In Stride
Equestrian Training

Mental Skills
Sports psychology or mental skills are an essential part of sport. Controlling and directing what you think about has a huge impact on controlling nerves and building confidence, producing your best performance possible, and promoting an overall sense of wellbeing about yourself and your performance.
The Gold Metal Profile for Sports Psychology (GMP-SP) is a journal article aimed at educating people on the important mental skills needed for high level sports. I would argue that these skills hold value for people at all levels of sport as well as for school, work, and life in general. The article identifies 11 skills:
1.Motivation-your reason for engaging in sport
2. Confidence-the belief that you can be successful in your sport
3. Resilience-the ability to bounce back from a bad day
4. Self Awareness-knowing what you are thinking and feeling
5. Stress Management-the ability to cope with demanding situations
6. Emotion and Arousal Regulation-the ability to control your energy and emotions
7. Attentional Control-focusing on the right thing at the right time
8. Coach-athlete relationship-having trust, respect, and shared goals and values
9. Leadership-athletes my be formal leaders or informally influence the team and people around them
10. Teamwork-this includes getting along with the people you work with and your horse
11. Communication-includes verbal and non-verbal means and requires an open, safe environment
You can read the entire article at the following link: https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2022.2055224

