It is no big secret that the world of Olympic Athletes is a demanding one. Constant training, failure upon success, it is a vicious cycle. Next year, 2016, the Olympics will be held in Rio. These Olympians have been qualifying since 2014. Qualification can be achieved according to world rankings, through the major international competitions, or via specific qualifying tournaments. Often, two or more of these methods are combined. All IF federations have finalized their systems for Rio 2016, although some are still pending IOC approval.
In Olympic Games, shooting holds six events, including skeet and trap. As a matter of fact, in the 2012 Olympics, Kim Rhode won the gold in Women’s Skeet, Jamie Lynn Gray won the gold in Rifle Three Position, Vincent Hancock won gold in Men’s Skeet, all wins for America.
In September, preliminary championship shooting will take place in order to fulfill the 64 openings for Olympic Shooters. The competition is fierce, determined, and unrelenting. It takes place over a two week period of intense competition. These two weeks, your athleticism, dedication, hard work, and mental training will have a chance to pull-together to create one unbeatable opponent.
You see, it’s not just golfers and clay shooters that need mental training…and it’s definitely not just athletes, either. But athletes have an unparalleled desire to win that makes working with them more effectual. When you super-size an athlete, that is when you get an Olympian. Olympic athletes know, without a modicum of doubt that mental training is not only crucial but undeniably necessary to their performances. Yet, knowing this, there are only two publications out on the subject of mental training for shooters: Linking Belief, Drive and Imagery in a Champion and Adding Imagery to Your Training Plan. Both are written by Olympic Gold Medalists. Now, there may be slight variations for any number of sports, but if there is something I know and do well, it is helping athletes with their mental games.
In target sports, such as golf, archery, shooting, etc, the ability to accurately select parameters for movement is crucial to a successful performance. As a shooter, whether skeet, trap, clay, or pistol shooting, you’ve experienced more efficient attentive processing with accurate responses. That is an incredibly focused intent! Your mind has to get there before your eyes focus on that focal point. That is why specific mental training is incorporated into Olympic athletes‘ daily training regimes. As a mental trainer that works firsthand with shooters and golfers, it is one of the most important lessons to learn and achieve.
My job as a mental trainer is filled with all kinds of clientele. Sometimes I get calls from elite athletes, neuroscientists, actors, and people looking to quit their bad habits. Needless to say, my life is very interesting. If you are interested in any aspect of mental training, or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. It is a joy meeting new people and helping them achieve their desires! Thanks for reading. InJoy your day!