 PHASES OF MST

MENTAL SKILLS TRAINING Lack of time

 Buying into all of the MST myths
The old school
 Defining Mental Skills Training
 Importance of MST approach 1. Education
 Why professionals don’t use MST MST MYTHS  Concentration lecture
 The three phases of MST
 Effectiveness of MST Myths 1 2. Acquisition
 Importance process variables in MST  Concentration activities
 MST is for problem athletes only
 No more than 10% of athletes require
3. Implementation
clinical services
The MST approach  Automation
Myths 2  Building into the game
 Most athletes develop mental training tools and skills  Performance under pressure
through trial and error  MST is for elite athletes only
 MST‘s goal is to enhance the development and  Youth athletes to professionals
automation of mental training tools and skills  Athletes, business, actors, performer,
musicians, and surgeons use MST The contemporary school
through a comprehensive and systematic program
 Good MST programs speeds an up and enhance the Myths 3 1. Education
development process, ensure that performers
develop more fully, perform at a higher level, enjoy  The magic wand myth 2. Acquisition
sport more and transfer these skills to all other areas  MST doesn’t work and isn’t useful anyway
of their lives 3. Practice

Categorizing MST tools and skills 4. Implementation

 Skill-transfer strategies
 Mental training tools
 Goal setting 5. Performance
 Imagery  Less-learned skills break down under
 Self-talk pressure and old habits resurface
 Relaxation and energization

Who should perform MST?

Mental skills
 Sport psychologists
 Motivation  Coach
 energy  Exercise leader
Why not use MST?  Management  Athlete/s
 Attention
 Lack of knowledge about MST and sport psychology:
 Stress management
“You have to be confident!” “Concentrate!” and
“Relax out there!”  Self-confidence
 Belief that mental skills are innate and unchangeable:
“That athlete is just a head case under pressure.”
IMPLEMENTING MST  Lack of consultant’s sport knowledge
 Lack of follow-up
When should the program start?
 ‘Community of learners’ approach
 Start the program off-season or pre-season so the
athlete/s can have more time to learn and automate
new skills Reminders

 Baseline date collection to enhance self-awareness

How long should the program last?
 The first exposure to MST lasts for 3 to 6 months. It
should be followed by commitment that lasts for a
lifetime.
and program personalization
 Use logs for self-monitoring to make progress more
explicit
 Work with coaches and identify practice strategies to
teach mental and physical skills simultaneously
 Provide ‘implementation’ time to overlearn new
mental skills

What skills should be harnessed?

 Conduct needs assessment first (e.g., oral interview,

complete MST inventories, performance profiling).
Beware of canned MST programs!

How can MST be individualized?

 Use logs to identify critical mental training tools and

skills for each individual athlete

How can the effectiveness of the program be ensured?

 Develop systematic practice routine and schedule

 Develop and implement the MST program based on
previous steps
 Systematically evaluation and revise MST program
 Develop a strategy to monitor progress (e.g., logs,
etc.)
 Reward goal attainment regularly

Common MST problem

 Lack of conviction
 Lack of time