Clay SmithAs we are now into a new year the big question to all of Bermuda athletes, cricketers, footballers, golfers, swimmers etc is what are you going to do different this year to make yourself that much better?The obvious is to prepare yourself mentally and physically for your specific craft, and push yourself towards a fitness goal, letting nothing stand in the way of achieving it.There is one saying that I wholeheartedly believe in and that is “winning is a habit” and on the flip side so too is losing.Recently there was an article about Manchester United where one of the players was quoted as saying, “Any young player coming to United has to understand the level of expectation here. Winning is the only option and it is this mentality that is passed on from the coach to the players, hence the players hunger for success”.This statement got me thinking of how the mind is such a powerful tool.As Bermudian athletes, I wonder how many actually take the mental preparation required seriously. This fragment of the preparation is what I believe gives an athlete a decisive edge?Often times the mind is challenged at critical moments throughout any sport, whether the sport is running, boxing, football, cricket, swimming, golf, and the list can go on indefinitely, and we flop because we have failed to prepare our minds for those critical moments in general, especially if fatigue has also become a factor.One training technique used in cricket is a “What If “scenario. Players are asked to create a scenario that could occur during a game and as a team they tackle how best to handle the situation. This actually prepares the mind ahead of time to think quickly, resulting in proactive responses rather than reactive, eliminating the panic button and rash, hasty, impulsive detrimental decisions.A more personal tactic requires the use of a journal. This journal should be used to keep notes on training sessions and games, inclusive of coach remarks, highlighting important aspects that are specific to personal growth.Prior to a training session or a game the notes should be looked over. This serves as a reminder about what has been worked on and the highlights will recap the positive and negative aspects of the game on a personal level, allowing the mind to reiterate the solutions to weaknesses and echo the strengths of your game.On New Year’s Day I sat and watched the World Darts Championship finals, the winner decided by the first player to win seven sets. Phil Taylor, who is now a 16-time winner, probably the best player ever to play the game, was playing in the finals against a young and exuberant Michael van Gerwen.The young rookie got off to a flyer, leading 4-2 against the 52-year-old nicknamed “The Power”, causing the commentators to ponder whether this newbie would thrash probably the best darts player the world had ever seen.Van Gerwen was focused and the adrenalin had fired him up to playing the darts of his life. However, “The Power” of experience and self-belief as the crowd chanted and sang, “There’s only one Phil Taylor”, increased Phil’s confidence and soon the score was 4-4.At that very moment I turned to my son and said if Phil wins the next game he will go on to win the match because psychologically the youngster is not equipped yet on how to deal with that type of pressure.Taylor not only won the next game but went on to win the match 7-4 after being down 4-2. There is no substitute for experience. If you use both the positive and negative experiences in your sporting career, it will teach you how to deal with and handle pressure, and to expect the unexpected in any situation.Mentally it helps you to be calm and collected when confronted with less than ideal scenarios rather than panicking and exposing weaknesses.My advice on just one of the ways to improve as an athlete is to train the mind. If that is one of your goals in 2013 the first question you have to ask yourself is what are you willing to sacrifice to get better?Are you willing to wake up at 5am and begin your training regime? Are you willing to sit for hours watching videos of yourself and your opponents? Successful teams and individuals go that extra mile with the answer of ‘yes’ to the questions and many more.As an individual it comes down to how good you want to be. My theory is simple, “If you are going to do something that’s worth doing, do it to the best of your ability, or don’t do it at all.”