Training the Mental Side of Sports with Brock McCormack

Training the Mental Side of Sports Athletes spend enormous amounts of time training their bodies through practice, lifting, conditioning, skill work, recovery, and repetition. Yet many spend far less time intentionally training the part of their game that affects almost everything else: their mind. In this Guest Huddle, Drew Knuppel is joined by mental performance consultant and former collegiate baseball player Brock McCormack for a conversation about performance anxiety, confidence, pressure, negative self-talk, perfectionism, failure, and learning how to control what you can control. Brock’s interest in mental performance started because he needed it himself. Despite working extremely hard physically, he reached a point in his college baseball career where he realized he could not simply outwork performance anxiety. That realization eventually led him to work with a sports psychologist, earn a master’s degree in sport psychology from Florida State University, and build a career helping athletes train their minds alongside their bodies. Why This Conversation Matters Many athletes assume mental performance training is something you seek only when something is wrong. Brock sees it differently because athletes at every level experience fear, anxiety, doubt, pressure, and negative thoughts. The difference is not that elite athletes never experience those thoughts. The difference is that they become better at recognizing them, challenging them, and responding in a way that helps rather than hurts performance. Mental performance should not be viewed as emergency help. It should be trained like any other part of your game. Meet Brock McCormack Brock McCormack grew up as a baseball player and eventually became a collegiate pitcher at the Division III level. As he entered college baseball, he placed enormous pressure on himself to prove that he belonged, earn his coaches’ trust, perform well, and gain the respect of his teammates. Eventually, that pressure became overwhelming. His physical preparation was strong, but mentally he was struggling. After reaching out to a former coach, Brock was encouraged to work with a sports psychologist, and that relationship helped him regain confidence while introducing him to mental skills training. The experience changed the direction of his life. Brock later earned his master’s degree in sport psychology from Florida State University, worked with athletes in a private practice setting, and eventually started his own mental performance practice. Today, he works with athletes individually as well as through team, group, and parent sessions. ABOUT SPORTS MENTORSHIP Sports Mentorship helps student-athletes navigate the parts of sports that coaches and trainers do not always have time to address. Our virtual 1-on-1 mentorship gives athletes a consistent person in their corner—someone who understands the journey and can help with confidence, pressure, habits, recruiting, academics, communication, decision-making, and life beyond sports. ➡️ Explore 1-on-1 Mentorship: https://sportsmentorship.com/mentorship/ ➡️ Book a FREE Athlete Success Call: https://sportsmentorship.com/success-... https://sportsmentorship.com/ #SportsMentorship #StudentAthlete #Mindset #MentalToughness #MentalStrength