Why Mental Toughness Matters in Speed and Agility Training
For nearly everyone performing speed and agility training, the outcome normally entails quick feet and swift reflexes. But here’s something that will change the way you look at things: it’s not only about how capable your body is; how far you can push your boundaries is equally dependent on the mental aspect. At Max Speed Performance & Fitness, we have been able to witness it: it is the brain that makes the body faster and more agile. In this article, learn how the mental aspect is critical in speeding up the speed and agility training process by proper interactions with the body. What Is Mental Toughness? In today’s advanced world, it is not uncommon to hear people refer to mental toughness as ‘an inner coach.’ It is said to be the skill that allows people to feel engaged, focused, and motivated under any circumstances. Especially, during periods of extreme physical performance training such as speed and agility, mental toughness assists one in enduring pain, overcoming challenges, and retaining a winning psychology. These are the defining qualities that enable great athletes to excel in stardom. Breaking Through the “I Can’t” Mindset Let’s face the truth: many can agree that working on speed and agility seems exhausting at times. The desire to quit after struggling through another long sprint or completing a difficult drill is quite understandable. The important thing to note here: a strong mental athlete would never allow this ‘I can’t’ voice in one’s head to take charge. Instead, every setback is viewed as a chance to develop further. Consider our fitness training center in South Carolina – “heart and lungs on fire” syndrome is not new to us, many of our athletes only a few weeks ago struggled with their first agility ladder but now ‘know what it takes’ to dominate. Mental toughness is thinking every step will give you strength and not feeling discouraged about the problem. Dealing with Pain and Tiredness An important piece of advice – brace yourself when your legs feel like they are on fire and your lungs are barely holding on. that’s simply where mental strength takes over. A study in the Journal of Sports Science established that Athletes who incorporated visualization and positive self-talk during mastery attempts of high-intensity training improved by as much as 12%. At Max Speed Performance & Fitness, we teach our clients that achieving their fitness goals is more important than the burning feeling. It’s not about dealing with the pain — it’s about changing the way we perceive it. Instead of saying, “I’m tired,” say, “With every stride I take I am increasing my capacity for endurance and resistance.” Overcoming Challenges and Plateaus When it comes to props such as speed and agility training, progress does not always appear to be at a steady slope. Your sprint times could stagnate or even revert, or a cone drill may seem even tougher than the last time you tried it. Frustration from setbacks is understandable, but it’s mental toughness, and the reminders of the past help. Let us provide our amazing tip for the athletes who constantly visit our South Carolina center; keep a record of your minimal victories. Appreciate yourself for reducing even a small amount of time from the clock during your sprint or for executing an additional round of drills. These wins accumulate and they keep you fired up and in one piece. How Self-Communication Can Affect Your Performance How you perceive a task affects how you execute it. Rather than engulfing in negativity when the workout gets fierce, use things like: “I get faster with every step I take.” “I’m winning this!” “Every repetition takes me a step closer to the end goal.” These myths are not simply positive affirmations; research has found that one’s self-affirmation leads to an outperformance of up to 11%. At Max Speed Performance & Fitness, self-affirmations are something we tell athletes to make when performing their speed and agility exercises. It’s All in the Mind You must have patience when it comes to increasing one’s speed and agility. There will be days when you seem ready to go and cannot be stopped whereas at other times it feels like progress is nowhere to be found. During these times, one can rely on their mental toughness to help them concentrate on the larger picture. As an example, one of our clients practicing for a football tryout in South Carolina seemed to struggle with the cone drills. Rather than throwing in the towel, he imagined how he would be so much more effective on these drills. A few weeks later, that same client built not just the skill set to perform the drill perfectly but was able to elevate his performance on the game itself. Every Drill Peculiarly Increases a Level of Self-Esteem Each successful completion of a speed and agility workout drill is not just an exercise but a boost in self-esteem. The ability to withstand despair helps sportsmen to take failure on the chin. Every time they sprint, perform a ladder drill, or run a sprint with greater resistance, they cement this belief a notch higher. This self-esteem does not just end during training. A large body of athletes keeps telling us how the change in their mindset enables them to deal with unavoidable busy situations in the field and real life as well. The Competitive Edge Cognitive Advantage That physical skill will not be enough when ‘game time’ comes. The toughness of the mind is what gives sportsmen an advantage in performing under pressure. Even in these drills where timing sprints and completing agility drills are critical, keeping composed and focused can be the difference between winning and losing. We witnessed some Olympic athletes at our South Carolina facility use their mental strength to perform at the utmost level even when their bodies were worn out. It’s not just speed; it’s the rock-solid head that counts rarely anyone has. Evolving in the Mental Strength Area with Discipline Let’s
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