Mental Skills Training: A story about Cheryl and Joanne

Cheryl and Joanne play basketball. They recognise that they must get stronger legs for more power to jump higher and move faster. 

They both start going to the gym to improve their squatting. They figure out that they can both lift 40 kg 

Cheryl does some research and finds a highly recommended fitness trainer. 

Joanne goes and hangs out with the strongest girls and starts lifting with them.

Joanne is very confident and quickly progresses to 50 kg. She believes.

Cheryl starts practising technique with a broomstick. Joanne think she’s crazy. 

Joanna is struggling to lift more than 50 kg, but somebody has told her that certain vitamins it will help.

Cheryl finally begins to lift some weights. It is a slow and methodical process. 

Another girl tells Joanne that meditation helps. Yet another tells her that if she buys proper lifting shoes, that helps a lot. Some girls are on a special diet. Some are trying to lift twice a day. It’s all so confusing, but she's still lifting more than Cheryl, so she’s not doing badly.

After six months, they are both lifting 60 kg. Cheryl is smooth, and her workouts are very simple and focused. 

Joanna is starting to panic and pushes herself harder. She gets injured.

18 months down the line Cheryl is comfortable lifting over 100 kg whilst Joanne is struggling with injury and 80 kg. 

Cheryl has become more confident in her abilities, both in the gym and on the basketball court. Joanne is struggling to make the team.

Cheryl tries to persuade Joanne to invest in her trainer, but Joanne doesn’t want to go back to a broomstick. 

People would laugh at her, and besides she is much better than that.

She keeps looking for the magic bullet, the quick fix, positive that the answer is out there somewhere, and it’s only a matter of time before she finds it. 

Are you a Cheryl or a Joanne?

If you want a methodical process for building mental skills then contact us at www.mindsetcollege.co.uk

Written by David Sammel