16 Week Face of America Training Plan & Guide | Page 7

The Psychological Side of Training and Racing
(or Mental Training)
Previously published in Triathlete Magazine’s 25th Anniversary Issue, May 2008

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f coaches and athletes do not place emphasis
on the psychological or mental aspects of
training and competing, then certainly
performances will often fall short of their potential.
This article is intended to help athletes and coaches
realize more optimal performances by unleashing the
power of the athlete’s mind. It is not only imperative
for both athletes and coaches to realize the
importance of the psychological aspects inherent to
their sport, but to actually follow through and
incorporate mental training into weekly training
schedules to determine what techniques prove most
effective. By doing so, one can be assured of a few
things. First, you can be assured that you will have to
sacrifice some physical training time in order to
accommodate this new training regimen. Brewer
argues, “Rather than simply engaging athletes in
physical practice and hoping that they will pick up the
requisite psychological skills along the way, coaches
can adopt a proactive stance in which they actively
help athletes acquire and maintain sport-specific
psychological skills (Brewer, 2000).” Second, you
should be prepared that some athletes may be hesitant
to replace physical training with mental training.
Lastly, you should feel confident that those athletes
who fully embrace and incorporate mental training
into their daily lives, are less likely to be debilitated by
pressures and competitive anxiety, trained to release
excess tension caused by stress, and more likely be
relaxed. Ultimately, this will facilitate competing more
effectively in the future.
First, let us explore imagery, which is often referred
to as visualization, mental rehearsal, or mental
practice. Imagery provides familiarity with tasks and
positive feedback of an athlete’s imagined
performance (Hardy et al., 1996).

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Through the use of imagery, athletes can see correct
technical and tactical performance execution, generate
positive emotions, and “help athletes prime their
focus and intensity to competitive levels (Hale et al.,
2005).” Athletes and coaches usually associate
imagery with competition preparation; however, just
as important, is using it for skill development in the
form of technique correction or adjustment to
improve performance. Athletes with solid technique
can visualize themselves performing proper
technique, while others with less proficiency can
improve by learning to visualize proper technique.
Subsequent physical training will then ultimately be
more effective – as cognitive images of proper
technique are transferable into actual execution. This
neuromuscular “transformation” is made possible
through the use of mental imagery. Research has
proven that imagery is effective with collegiate
athletes of all sports, and results have indicated
significant performance improvements for those who
incorporated imagery into their training (Lohr &
Scogin, 1998).
Additionally, imagery can be effective as a feature of
skill learning and in the more general area of behavior
modification (i.e. reducing anxiety levels). Not only
can imagery aide in reducing stress and facilitate
relaxation, but has also been reported to reduce the
potential for injury, facilitate the healing process of
injured athletes, increase adherence to rehabilitation,
maintain skill or technique during rehabilitation, and
even block “replay” visions and thought processes
from the injury even