organization in the world today. The mission of the International Mental Game Coaching Association is to advance the research, development, professionalism, and growth of the discipline of mental game coaching worldwide. The IMGCA is comprised of individuals and institutions interested in sports, movement, health, fitness, business, the arts, achievement, work-life balance, stress control, and peak performance. IMGCA members come from all walks of life, and have varied backgrounds in sports performance, coaching, teaching, writing, business and consulting. They are professionals, students, parents, and interested observers of the mental game.
Topics Of Study In The IMGCA Certification Programs
With IMGCA you can learn over 700 topics, issues, techniques and methods of the mental game:
https://www.mentalgamecoaching.com/IMGCACertification.html#TopicsOfStudy
Just a few of the areas of study:
- Attention and Concentration Control
- Assessments, both written and oral
- Coaching communication
- Enlisting parents and coaches as allies
- Motivation and goal setting
- Individual differences and customization of coaching plans
- How to read people and understand them better
- How to create rapport
- Using metaphors and analogies in coaching
- Creating a coaching dialogue
- Coaching vs. consulting vs. training vs. teaching
- Conducting the first coaching session
- How to get clients and have a busy practice
- How life stress events intrude on sport performance
- Common mental obstacles to peak performance
- Coaching parents of athletes
- The inner game and zen sports
- Top ten mistakes coaches make in building their business
- Running your business day to day
- Business policies and procedures
- Understanding why and how mental game coaching works
- Personal qualities of a great mental game coach
- Your personal values and how they impact your coaching philosophy
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