Craig on Mental Training

Craig Sigl, the Mental Toughness Trainer was recently featured on a sports radio talk show discussing “The 4 Keys for Developing Mental Toughness for Teen Athletes”. We thought there was some valuable information in the interview we wanted to share.

Some of the questions that were discussed in the talk show are:

  • How you might be sabotaging your performance without even knowing it?
  • How developing mental fitness may be different than you think?
  • Why, not developing a positive mental attitude could cost you BIG TIME during critical moments?
  • How mental strength can be a performance booster?

The Introduction that the Talk Show gave of Craig Sigl:

I’d like to introduce our guest, Craig Sigl, the Mental Toughness Trainer for Youth Athletes. Craig has worked with 1000s of professionals and amateur athletes on the mental side of their game and continues to do so every day. He is the author and creator of 7 mental toughness programs sold in 28 countries and writes to over 16,000 athletes in his emails and on his blogs. He has over 3000 clients worldwide from United Arab Emirates to Ireland and all over the United States using his programs and services.

He has been featured on NBC’s Evening Show on TV, written about in major newspapers, and interviewed on numerous radio programs. Craig is the parent of two athletic boys, lives everything he teaches, and regularly plays his favorite sports developing new methods.

    • Question #1

What’s your story, how did you become a “Mental Fitness Trainer?”

My story began one Saturday morning when I was playing flag football game against our school’s rival team. After the ball was snapped, I moved inside to go up against the biggest guy on the other team. My arms were crossed and my elbows high in my perfect blocking stance. The other guy gives me a simple little push to my chest and I go down flat on my back. I remember being in shock thinking “how did that happen?”

You see, up until that point I didn’t know I was small. I was always dangerously quick and could catch anything. But, after picking myself up and dusting myself off, I realized I had to somehow turn this to my advantage.

Later in that same game, I took advantage of my small size and literally hid behind one of my own players at the line before the snap. Right as the ball snapped, I slipped between defenders into their backfield and intercepted the pitch pass to the halfback in mid-air and ran all the way for a touchdown!

My smarts and small size became my secret weapons. You see even if you are totally over matched, you have the advantage of surprise, because nobody is expecting you to beat them. They underestimate you. Being mentally strong, I was able to always focus on my strengths, which rebuilt my confidence.

By the way, that defensive lineman who pushed me down actually went on to play in the NFL as an All-Pro and his name is Duvall Love. I think about being flattened by a great NFL player as my badge of courage and today I look back on that day as a powerful turning point in me working towards mental training.

    • Question #2

So how would you define Mental Fitness?

For me, mental fitness is being Focused, Confident, Determined and Resilient, especially under pressure. 50% of mental strength is just like the famous quote – “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going,” that is, you stick with it and keep trying no matter what. This is a frame of mind that can be learned and cultivated, but those that don’t have it get left behind as you move up to elite sports competition.

    • Question #3

How does an Athlete become Mentally Fit?

They need to start by making a conscious decision to dedicate time and energy to developing their mental game, just like they do for their physical game.

Far too many coaches and athletes believe that all it takes to be successful is hard work and practice drills. You have to remember that your competitors all have talent and work hard too. That’s not enough anymore.

An athlete develops mental fitness by taking control of their thinking and clearing away the mental baggage or mental blocks that hold them back or slow them down.

    • Question #4

What is the most common problem you help athletes with and how do you help them?

By far, the most common problem I deal with is performance anxiety. A close second is when athletes do well in practice and training, but can’t bring that performance to the big event. It all comes to the fact that they are experiencing FEAR and don’t know how to deal with it.

One simple technique I use to help athletes overcome fear is to help them get comfortable with just ‘going with’ or feeling their fear and anxiety and to stop fighting it.

I explain them that fear and anxiety is nothing more than a release of chemicals in their body. So many athletes have told me that this is one of the most profound things that have worked for them, because it helps them dissect and deconstruct what it is they are really afraid of.

