Today we will discuss the topic “basic mental skills for any upcoming athlete”, on which they can set up a mental training.Working on the mental component and not only on the physical, technical and tactical, is an action necessary to achieve optimal performance and well-being connected to sports .

The impact of mental aspects on sports performance is the subject of constant attention from the sporting world: note that in the path, the mental component can intervene critically favoring a good performance or vice versa.

The Basic Mental Skills :

Attention control: Attention in any sport is expressed as the ability to concentrate, which is essential for every athlete. Being focused means being able to maintain a long focus on a stimulus or on the task that is taking place, and the ability to regain attention when lost.

Control of the activation state : By activation or arousal i mean a general state of excitement that prepares man for action. Every athlete to perform at best must have the right level of activation that is personal and should not be too low or too high . A too low level (hypoactivation) results in little energy, motivation, fatigue ... in short, in an athlete "unloading". On the contrary, a too high level of arousal (hyperactivation) is equivalent to a state of excessive agitation, sweating, muscular tension that does not facilitate good performance. In short, the optimal level of activation is that which is in the middle, or the right agitation that loads the athlete and gives him the best of himself.

Management of Stress and Anxiety : The experience of stress is generated when the athlete assesses not having the appropriate skills to respond to the demands of the task, often perceived as too challenging. An athlete under stress experiences a negative emotional state , often accompanied by worry, nervousness, agitation and fear that inhibits the effectiveness of his action.

Image control : Using mental images to anticipate, review and correct performance is certainly a very useful ability to any athlete. Through mentally re-training, any athlete can consolidate and perfect a certain technical gesture, he can get used to tolerating stressful moments, to prepare himself for situations that may occur on the field ... In short , mental images are very powerful and effective tool if used correctly.

Formulation of objectives : This emphasize the importance for athlete to give precise, concrete, controllable, measurable objectives to be achieved in a pre-established period of time. The objectives give motivational charge to any upcoming athlete and encourage him not to give up in the face of difficulties.

The Control of Thoughts : For any athlete, the quality and the type of one's own inner dialogue are very important, since thinking about something, imagining it and doing it is the same thing. If a football player , before a match, thinks "today is not my day, I will certainly make some mistakes!", His mind will tune into the experience of the mistake and consequently the body will orient itself in that direction increasing the chances of really committing the mistake!

The psychological component plays a fundamental role in any sports practice and all victories are decided in the mind.