Q: What kind of riders will benefit most from mental skills coaching?
A: Before you consider whether learning about mental skills would be useful for you, ask yourself whether you are curious to learn more about yourself, both as a rider and as a person. The most important prerequisite to benefit from coaching of any kind, is to be open to learning and growing. Some people are nervous to enter into a coaching relationship, because they worry that they won’t know all the answers, or that the coach may find out about their weak points. Coaching, and especially mindset coaching, aims to start from exactly where you are – no matter if you are a very novice rider, or incredibly experienced and competitive – or anywhere in between. Good coaching is a truly individual experience, where you chose what you want to work on, and even the methods you want to use, with the help and support of your mental skills coach.
Mental skills coaching can benefit your riding in some of the following ways:
- you can re-discover your core motivation for riding, along with a renewed passion and a sense of fun;
- you can learn to set achievable goals and how to plan your schedule to systematically work towards them;
- you can learn effective ways to have difficult or delicate conversations with your coach, family, friends and fans;
- you can discover how the way you talk to yourself and the mental images you make, can transform your riding;
- you can learn to manage your anxiety and make it work for you rather than against you; and
- you can learn how to maintain focus and regain it quickly if you lose concentration during an event.
Are you the kind of rider who would like to achieve any of the above? If so, mental skills coaching will be a formidable set of tools to add to your mental toolbox to use at any level of riding, and in any discipline. Individual mental skills coaching will really help you take the next step in your riding.
Answered by Linda Hennings