UNBEATABLE

MIND
Why is it that some athletes perform exceptionally well during training, but underperform when it matters? We can all think of an all-star athlete who fits this description, heck, you may be one yourself. After years of Navy Seal experience, Mark Divine learned what made the difference between those who got through training and those who dominated as leaders in whatever they did. Its the mental strength, the resilience of a SEAL or in our case, of an athlete that takes their performance to the next level. As a Seal, Mark used much of what he learned in his martial arts training, including rich visualization and meditation to his advantage. I kept doing them and used them to hone my mental strength and clarity even when in the most dangerous or chaotic places. And it made a big difference, says Mark. The lessons he learned in his martial arts training and cultivated as a Seal, including Navy Seal style endurance and strength training, a Yoga program he developed while in Iraq called Warrior Yoga, breathing and visualization techniques along with what he learned from CrossFit, high intensity functional training, were merged into the program he now calls SealFit. Eventually, SealFit was spun into what most CrossFitters now know as the Kokoro camp. As Mark puts it, the Kokoro camp is a whole person integrated experience where youre developing yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, intuitionally, and spiritually. Its drawn top CrossFit athletes like Lindsey Valenzuela, Valerie Voboril and the 2012 CrossFit Games Affiliate Cup winners Hacks Pack UTE. THE FIVE MOUNTAINS Mark not only believes you can achieve growth in a very deliberate and accelerated manner, hes seen it happen numerous times. The key he says, growth has to be balanced with the five mountains.
1.Physical development. We

Forging an

behavior and habituate some new belief systems.

3.Emotional development.

use physical training to penetrate your armor in order to get to your mental development. Mind and body are really closely connected. You can train your mind to make your physical training better but then your physical training will hone your mind so they work like a hand in a glove. experience has shown us that mental toughness can be trained, and that mentally tough athletes achieve extra-ordinary success on the playing field and in the arena of life, says Mark. We do this through the use of concentration exercises, controlled breathing, encouraging people to look at the belief systems that drive their

Often times it is an individuals emotions that torpedo their performance. In the middle of a CrossFit workout or while doing anything challenging, for example, you may think you are in control but your emotions may be spinning you out of control because of some sort of anger at your performance or other emotions and then it torpedoes your mental state and that affects your body. So theyre all linked. We have get that emotional control. order to perform in life and make good decisions we want to be make sure we can tap into our intuition or our gut. much but I think its that visceral thing that a lot of CrossFit athletes really love when they start training at a box with a community and theres a group of people working hard. You experience that feeling together and you feel a little bit better. Well its your spirit basically being sparked, saying this is some good stuff. Its about time you start paying attention to me. I want more of it. I like to say its really connecting your heart with your action.

4.intuition and awareness. In

5.The Spirit. We dont talk about it

2.Mental development. Our

To most, breathing is a simple task that happens unconsciously. But breathing is both an unconscious and conscious act. Its when breathing remains unconscious that its pattern becomes dysfunctional and must be corrected. The quality of our breathing affects our posture and even our health. Breathing is an essential practice many of us dont do as much as we should.
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BOX BREATHING Box breathing is a simple concentration exercise that also retrains your nervous system to breathe properly. Along with calming the nerves and relieving stress, box breathing can have enormous carryover to your physical training. Use this next time you feel stress or at the box during your next WOD.

Sit with your back straight, against a wall, in a chair or in a meditative posture. Soften your gaze and turn your eyes inward. Focus on your count and your breath. The more you focus on your breathing, the more your mind will clear as its only focus is the task at hand.
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MENTAL CONTROL IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS The SealFit program teaches mental control during difficult situations with a four step approach.
1.Create a simple plan with a short-term goal. (Ex. Get

through the next 5 deadlifts) Make the goals short and achievable, start stacking up the victories and giving yourself confidence. 2.Talk to yourself. Interrupt negative thoughts; feed the courage dog not the fear dog, words like I got this and Im going to crush this. Your body takes notice. Where the mind leads the body follows.
3.Visualize yourself succeeding. This goes in hand with

4.Maintain the focus on deep diaphragmatic breathes.

talking to yourself. You cant talk to yourself positively and see negative thoughts because your minds imagery will override your words.

At Kokoro camps, students practice these techniques in the field under very tough situations. During your next WOD, make a deliberate attempt to do the same. To learn more about Mark Divine and the Kokoro camp visit www.sealfit.com You can also learn more and register for the Unbeatable Mind online training at www.unbeatablemind.com/promo Inhale through your nose for a count of 4 or 5 and hold for same count. Exhale for the same 4 to 5 seconds, count and hold again for the same count. Make sure to exhale all of the air out of your lungs. Repeat at least 3 times.
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