ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the often-neglected impact of the mind on the quality of sport training in which athletes engage. It illuminates the ways in which consultants can assist athletes in optimizing the time they spend training toward their sports goals. Helping athletes understand key strategies to maximize practice time can help them progress more quickly and more effectively. The chapter explores in greater depth what quality training means, how it is achieved, and the benefits that athletes accrue from its consistent application. An axiom of sports training is that it is hard; it’s physically demanding and mentally draining. Physical effort can be, but is not always, related to mental effort in that athletes who are mentally fatigued may perceive greater physical effort and reduce the quality of their efforts sooner. Once athletes begin a training session, two mental muscles play a prominent role in whether it rises to the level of quality training: focus and intensity.
