involves teaching athletes to achieve greatness. Achievement on the Little League field means something different than it does on a Sunday in an NFL stadium packed with 60,000 screaming fans. However, venue and age do not matter when you are considering the most important quality for success.

What is the Secret to Success in Sports Psychology and Coaching?

It doesn’t take a degree in psychology to know that an athlete must have talent, but there are many who have been blessed with talent. The truly successful athlete must be focused. Yes, FOCUS is the one quality that athletes must possess if they are going to improve and reach the highest levels in sports. Without focus, an athlete is merely the sum of his or her god-given talent. Without focus, an athlete cannot rise above their talent and push themselves to a new level. Sports psychologists and coaches who teach methods to bring an athlete’s focus to a new level have WINNING clients… and have a WINNING sports psychology and coaching business!

Why the Focus Should be on Focus?

Rogers Clemens once said, “When I’m on the mound, I’m so locked in I don’t even see the dugout. It’s just me and the glove.” That’s the level of focus athletes need to reach the pinnacle of their sport. Focus is often the deciding factor in competition.

Do you think Tiger Woods was that much better at the physical game of golf than everyone else? It was his extraordinary level of focus that vaulted his game to a whole new level. Perhaps that explains why he isn’t anywhere near the same golfer after his “women troubles” and acrimonious divorce.

For an athlete to reach their potential in a given sport, focus needs to be nurtured and developed. How can you hit a baseball, whether it be from a Little League pitcher or from a professional throwing 100 MPH, unless you focus? Tiger Woods had it, Roger Clemens had it, and you must teach it in your sports psychology and coaching business; focus on FOCUS!

Top 5 Tips That Develop Focus

F – Free your mind. The ability to be free of distractions allows athletes to concentrate on the task at hand. Sports psychology and coaching experts can teach mind relaxation techniques that free the mind of all extraneous thoughts.

O – Organize you thoughts as quickly as possible in the game. Isaiah Thomas spoke about Michael Jordan‘s ability to quickly organize and process the game of basketball. “As fast as the game moves, his mind moves faster. He is able to analyze the game frame by frame, as if the play unfolds in slow motion.”

C – Concentration. Concentration exercises used continually as part of your training, help develop a laser-like focus.

U – Understand who you are as an athlete and do that to the best of your ability. John Wooden, the late, great UCLA basketball coach once said, “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

S – Strength. This does not mean how much you can bench press or how far you can hit a ball; this refers to mental strength and toughness. How well does an athlete overcome adversity? Can an athlete put their most recent loss or mistake behind them? Mental strength is all about focusing on the next play or task.

As a sports psychology and coaching professional, you can use these five keys in your coaching business to develop drills and exercises that allow an athlete to fully develop their focusing abilities. When you have given your athletes the gift of focus, you have truly helped them realize their potential

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community