What is mental training? _______________________________________________
Mental training aims to train individual mental skills.
Originally from the field of high-performance sport, mental training can now be found in areas outside of sport where high performance has to be achieved. Today, many different sport psychological methods are summarised under this term, whereas mental training used to be understood only as the repeated mental imagery of movement sequences (e.g. a sequence of dance steps). Depending on the needs and goals of the athlete, dancer, musician or singer, mental training can therefore include, for example, the following methods and topics:
Goal Setting & Motivation
Emotion Regulation
Concentration
Imagery
Self-Confidence
Relaxation & Activation
Personal Development
Rehabilitation
Your topic is not included? Then feel free to leave me a message!
Whatever topics and methods are used in the coaching process, they all have the goal that performers can show a stable performance and demonstrate mental strength. Therefore, it is important to train mental skills in a targeted, planned and especially regular manner in order to achieve long-term success. It is also up to the motivation of the athlete, dancer, musician or singer to implement and practice the methods developed in the coaching process in their everyday training.
What is the difference between a sport psychologist/ expert and a mental coach? _____________
The term mental coach (or mental trainer) is not a protected term.
Sport psychologists or sport psychological experts have completed a degree in psychology or sports science and the training "Sport Psychological Training and Coaching in Competitive Sports", which was developed in cooperation with the German Association of Sport Psychology (asp), the Federal Institute for Sports Science (BISp) and the German Olympic Sports Confederation. In addition to their professional competence, sport psychologists and sport psychological experts are subject to clear ethical guidelines and values when providing advice and support (more on this here).