In this conversation, two best practitioners in their respective industries discuss training mental agility & toughness, the role of coaches and instructors in enhancing performance, the importance of record-keeping and data analysis in sniper training, and the significance of self-awareness in mental toughness.
Context plays a vital role in developing mental agility, as training within the specific context that athletes or soldiers will face in their job helps them build the necessary skills.
Developing mental toughness and agility requires self-awareness and the ability to adapt and persist towards goals through reflection, feedback, and learning from experiences.
Deep dives
Importance of Mental Agility in Training
Building mental agility is crucial in situations where individuals are under pressure to perform at the edge of their physical abilities. Mental flexibility is essential for training tactical athletes, as they need to switch focuses, ignore distractions, and adapt to changing circumstances. Context plays a vital role in developing mental agility, as training within the specific context that athletes or soldiers will face in their job helps them build the necessary skills. Just like in sports, mental performance is often better when training is conducted in the athletes' training domains rather than in a controlled environment.
The Significance of Feedback and Reflection
Developing mental toughness and agility requires self-awareness and the ability to adapt and persist towards goals. One powerful way to cultivate these skills is through reflection and feedback. In professional athletics, athletes regularly engage in after-action reviews, candidly assessing their performance and learning from their experiences. Similarly, in military settings, after-action reviews help build a shared language and aid in describing different components of mental fitness. Journaling, whether for snipers or athletes, helps develop self-awareness, track performance, and make adjustments for improvement. Candid feedback, self-reflection, and the willingness to learn are key to developing mental toughness and agility.
Growth through Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone
Stepping out of the comfort zone is essential for personal growth and resilience. By intentionally seeking discomfort and learning something new, individuals can develop mental toughness and agility. This process involves recognizing moments where decision-making becomes uncertain and observing how often one toggles between comfort and discomfort. Recognizing these moments allows individuals to break autopilot patterns and build mental agility. By gradually expanding one's comfort zone and embracing challenges, individuals can overcome slumps and persist towards goals, ultimately leading to personal and professional growth.
Desire for Mission Accomplishment Over Personal Comfort
A key factor in developing mental toughness is prioritizing the desire for mission accomplishment over personal comfort. In sports, athletes must prioritize their performance goals over personal comfort. Similarly, in military and other professional arenas, making decisions based on the mission's objectives rather than personal comfort is vital. Recognizing moments where personal comfort becomes a barrier and having a high tolerance for discomfort can aid in the development of mental toughness. This prioritization of mission accomplishment cultivates resilience, adaptability, and the ability to excel under pressure.
In this second part of an extended conversation with two of the best practitioners in their respective industries - with so many insights that we had to split the conversation over two separate listens! - we jump straight into the big questions: how do you train mental agility & toughness at the elite levels? And are there behaviors or actions we can all take that will help us improve in our own battles, at work and in life?
Coleman Ruiz & Ceci Craft should know - not only did Coleman take lead hundreds of operations and dozens of sensitive military programs as part of the SEAL teams, he then went on to serve as an advanced training officer in Naval Special Warfare. Ceci, the recently appointed Director of Mental Performance for the Philadelphia Phillies in the MLB, also has 6 years experience coaching US Army & Special Operations personnel, and at the time of recording was the Lead Mental Performance Coach for the program overseeing the mental conditioning of US Army & Special Operations soldiers.
**Note - if you haven't listened to Part 1 of this conversation (literally the previous episode of this podcast) do that first!**
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