“The Mental side of Performance”

Imagine setting your goals for the season, and investing thousands of dollars/time on resources to help prepare for the big game. then the big game gets here, all your family members are watching, friends. Fans and the rest of the world via television... This is the game you have been waiting your entire life for, but for some reason, everything seems to be going wrong; from simple mistakes to failed attempts over and over despite trying hard to get your game on track.

This was the situation at the 2011 NBA finals when Lebron James underperformed in game 2. So what happened?

While it’s starting to get more notice in society the last since last summer’s Olympics due to social media, athletes failing to perform optimally in clutch moments has been an ongoing thing for years. The crazy thing is, this phenomenon seems to happen at a higher rate in sports predominantly occupied by black and brown people, compared to their other counterparts.

After doing performance psychology for over 15 years, it still amazes me that coaches are still not teaching the mental side of performance, despite fully understanding the importance/need for mental skill training. If you ask any coach or athlete, “what percentage of their sport is mental? the answers will be well over 50%, yet oftentimes less than 10 percent of the training is spent mentally preparing for competition.

A lot of athletes and coaches reports not participating in mental skills training for a few different reasons:

• Takes too much time

• It’s for people with psychological issues

• The thing Mental tough is innate

• Only elite athletes can benefit If they need a quick fix

Because of myths such as these, many hard-working athletes underperform on the big stage when it matters most, which is why in January of this year

The MindGame, my performance psychology company, partnered with shoe company PUMA to introduce mental training to junior athletes in Jamaica and their coaches and provide support to senior athletes leading up to Paris2024 Olympic. Yes, PUMA understood the assignment. I am also teaching Psychology of Coaching to prospective coaches at my alma mater Mckendree University in Lebanon, IL. At The MindGame our mission is to help hard-working athletes show up ready to perform at their best.

How are you showing up?

Nicholas R. Powell MS.Ed, CMPC The MindGame

“If you are persistent you will get it. If you are consistent you will keep it.” ~Anonymous