The 3 Non-Negotiables for Elite Performance

08/31/21 • 17 min

Elite Performance...it’s what our players are after, and what we want for our athletes, right? Athletes want so badly to...

have confidence from the inside out
have consistent performance
play to potential
experience continuous improvement
move past mistakes quickly
come in clutch

And as parents and coaches, we want these things for our athletes, too. And it’s hard to know what to do when we notice those things aren’t happening.

But, sometimes it seems like the path to get there seems non-existent.

What I hear from players and parents is that athletes are working hard, getting extra reps in, training, and doing everything they can to achieve Elite Performance, but aren’t always seeing the results they want!

They feel like they don’t know what else to do, and they’ve tried everything.

More often than not, it’s because one of the following three pillars to elite performance is missing.

So, that’s what we’re talking about today!

To ensure your daughter is on the path to confidence and elite performance in her sport, there are three non-negotiables that have to be present in her training. They are like the three legs to a stool. The stool won’t hold up or be effective without all three!

So, let’s get into it.

We'll be talking about:
1. Knowledge of the Sport
2. Physical Training
3. Mental Training
The three non-negotiables to elite performance. Knowledge of the sport, physical training, and mental training. Athletes absolutely need all three in order to reach their full potential, and I hope that by tuning in today you can pinpoint what might be missing and how to cultivate that as a parent, athlete, or coach.

Until next time, remember: “everything you need is within you already.”

Helpful Links:

Visit our podcast website for more on this episode
Download the free resources we've created for you
Join us inside our FREE Facebook Group - The Elite Competitor Society - for weekly Q&A, periodic trainings and challenges, and the support of an amazing community of moms, coaches, and the men who partner with us!

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Elite Performance...it’s what our players are after, and what we want for our athletes, right? Athletes want so badly to...

have confidence from the inside out
have consistent performance
play to potential
experience continuous improvement
move past mistakes quickly
come in clutch

And as parents and coaches, we want these things for our athletes, too. And it’s hard to know what to do when we notice those things aren’t happening.

But, sometimes it seems like the path to get there seems non-existent.

They feel like they don’t know what else to do, and they’ve tried everything.

More often than not, it’s because one of the following three pillars to elite performance is missing.

So, that’s what we’re talking about today!

So, let’s get into it.

Until next time, remember: “everything you need is within you already.”

Helpful Links:

Visit our podcast website for more on this episode
Download the free resources we've created for you
Join us inside our FREE Facebook Group - The Elite Competitor Society - for weekly Q&A, periodic trainings and challenges, and the support of an amazing community of moms, coaches, and the men who partner with us!

Previous Episode

The Missing Link to Elite Performance

Alright parents, and coaches. I want you to give me a nod if you can relate to one of the following...

Parents, you’re seeing your athlete do “all the things.” You’re providing opportunities for her, getting her private lessons even. You see the work she’s putting in, yet she still lacks confidence in herself and feels stuck.

Coaches, you’re experiencing the same thing on your teams. You provide all the training, situations, and scenarios they need to be successful..yet when it comes to competition and performance, it’s like they are a different team.

I see and hear about this all the time. Athletes that are stuck feeling like no matter how hard they train, they aren’t seeing results.

What is this all about?! Doesn’t it make sense that the more work you put into something, the more you get out? Output = Input?

I’m here to tell you that there’s a missing link when it comes to playing to potential and elite performance. And it’s more than just the physical that counts. Which is why so many athletes feel like they are not getting the results they want even though they are training their tails off. So, what’s missing?

Simply put, they are missing the link to high performance: Mental Training.

Specifically, I’m talking about how to train our minds to perform under pressure, bounce back from mistakes, play with confidence every time an athlete is on the court/field.

And without it, at some point all athletes will get stuck. Because the fact is, many of the physical blocks they are experiencing: not playing to potential, making multiple mistakes in a row, inconsistent performance...are actually NOT physical blocks.

So, today I’m diving into 3 reasons why mental training is the missing link to an athlete's performance:

Mental Training Addresses the Underlying Cause of Poor Performance
When talent is equal, it’s the mental training (not physical) that separates athletes
Physical and mental training compliment each other for peak performance

We'll also talk about 3 reason why we don't see mental training as often as we should:

Some people don’t understand the value of mental training
Coaches aren’t trained in mental training (or have lack of resources)
Mental training is usually an afterthought

Remember: The secret sauce: Mental + Physical Training = Elite Performance

If you’re a parent or coach who knows that mental training is the missing link to achieving elite performance, a simple way to get started is what you’re doing right now!

Make it a part of your weekly routine to tune into the Elite Competitor Podcast. Each week, we are bringing you simple, proven, actionable strategies to help female athletes develop lasting confidence and elite performance. No more wondering what you can do to help your athlete level up and start believing in themselves.

Helpful Links:

Visit our podcast website for more on this episode
Download the free resources we've created for you
Join us inside our FREE Facebook Group - The Elite Competitor Society - for weekly Q&A, periodic trainings and challenges, and the support of an amazing community of moms, coaches, and the men who partner with us!

Next Episode

How To Help Your Athlete Believe She's 'Good Enough'

One common concern I hear from parents is this:

“My daughter doesn’t feel like she’s good enough!”

Good enough to be on the team...
Good enough to compete with other athletes...
Or, just that nothing she does will ever be “good enough”!

It can be hard as a parent, especially if you feel like you tell her all the time that she IS good, but she won’t believe it.

Below, I’ve compiled some key drivers in our role as parents to help our kids have the confidence to know they are good enough (on and off the court/field!)

Separate Who She Is from What She Does

It’s really easy to point out our daughter’s accomplishments. And we should celebrate when she scores the goal, brings home the awesome report card, or earns the award!

However, when we only celebrate them for what they DO, they lose their confidence when they can’t or don’t do it. They also put unneeded pressure on themselves to be performing always because that’s what they think they need to do in order to receive your praise.

We'll talk about what to do instead in this episode.

Reframe Your Reaction To Failure/Mistakes

If you’ve been following along for a while, you know that one of the most important part of a player’s growth and development is her ability to fail, make mistakes, LEARN, and get better.

The learning and getting better can’t happen without the mistake! It’s important that athletes know this and truly believe it.

However, as parents, our verbal and nonverbal reactions to mistakes carry a lot of meaning. We can tell our daughter that mistakes are necessary to growth...but if we are showing signs of disapproval when she makes one, those words hold no weight.

When she feels like she can’t make mistakes for fear of disappointing you (or seeing your reaction), she will be less likely to risk and play to her potential. Therefore, feeling like she isn’t good enough and even worse when she does make a mistake.

We'll talk about some some simple ways to ensure your reaction to her mistakes/failure encourage your daughter to continue to get better and know she’s good enough.

Give Information Over Criticism

Along the lines of failure and mistakes, when we talk to our daughters about where they came up short, make sure to give information vs criticism.

Criticism sounds like:

“Why can’t you get your work done faster?”
“You need to be more aggressive and serve more like _______ (teammate name)”
“It’s your fault that you procrastinated!”

We'll talk about what it looks like to be giving information:

Helpful Links:

Visit our podcast website for more on this episode
Download the free resources we've created for you
Join us inside our FREE Facebook Group - The Elite Competitor Society - for weekly Q&A, periodic trainings and challenges, and the support of an amazing community of moms, coaches, and the men who partner with us!