If the athletes were to just DECIDE that they can perform while feeling anxious, this would reduce the anxiety and worry by 50% all by itself.

    • Question #5

Describe for us the perfect coach and what they do to get the most out of an athlete

The perfect coach understands all athletes’ needs for encouragement and feedback are different and so they treat each athlete as an individual. I have actually developed some athlete archetypes to help coaches understand the personalities and needs of their players.
For example, there is the ‘playful athlete’, who does best when allowed to joke and keep things light. There’s ‘the mechanic’ who loves to learn all the details and fundamentals of the game and would call themselves ‘a student of the game.’

The ‘leader’ plays best when they are allowed to lead and ‘the best supporting actor’ likes to support and play off of other players.

Of course, there are many more archetypes and a good coach recognizes this and plays to their strength rather than just trying to fit them all into a mold. Too many coaches are wasting amazing talent because they don’t get this.

    • Question #6

Can you tell me about a young athlete you worked with that exhibited mental toughness?

I worked with a high school pole vaulter from Spokane WA on Skype. She was experience such extreme performance anxiety that she literally could not get her body to run down the track. After working with me, she ended up winning the State Championship and got a college athletic scholarship.

I taught her how to let go of the pressure of winning and feeling like she needed to be perfect all the time, so she could get back to playing for the love of the sport. This allowed her natural abilities to shine through.

I used the 8-step method I developed to help kids master their pressure and learn how to bounce back from mistakes or setbacks. She said the technique not only helped her on the track, but in school and at home with her parents as well. It is something I am very proud of and it is a major component of our mental toughness training.

    • h2>Question #7

What’s some bad advice given to athletes for their mental game?

The worst advice I hear is that you should put aside, push down, or otherwise ignore your emotions in order to control your emotions. This simply does not consistently work!!

I also hear coaches and parents telling athletes to ‘believe in themselves’. This is ridiculous, what they should be doing is telling them that ‘I believe in you’.

One of the most destructive times for kids is the car ride home from competition, where parents or coaches tell athletes everything they did wrong. All that does is create more mental baggage making it harder to build confidence.

    • Question #8

How do you advice athletes to Mentally Strong?

To get mentally strong, you need to continually review, in your mind, your strengths. I have the athlete write them down creating, hopefully a big list.

I also help them understand how their weaknesses can be advantages – the same lesson I learned for myself. For instance, if your opponent is bigger than you, then you have the advantage of surprise and hardly any expectations, so you can play loose. If your opponent is faster, then you will use your smarts and strategy as your advantage.

I’m forever undoing the damage coaches do by telling their athletes to focus on what they don’t do very well in order to fix them. This is not necessary AND it’s actually harmful.

    • Question #9

What would you tell an athlete about to go into competition who doesn’t feel like they can win against a superior opponent?

One of my most powerful teachings is to help athletes understand they can fake and pretend the positive beliefs about themselves and it still works!

Let me tell you a story about a wrestler I worked with. His team was going to the state finals and had to wrestle the #1 wrestler who had humiliated him in a past event. He also had a fractured vertebra in his neck. I had spoken in front of his team and one of the strategies I game them was to simply write down their goals.

He said he went home that night and wrote, “I’m a state champion” over and over on his white board. He said, “I wrote it so many times I almost really believed it.”

He faked it until he started believing it! He said, “Afterwards, I realized it was ingrained in my mind and became my reality.” He also said he now felt like he had the skill to overcome any fear or self doubt and he would use it for the rest of his life. This mental training helped him become strong and confident.

He actually wrote me a letter after the match to thank me! This is what gets me excited – to see how we are changing kids lives!

They learn that anxiety, fear and negative thoughts don’t have to undermine their game or hold them back. They can be in control and master their pressure, which brings their game, and their lives to another level forever!

athletic scholarshipWelcome to the Winner’s Circle!

Craig Sigl, the Mental Toughness Trainer