Gillette speaks at mental toughness session

     A mental toughness training session for Monticello student athletes and parents was presented by Mike Gillette Thursday, Nov. 9 in the Monticello High School Auditorium.

     Gillette, a best-selling author, speaker and performance coach, spoke to about 100 people in attendance, emphasizing the power of mental improvement to improve performance.

     The 55-year-old, who has trained elite military units, Division I athletes and members of Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, began his hour-long presentation by breaking a stack of long bricks.

     The bricks, he said, represent any metaphorical wall the athletes in the audience might have, keeping them from success. He went to the bricks and broke six of the seven with one swing.

     He went on to describe his philosophy which, he said, is proactive thinking rather than reactive thinking.

     “It’s taking control of your thoughts,” he said. “Have action thoughts, not reaction thoughts.”

     Gillette offered a series of mantras that help him and those he trains. One of those is “talent chases expectations,” meaning that if an athlete’s expectations are low, talent is unlikely to overcome that.

     There is, however, “no ceiling in mental improvement,” he said.

     Another of his ideas, he explained, is “don’t say ‘don’t.’ ” He said that an athlete should be thinking about the positive things he or she should be doing, not negative things.

     Gillette gave the example of a balance beam performer in gymnastics, who, when a coach says, “Don’t fall,” is more likely to fall. Instead, the gymnast should be thinking things like “steady” and “control.”

     Gillette also emphasized mental practice. He told the story of a Vietnam prisoner of war who passed time in a POW camp mentally playing entire rounds of golf.

     When the prisoner was released, and went to play actual golf for the first time since coming home, he had the best round of his life.

     Gillette is an advocate of positive thinking, urging athletes not to dwell on mistakes.

     “Do not reinforce your mistakes by remembering them,” he said. “Focus on what you do well, and build on that.”

     Near the end, he demonstrated another trick that requires mental strength, bending an iron bar using only his throat. With MHS wrestling coach Ryan Luensman and audience member David Range pressing against him, Gillette forced the bar to bend.

     Information about Gillette is available online at mikegillette.com.