Sports Mindset Coaching for Elite Athletes
Elite Athletes come to us for one reason only – to win more.
If you’ve already got the talent, the training and the work ethic, the next edge is often mental. That’s where our mental performance coaching comes in: we help you eliminate internal interference so you can access your true potential.
Fewer injuries, clearer focus, improved performance. When you quieten that little voice in your head, you reduce the energy drain and more readily achieve the relaxed flow state that allows peak performance.
If you’re looking for a sports mindset coach or proven sports mindset coaching, this is exactly what we do – not by layering more tactics on top, but by removing what’s in the way.
Mental Performance Coaching for Pressure Moments
One reason sport is so compelling is the pressure of performing in the moment. You either win or lose in the moment. You can’t go back and have another go. Athletes know they must peak under the most intense pressure without buckling or choking. Here is where the drama of sport lies.
If you are that elite sportsperson, you’ll expend considerable energy maintaining concentration, training, and listening to your coach, with the objective of being in the best possible shape for the next game or event.
There is a whole industry around performance psychology covering all the tricks and tactics that you need to know to be at the top of your game. But here’s a question for you: if these performance people are so good, why do so many top performers still have such big challenges? Why do Jonny Wilkinson, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Tyson Fury, Victoria Pendleton and many others talk about mental health challenges?
Because in high-performance sport, it’s rarely a lack of knowledge that holds you back. It’s the internal interference you can’t simply “think” your way out of – the mental noise, the over-control, the hidden pressure and the unresolved emotional load that shows up right when it matters most.
Why Traditional Mental Coaching for Athletes Hits a Ceiling
I should declare, at this point, that I’ve had training from some of the best people in the business. The late Sir John Whitmore was known as the ‘father of coaching’ and associated with the now famous GROW model. Sir Clive Woodward from England Rugby and UK Sport. Frank Dick is still a senior coach at the highest level in sport after a long career in UK Athletics. James Vincent, who used to be a coach at Elite Level in Badminton England. Mark Bawden and Pete Lindsay, who work with Olympic Athletes and with the England and Wales Cricket Board.
What’s interesting about all these guys is that they work with the conscious mind. The difficulty is that all the problems athletes (and everyone else) face lie in their unconscious minds. It’s obvious, really. If the performance guys had the answer, no one would have any difficulties.
What the performance guys are doing is helping you to cope better. What they are not doing is solving your problems.
This is why sports mindset coaching often hits a ceiling: you can learn strategies, routines, and techniques, but if the unconscious driver underneath is still running, you end up managing symptoms instead of removing the cause.
A Sports Mindset Coach Approach That Creates Freedom to Perform
Breakthrough Leadership works with your unconscious mind to release unresolved emotions and limiting beliefs such that you don’t have any problems. Now you’ll be able to work with your chosen performance coach and implement whatever strategy you agree to — with far less resistance, noise or self-sabotage.
This is the difference between “trying to be confident” and being free to perform. It’s the difference between “coping under pressure” and having the internal space to think, decide and execute when it matters.
I should point out that when we started working with athletes, it wasn’t to solve a sports problem. What we found, though, was that their sports performance was suddenly significantly better post-breakthrough.
The feedback we received was that they felt they had more time, even though the game was played at the same pace as usual. Having more time allowed for different decisions to be made. We were also told about a reduction in heart rate and in calorie consumption. So far, we haven’t worked with enough athletes to have definitive answers.
All we can say for sure is that Breakthrough for Elite Athletes will have a significant impact on your performance – especially if you’re ready for mental performance coaching that goes beyond tactics, and you want a mental coach for athletes who helps remove the internal interference at its source.
Meet Business Coach
John Cottrell
With over 30 years of experience helping people achieve their goals, whether in business or in life, John’s proven techniques have earned him a long list of accolades and references.
How Sports Mindset Coaching Works
1. Book a 10-min discovery call
Let’s find out quickly and easily whether Breakthrough is likely to be right for you. We can help most people, but there are a few we can’t and a few who might not need it. If you need a longer call, that’s fine too.
2. Complete your Breakthrough sessions
You’ll go through the three different stages of the process, Preparation, Breaking through and Completion, and as you do, you will start to feel better and better about yourself. Your mental clarity will improve and you’ll have more energy.
3. Breakthrough into your new world
Your old habits will no longer have the same meaning for you as they did in the past. Now you will perceive the world differently, seeing opportunities not threats, finding yourself more relaxed and peaceful, and understanding the behaviours of others.
Breakthrough Sports Mindset Coaching Insights
Whether it’s increasing sales or improving emotional intelligence, John’s insights and coaching techniques are grounded in his extensive business experience and advanced knowledge of behavioural sciences.