One of the most unpracticed techniques in non-elite level athletes is that of mental training.  Mental training has many many benefits and has been shown to improve performance throughout many case studies.  Psychology is a complicated topic, as it is hard to truly see into anothers mind, so the key to mental training in my opinion is maximizing your own ability to train mentally.  Coaches may not be able to monitor this facet of training as readily as they would like, but often times you can see an athlete mentally prepare as they wait on the sidelines or prepare for a match or practice.

WATCH YOURSELF GET BETTER!

First off, if you haven’t had someone video tape a hit, dig, pass or entire match, maybe start there.  Then watch yourself.  See if you can feel in your body, the movements that you make on the tape.  Its the year 2011, every 10 year old has a video iPod or video phone, so get a friend and do this ASAP! 

Now that you have watched yourself, the rest is simple.  Simply close your eyes and imagine yourself performing the skill you just watched.  Research shows that THINKING through the process of performing a skill actually sends the very same signals from your brain to your muscles as does actually performing the skill.  Watch yourself mentally perform the skill correctly, with perfect technique! (whatever your coach would suggest that is)

So what does this mean?  It means you can get more reps in!

One of the most difficult parts of volleyball is obtaining court time.  Use this technique anytime you aren’t playing to get added reps.  Coaches can spend time teaching their athletes how to mentally train to get results outside of the gym.

See you on the court!