EDITORIAL
Athlete IQ, Australia The Elite Performance Platform for Elite Athletes By Donnie Rust
A global platform, Athlete IQ was founded in Adelaide, South Australia by experienced coach Alex Minicozzi to help athletes harness their potential as elite competitors and excel in their chosen sport. Alex, MD and Founder, has spent the last decade working with elite players in various roles. Having worked primarily with individuals and groups within premier tennis academies, clubs and schools in Australia as well as coaching in universities in the USA his experience in helping athletes blast through obstacles in their development is second to none. ATHLETIC INTELLIGENCE Over the course of his career, Alex has consistently witnessed the value of an intelligent and scientific approach to athletic and mental development. He is passionate about removing the obstacles and self-sabotaging behaviours many athletes possess that stop them from achieving their goals. It is this approach which he believes is the much sought of after “extra percent” that can boost athletes to their peak performance. And, crucially, help them maintain that level for longer. “Elite sport is not simply about training and competing anymore,” he explains, “It’s about creating and cultivating an environment to learn in and to expose athletes to physical and mental discomfort, so that they can become stronger. He goes on to add that limits can be manipulated through learning “Elite Behaviour and ‘Brain Endurance Training’ and that great athletes are now looking at their bodies and minds holistically. This can include monitoring what and when they eat and knowing how it affects brain function and mental wellbeing. And training in a fasted state to promote enhanced metabolic response and enable extra stress on the body.
66 | www.sportside.com
Athlete IQ aims to work with the athlete to push pain and stress tolerance thresholds, physically and mentally. Alex says that mental toughness and mental endurance training has to combine multiple facets. Such as small changes like communication styles, what time of day training takes place and the amount of time can have huge implications on athletes level of output. They can also influence major changes to their inner game - their mind and level of resilience. The main areas of focus include strength and conditioning, sports psychology, mental strengthening, sport performance and dietetics. They facilitate programmes and advisory tailored to suit the client’s goals, conditions and details. Athlete IQ offers holistic athlete management by utilising experts in their fields as well as former professional athletes themselves. They offer a range of services for individuals and teams needing sports and performance psychology. These include mental health counselling and programmes to help further develop mental and physical strength and performance nutrition. A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH Having regularly worked with many sporting bodies and institutes, Athlete IQ knows the importance of time and efficiency and so their services are constructed with ease of accessibility in mind. Available through virtual platforms, with easy to access information and education, their client base has grown well beyond the borders of their native Australia. One of the outstanding features that is regularly mentioned in their many reviews and testimonials is that their services are not only tailored but are presented in a personable and friendly approach and highly scientific. “We optimise performance for the un-resourced athlete, or to the athlete who is constantly
