In part 1 of this series, we discussed building better athletes from the inside out by focusing on creating a great environment, weekly programming, and daily application.

Part 2 of this article series focuses on the implementation of team challenges and finisher exercises to aid in not only developing better athletes physically but also (more importantly) developing them mentally. 

• Team Challenges build team cohesion and camaraderie while also building conditioning
• Finishers improve individual mental resilience and grit

We will also introduce how we break down the challenges by section / desired response and put it together into a schedule so you can see the overall implementation and layout. 

// building mental toughness in your athletes 

Mental toughness, grit, drive – these words get most coaches going. They are the part of the program people typically want to see. Athletes grinding it out, dripping sweat, breathing heavy. 

Challenges should vary from physical to mental with a thought provoking scenario. With challenge games we see how athletes respond to adversity. Was the ball out? Did you catch it? Honesty. Watching and observing these games can give us natural insights into the habits, tendencies, and characteristics of athletes – how they carry themselves and the behaviors they display. This adds to the opportunity to have one-on-one player’s meetings to go over the things we picked up from the games.

We typically add in the challenges and finishers to our programming in 3 ways by asking ourselves what response we want from our athletes:

1. Mental resilience = Individual finisher: Typically something very hard that athletes have to grind through and be reliant on themselves
2. Camaraderie = Team task: You must rely on others to complete the task
3. Critical thinking and reaction to adversity = Team game/puzzle: These are games where we have fun and hold ourselves and others accountable

// Things to Consider

Here’s a short list of factors to contemplate when incorporating challenges and finishers into your programming. These factors affect what you get out of your athletes and their psychology during each training session.

• Personalities
• Mental readiness
• Self-esteem
• Various social situations
• Fun
• Novelty
• Commitment
• Cost = loss aversion
• Buy in and understanding

We can vary our training and match certain components to get the best responses out of our athletes. Different personalities respond differently to types of stress placed upon them.

Start where they are and not where you want them to be. Players will evolve over time. I have seen those who challenge themselves everyday become more resilient and develop grit.

The same holds true with teams who start with small challenges. As those challenges become progressively harder, you will see the flashes of camaraderie developing. Then before you know it, you have a team of leaders who hold each other accountable. As the coach, you set the environment and standards and hold them to it. I believe this to be universal between all athletes and sports.

This was just a brief snapshot of the basics of what we do with our athletes. As stated before, there are many more components to the psychology of sport and it can get extremely complicated. 

// Implementation

This is where the rubber meets the road. We can talk all day about theory, but the implementation is what truly sets us apart.

// Final Thoughts

Little moments matter! They can have a huge impact. There have been numerous times I have mentioned something in passing and later (we are talking months and sometimes years later) someone will bring up the fact that what I said to them made a significant impact. These are pivot points.

These challenges and finishers provide opportunities to learn, to grow, and to provide change. So when it matters most, your athletes have practiced these skills and faced adversity. When game time comes both in sports and life, these individuals will be better skilled to take on the challenges and pass with flying colors.