When Simone Biles pulled out of the Olympics in 2020, the initial response from a lot of correspondents and pundits was that she was a “loser” and a “quitter”.
Despite being one of the most talented gymnasts of all time, people weren’t sure what to make of her prioritizing her mental health over her performance.
And I think I know why. As someone who’s worked in the sports industry for decades, I’ve found that there isn’t a lot of emphasis on the importance of mental health.
Far too often, coaches train their athletes day in and day out with one thing on their mind - winning.
While goal-setting and performing well are important, always remember that your athlete’s mental health is of equal importance, if not more.
In Simone’s case, mental health could have meant the difference between life and death. In advanced gymnastics, one wrong move could potentially be lethal.
She recognized that the errors she was making weren’t from lack of skill. They were connected to everything else that was going on in her life. Essentially, her brain was so overloaded that it couldn’t communicate with her body properly anymore.
And making that mind-body connection should not be taken for granted.
Flashing back to the Olympic teams as recently as the 80s and 90s, athletes were doing the pommel horse with broken ankles. These were all young teenagers whose bodies were basically destroyed because they were over-exercising and not taking care of themselves, physically or mentally.
And that’s because in the Olympics, generally speaking, performance has always been prioritized over their innermost thoughts and feelings.
But Simone changed the story.
Her ability to pull out and deal with all of the backlash actually opened up an entire conversation around the connection between mental health, therapy, and sports, something that has been long overdue.
What she reintroduced to the world is that it’s not always about “pushing through” the pain or the stress; sometimes you need to take a break and look at your whole life holistically, not just what you’re doing in the gym or the field.
Inside CoachNow, your athletes can journal and document their practice, thoughts, and feelings. This is a great way to make sure that they’re not only improving technically, but it’s a way that you can keep tabs on their mental health as well.
Without feeling well mentally, their technical skills are useless and their passion for the sport will eventually die out.
Is mental health something that you’ve struggled with throughout your journey as an athlete and/or a coach?
Sharing your own experiences with your athletes is a great way to establish a deeper connection with them, while also making them feel supported.
Here are some other ways to support your athletes in protecting their mental health and avoiding burnout:
-Encourage them to listen to their body
-Make them journal often throughout their training process
-Ensure they know that they can always ask for help when they need it
Don’t get me wrong, of course, technical pieces are important to their training.
But don’t forget about the mental side; physicality only goes so far as to separate the good from the great.
Ultimately, there’s nothing that will make an athlete stronger than knowing they have a support system that they can lean on.
I’d love to hear from you: How has mental health played a role in your journey as a coach? Do you have any other tips to help fellow coaches support their athletes in prioritizing the mental side of their training?
Despite being one of the most talented gymnasts of all time, people weren’t sure what to make of her prioritizing her mental health over her performance.
And I think I know why. As someone who’s worked in the sports industry for decades, I’ve found that there isn’t a lot of emphasis on the importance of mental health.
Far too often, coaches train their athletes day in and day out with one thing on their mind - winning.
While goal-setting and performing well are important, always remember that your athlete’s mental health is of equal importance, if not more.
In Simone’s case, mental health could have meant the difference between life and death. In advanced gymnastics, one wrong move could potentially be lethal.
She recognized that the errors she was making weren’t from lack of skill. They were connected to everything else that was going on in her life. Essentially, her brain was so overloaded that it couldn’t communicate with her body properly anymore.
And making that mind-body connection should not be taken for granted.
Flashing back to the Olympic teams as recently as the 80s and 90s, athletes were doing the pommel horse with broken ankles. These were all young teenagers whose bodies were basically destroyed because they were over-exercising and not taking care of themselves, physically or mentally.
And that’s because in the Olympics, generally speaking, performance has always been prioritized over their innermost thoughts and feelings.
But Simone changed the story.
Her ability to pull out and deal with all of the backlash actually opened up an entire conversation around the connection between mental health, therapy, and sports, something that has been long overdue.
What she reintroduced to the world is that it’s not always about “pushing through” the pain or the stress; sometimes you need to take a break and look at your whole life holistically, not just what you’re doing in the gym or the field.
Inside CoachNow, your athletes can journal and document their practice, thoughts, and feelings. This is a great way to make sure that they’re not only improving technically, but it’s a way that you can keep tabs on their mental health as well.
Without feeling well mentally, their technical skills are useless and their passion for the sport will eventually die out.
Is mental health something that you’ve struggled with throughout your journey as an athlete and/or a coach?
Sharing your own experiences with your athletes is a great way to establish a deeper connection with them, while also making them feel supported.
Here are some other ways to support your athletes in protecting their mental health and avoiding burnout:
-Encourage them to listen to their body
-Make them journal often throughout their training process
-Ensure they know that they can always ask for help when they need it
Don’t get me wrong, of course, technical pieces are important to their training.
But don’t forget about the mental side; physicality only goes so far as to separate the good from the great.
Ultimately, there’s nothing that will make an athlete stronger than knowing they have a support system that they can lean on.
I’d love to hear from you: How has mental health played a role in your journey as a coach? Do you have any other tips to help fellow coaches support their athletes in prioritizing the mental side of their training?
Spencer Dennis, Founder of CoachNow