A lot of emphasis is traditionally placed on the physical aspect of coaching athletes as coaches are taught how to identify, prepare and manage an athletes physical and technical needs. However what many coaches are finding difficult as the science of physically preparing an athlete becomes more and more readily available is the difference that makes a difference, that certain something... the X factor. Setting one athlete apart from another is becoming more and more elusive and with athletes becoming aware and having access to ‘other’ alternatives –⁠ getting an athlete to cleanly perform, morally prepare and ethically marketed is becoming harder and harder. So now is more important than ever to identify a system of keeping athletes prepared and at the top of the game. Mental training has been identified as the ‘clean’ option and more and more athletes and coaches are taking this route only to realise it is not only effective, it is also highly sustainable. However with this comes questions –⁠ so in episode 11 we take the time to look back and answer some those many questions you have sent us regarding sporting performance, behaviour and attitudes and we will explain how mental, emotional and cognitive training can help. We have taken your top 10 questions and we will go into great detail about why certain behaviours occur, what to do and how to do it. This episode is designed to explain some of those nagging questions all athletes’ face, to identify where some of them come from and to help build an effective strategy to deal with them. Because of the quality and quantity of information we have split this into 2 bite-size chunks: Part A and Part B. In Part A we will countdown questions 10–6 - Enjoy!

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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