Training brain key to getting head start

AS pre-season rolls around for the football codes many bodies and brains are going to experience an assault of stress and strain as they strive to prepare for another gruelling season.

More athletes are adding psychological preparation strategies to their training to ensure their mindset is optimal and their brains are healthy and firing on all cylinders.

An athlete’s mindset needs to approach pre-season knowing there will be pain, exhaustion, and feeling subpar.

They’ve possibly been on the couch for a few months and their bodies have softened.

The best athletes I’ve come across approach preparation from a growth mindset, knowing they need to improve their weaknesses, even going to the point of attacking them head on to transform them into strengths. They also aim to develop more weapons, skills, tactics, or fitness.

In preparing the brain for a season of high-impact, fastpaced decision making, I’ve led hundreds of athletes through pre-seasons with the Neurotracker, the 3D multi-ball tracking program I’ve mentioned several times.

By testing and baselining all athletes in pre-season, coaches can see who has the more switched on neurons, and who needs more game time.

Athletes and coaches comment how much faster they react, read the play, and see the game when their brains are trained, and their scores improve… sometimes by 300 per cent.

Pre-season is about embracing the grind and more and more athletes are turning to psychological preparation to get more out of themselves. Because as I like to put it, “No brain, no game.”

ATHLETES AND COACHES COMMENT HOW MUCH FASTER THEY REACT, READ THE PLAY, AND SEE THE GAME WHEN THEIR BRAINS ARE TRAINED ROB GRONBECK