Six Misconceptions Of Mental Training

By Chris Carmichael's The Ultimate Ride

1. Mental skills training can make up for physical weakness.  If the rider next to you is in better shape than you are, and if he used some mental skills training too, he will beat you.  Being mentally prepared for competition is beneficial, but there are no short-cuts to winning bike races.


2. Mental skills training is only for elite athletes.  The same skills that allow an elite athlete to excel at high levels can help beginners learn skills more efficiently, and thus help them reach their full potential more quickly and effectively.


3. Mental skills training can provide a quick fix needed for success at an important competition.    Mental skills are precisely that: skills.  As with physical or technical skills, individuals are naturally talked in some areas and need practice in others.


4. Mental skills training is not useful.  Many people believe that mental skills training is not useful for athletes because it seems too 'touchy-feely' or New Age.


5. Mentally tough athletes are born, not made.  Mental skills training cannot make you a Tour de France champion if you don't have the physical capacity, but it can help you achieve your full potential.


6. Good mental skills mean never feeling nervous.  All athletes get nervous at some point.  It may be at the start line, the base of a huge climb, five kilometers from finish, or lying in bed the middle of the week.  Nervousness and anxiety are normal human emotions, and eliminating them entirely is not the goal of mental skills training.  Rather, you are trying to get a handle on your mental state so that you can control your anxiety, maybe even redirect your nervous energy to fuel your performance.