WYC 117 – Sport Psychology – Meighan Julbert talks The Mindside

Meighan Julbert is a Mental Skills Consultant who has a passion for working with coaches and athletes on gaining a competitive advantage through mental skills training. Meighan is passionate about coaching development and implementing programs to help competitors and coaches expand their potential. From her own experiences in softball and competitive cheer to serving as a coach, Meighan can help athletes who are looking to gain a mental edge.

Website/Books: themindside.com

Twitter: @MeighanJulbert; @TheMindSide

Facebook: /TheMindSide/

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Quote

'Don't overwhelm your athletes with info, keep it simple, less is more'

Coaching your own kids

Have an intentional moment where you take off the coaching hat and return to just being their parent

Remember - the kids often aren't near as into the outcome of the game as the coaches and parents are

Take risks & embrace failure

Teach kids how to take risks and not be afraid of failure

Parents

Communicate with the parents and let them know you want the kids to be a little uncomfortable and struggle a little bit, that is part of the process and how they will learn

Role-play situations - have a scrimmage with your own team and invite parents - make a few horrible calls, then afterwards discuss with the team and the parents that there will be bad calls in games, and that we are not a team whose coaches, players, or parents yell at the referees

Relationships

The first step is for the coaches to have great relationships with the parents, and to get to know them and understand where they are

You have to pick up on subtle nuances to see where different players are at. Eye contact, leadership, excitement, hustle. Look for changes in behavior.

Noticing behavior differences and asking questions let's the players know you care

Slump-busting

Riptide concept - When caught in a riptide, initial reaction is to panic and try to swim against it. The panic is normal - so first step is to calm down. Take a few breaths. Then instead of trying harder and fighting the current - have a recovery ritual (flick your wrist, wipe your shoe,etc.) - that reminds you to get back into the present moment and re-focus

Championship Culture 

Starts with respect. Relationships and respect are the cornerstones.

Connecting with and impacting kids

Every kid is different - it's important to individualize how you are connecting with  each kid and to ask questions and listen to their needs

The one that got away

Meighan worked with one athlete who afterwards told her that it was too much info and too much to think about. Less is better - don't overwhelm your athletes and keep it simple.

Best borrowed/stolen idea

A coach brought in Meighan to help the communication on his team. The activity went horrible. Meighan called to apologize the next day and the coach told her 'we are terrible at communicating - your activity made that clear to our team. Sometimes exercises we do don't work - but they still serve a purpose.' Meighan took that advise to realize that not everything will go as we plan, but that's ok, keep trying and keep learning and keep tweaking.

Favorite coaching book/quote

Book: Creative Coaching by Dr. Jerry Lynch

The Mindside

Team workshops