Tim O’Brien – Once, Twice, Three times a National Champion!
Which is exactly what Saint Mary’s College of California’s Head Coach Tim O’Brien achieved when he led the Gaels to their third National Championship victory this year.
Which is exactly what Saint Mary’s College of California’s Head Coach Tim O’Brien achieved when he led the Gaels to their third National Championship victory this year.
In the moments leading up to a game or race, it’s easy to visualize success and feel mentally tough. It’s easy to sit back and talk team strategies with our heart rates low and our breathing under control in an environment where we feel comfortable, unbeatable, ready. But toughness is not defined by pre-game talk or how well you practice your sport.
Stepping out of your comfort zone is an important component to growth, personal development and achieving success. As Coaches, we continually encourage our athletes to get comfortable with the uncomfortable in order to expand skill development and improve results. However, there is a big difference between creating experiences and/or environments that are uncomfortable and those that are unsafe. In this ‘5 Minutes with Bo Hanson’, we discuss the important differences between being unsafe and being uncomfortable.
Elite athletes are comfortable in uncomfortable situations, they need to be, in fact, this skill alone can convert all of the work they’ve done leading up to this moment into a victory.
In this week’s 5 Minutes with Bo Hanson, he speaks about his unique experience learning about the US Navy SEALs resilience and their approach to mental toughness.
Mental toughness and resilience is a key quality in athletes that are revered and successful in their chosen sport. The US Navy SEALs resilience is renowned, they are some of the most mentally tough people in the world. The Navy SEALs consistently work where regular combat units do not have the capabilities to create a successful outcome. This sees the Navy SEALs operating in places civilians cannot imagine, under circumstances which demand the highest levels of mental toughness and team work. That is what sets the Navy SEALs resilience apart.
In elite sport equipment is equal among competitors, physical conditioning programs are indistinguishable and game or race strategies are often duplicated. The only true competitive advantages are gained by investing in the mental and emotional skills of your people, and their relationships with each other.
Recently we were over in the University of Notre Dame, which is a phenomenal place and we enjoyed our time there. It was at the ‘Play Like a Champion’ Conference and myself and Liz, we both presented a presentation to the whole audience and we spoke specifically about developing mental toughness or if you like resiliency.
By Bo Hanson – 4x Olympian, Coaching Consultant & Director of Athlete Assessments Recently I was fortunate to take part (as a coach, not athlete!)
Video Presentation by Bo Hanson, 4x Olympian, Coaching Consultant & Director of Athlete Assessments In this video Bo Hanson recounts his experience of spending a
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One of the benefits of working with many different sporting teams each year is the insight we gain in what really makes the difference for sustained success.
We share our fundamental performance philosophies and some of the key models we use to achieve success – think of it as the how-to on performance.
Bo Hanson’s career within the sport and the business sector spans over 25 years, delivering leadership, management, and coach development. In addition to his own athletic career comprising of four Olympic appearances and including three Olympic medals, Bo has worked for many years with coaches and athletes from over 40 different sports across the globe. Bo was also the winner of the Australian Institute of Training and Development (AITD) 2023 Award for L&D Professional of the Year, for his dedication to L&D and transformational work across various industries.
After a successful career in sport including four Olympics and three Olympic Medals, Bo co-founded and developed Athlete Assessments in 2007. Bo now focuses on working with clients to achieve their own success on and off ‘the field’, and has attained an unmatched track-record in doing exactly this.