Relationships and mind games Liam Clemons Head Coach Boys’ Cross Country Boys’ & Girls’...
-
Upload
diamond-jeffreys -
Category
Documents
-
view
219 -
download
3
Transcript of Relationships and mind games Liam Clemons Head Coach Boys’ Cross Country Boys’ & Girls’...
![Page 1: Relationships and mind games Liam Clemons Head Coach Boys’ Cross Country Boys’ & Girls’ Distance Trabuco Hills High School CLEMONSL@SVUSD.ORG The Mental.](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062421/56649cae5503460f949722bb/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Relationships and mind games
Liam Clemons
Head Coach Boys’ Cross Country
Boys’ & Girls’ Distance
Trabuco Hills High School
The Mental Coach
![Page 2: Relationships and mind games Liam Clemons Head Coach Boys’ Cross Country Boys’ & Girls’ Distance Trabuco Hills High School CLEMONSL@SVUSD.ORG The Mental.](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062421/56649cae5503460f949722bb/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
A Strong start
• All starts with good communication skills
• LISTEN!!!!!
• Good communication leads to a less stressful environment. Being able to express needs, feelings, and opinions will make my athletes feel more relaxed and comfortable in a group setting. They will go into races feeling like they have had all of their questions answered. Then, they focus better on the task at hand.
![Page 3: Relationships and mind games Liam Clemons Head Coach Boys’ Cross Country Boys’ & Girls’ Distance Trabuco Hills High School CLEMONSL@SVUSD.ORG The Mental.](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062421/56649cae5503460f949722bb/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
The goal
• Obviously we want to win
• We can’t win if we are not prepared
• Communication is essential to preparation
• I have found that my teams perform best when they feel like they are well prepared and can confidently set out to achieve their collective goal. The state championship teams I had in 2006 and 2011 were very confident groups. They felt like they were in control of a race no matter who they were racing. They prepared to control the pace and tactics in practice every day. When they lined up at the start of a race they were confident that they would execute their plan and control the variables in that race. This outlook led to them achieving levels of performance that exceeded their goals.
![Page 4: Relationships and mind games Liam Clemons Head Coach Boys’ Cross Country Boys’ & Girls’ Distance Trabuco Hills High School CLEMONSL@SVUSD.ORG The Mental.](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062421/56649cae5503460f949722bb/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Trust
Trust is essential to good communication
How to gain an athlete's trust:
•Take a real interest in their lives
•Be Honest
•Be a chameleon
•Explain your workouts and philosophy
•Give good feedback
•Be consistent
•Love
![Page 5: Relationships and mind games Liam Clemons Head Coach Boys’ Cross Country Boys’ & Girls’ Distance Trabuco Hills High School CLEMONSL@SVUSD.ORG The Mental.](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062421/56649cae5503460f949722bb/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Service
What does service mean?
•All athletes, to some extent, want to perform for their coach
•Coaches should want to perform for their athletes
•Create a culture of service
I try to avoid using the word “my” when talking about the athletes I coach. I tell them that they do not run for me... I coach for them. I try to convey a message that we are at our best when we serve others. I want them to run in the service of each other.
![Page 6: Relationships and mind games Liam Clemons Head Coach Boys’ Cross Country Boys’ & Girls’ Distance Trabuco Hills High School CLEMONSL@SVUSD.ORG The Mental.](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062421/56649cae5503460f949722bb/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Mentorship, not friendship
•They can be your friend when they graduate college
•No Facebook friends
•Coaches are like older siblings in the least, but usually more like a parent
Honor that responsibility
•My personal mantras:
•Always be teaching
•Coach the athlete, not the sport
![Page 7: Relationships and mind games Liam Clemons Head Coach Boys’ Cross Country Boys’ & Girls’ Distance Trabuco Hills High School CLEMONSL@SVUSD.ORG The Mental.](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062421/56649cae5503460f949722bb/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Now that you've got their attention...
Time to play mind games
Mind games = mental skills training and mental toughness
My goal is to toughen them up
Think like a Jedi and Talk like one too
Trick them into running fast
![Page 8: Relationships and mind games Liam Clemons Head Coach Boys’ Cross Country Boys’ & Girls’ Distance Trabuco Hills High School CLEMONSL@SVUSD.ORG The Mental.](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062421/56649cae5503460f949722bb/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Mental toughness
•Start with visualization in a quiet environment
•Walk them through a race or the last mile
•Talk about the smells and sounds
•Use some distractions to test their focus level
•Keep them in the moment
After running hundreds of miles, a three-mile race does not sound as difficult. Similarly, after learning to focus and imagine your race with a high level of control and vividness, the athlete is better prepared to focus on race day.
![Page 9: Relationships and mind games Liam Clemons Head Coach Boys’ Cross Country Boys’ & Girls’ Distance Trabuco Hills High School CLEMONSL@SVUSD.ORG The Mental.](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062421/56649cae5503460f949722bb/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
The biggest trick of all...
Teaching them how to calm down and gain self control under pressure.
Methods:
•Routines
•Centering exercises
•Breathing
•Segmentation
Key is to learn that you can only control yourself. Don't worry about what you can't control.
![Page 10: Relationships and mind games Liam Clemons Head Coach Boys’ Cross Country Boys’ & Girls’ Distance Trabuco Hills High School CLEMONSL@SVUSD.ORG The Mental.](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062421/56649cae5503460f949722bb/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Connecting mental and physical toughness - Pain ThresholdWhat is it?
Extreme core work designed to push their pain tolerance level higher.
•Long planks
•Quarter downs
•Long leg lifts
•Cross Fit routines *
“Most of the time, the guy that wins isn't faster, he is just more stubborn”
– Bob King, Del Campo HS