MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF POTENTIAL GO UNTAPPED BECAUSE ATHLETES HAVE NOT MASTERED THE MENTAL GAME
To fully understand the problem of why so much athletic potential goes untapped you need to better understand potential. As an athlete you have five key pillars that play into your performance, one mental and four physical:
Five Pillars of Potential
Mental:
- Mindset – the manner in which thoughts and feelings affect behavior.
Physical:
- Skill – sport specific ball, body, or equipment control as well as applicable technique and form.
- Strength – quantity of force generated while pushing, pulling, squatting, lunging, twisting, or carrying.
- Speed – acceleration rate and maximum velocity of forward, backward, and lateral movements.
- Endurance – quantity of physical activity measured over time.
It is equally important to understand the six laws the pillars of potential follow:
Six Laws of Potential
Law 1: Potential Is Unique.
Every athlete has a different level of potential for each pillar. The combination of potential across all pillars is as unique as a fingerprint.
For example, if you look at your team, you will notice that the mindset, skill, strength, speed, and endurance of each athlete is at various levels of potential.
Law 2: Utilized Potential Fluctuates
The amount of mental and physical potential utilized within each pillar can fluctuate up or down independently across pillars. It is no surprise that changes in utilized potential has a direct correlation to the amount of time, energy, and practice applied to each pillar.
For example, as you transition into track season, you will increase your utilized potential as you get back into shape both mentally and physically by increasing your mileage and intensity.
Of course, the reciprocal can occur if you don’t put in the work, and results in unutilized potential.
Law 3: Potential Has Different Dimensions
Both mental and physical potential have the ability to expand and contract. With focused training and effort they can grow to new dimensions and when neglected they can shrink.
For example, when you run a PR (personal record) in the 1600m your physical potential of endurance (and perhaps other pillars) expands into a new dimension. The new dimension is the result of achieving something beyond your previous limit.
Of course, the reciprocal can occur if you don’t put in the work you will find your potential shrinking to smaller and smaller dimensions.
Law 4: Potential Is Unlimited
Both mental and physical potential are unlimited. When you increase a particular pillar of potential to a new dimension, the dimension extends beyond the new limit. This phenomenon occurs because every time you set a new limit, you actually increase the threshold of your capability beyond the current limit. This process can be continual in nature and hence unlimited.
For example, if you run a PR in the 1600m of 4:21, you just created a new limit and entered a new dimension of potential. However, your potential now extends past the 4:21 because the threshold of your capability is now beyond 4:21. If you run another PR of 4:19, your new potential dimension now expands beyond 4:19. As you repeat this process you can see that your potential is in fact unlimited.
Things start to get interesting as we dig into the relationship between mental and physical pillars. Understanding that mindset enables physical potential reveals two important correlations.
Law 5: Mindset Potential > Physical Potential
The total quantity of mindset potential is always equal to or greater than the total quantity of each pillar of physical potential. In other words, if you are able to physically achieve something, by default you are mentally capable as well.
For example, if you run a 1600m in 4:21, you not only have the skill, strength, speed, and endurance to run that time but also possess a mindset that can handle a 4:21 or faster 1600m.
Law 6: Mindset Is The Highest Common Denominator For All Pillars Of Potential.
Law six highlights the root of the problem. The actual amount of mindset potential utilized by an athlete is the highest common denominator for each pillar of physical potential. In other words, utilized mindset potential acts as a ceiling that limits physical potential. To put it another way, the physical potential of an athlete will always be capped by a lower mindset level.
Therefore, maximizing potential in any physical area will always begin with improving the mind. It doesn’t matter how gifted or talented you are physically, if you can’t master the mental game you will always have untapped potential. That is why some great athletes are busts at the pro level. For instance, Jonny Manziel aka “Jonny Football” was the first freshman Heisman Trophy winner and a first round NFL draft pick, only to be released by the Cleveland Browns two years later. While others who may not be the most talented on paper exceed people’s wildest expectations. Tom Brady was a sixth round draft pick yet has ten Super Bowl appearances and seven rings. Brady mastered the mental game to maximize his physical potential while Manziel’s physical talent was limited by his mindset.
By utilizing Ripkik and putting time and effort into the process, you will learn how to master your mental game so you can maximize your physical potential. The first step is to get to the edge of your current level of mindset potential. The second step is to expand that edge into a new dimension. As you strive to improve your mindset, it will open the door for you to reach your true potential in each physical pillar.