There is no pre-requisite for enrolment, though obviously an interest in sport and a desire to pursue a professional career in sport coaching or athlete management is an advantage.

Each module covers an aspect of mental training for sport, and emphasises practical techniques rather than theory - allowing students to apply the knowledge to their own sports situations. All study materials are included : a comprehensive Sportsmind Coaching Excellence training manual, textbooks and readings, CDs, and exercise and assignment worksheets.

Assessment is by short exercises and assignments in which students demonstrate competency before progressing to the next module Students are graded as competent (C), or not yet competent (N), on each module with a ‘no failure’ policy – students simply continue working at a specific module until the required standard is attained.

Regular contact with the teacher is encouraged and access for questions or feedback is provided by telephone, email and/or in written form.

Module 1: Introduction to NLP : Rapport & Communication Excellence

Module 2: Sports NLP : Perceptual & Anchoring Techniques

Module 3: Sports NLP : Meta Model & SUCCESS Process

Module 4: Positive Motivation

Module 5: Compelling Sports Goals

Module 6: Concentration and State Management

Module 7: Relaxation, Anxiety Management Mental Rehearsal & Advanced Visualisation Techniques

Module 8: Positive Mental Attitude & Positive Self Image

Module 9: Confidence & Self Esteem for Athletes

Module 10: Beliefs & Sports Performance

The Sportsmind Coaching Excellence program is outcome oriented to provide a broad range of practical skills and techniques for dealing with the common mental and emotional obstacles to higher sports performance.

The ideas taught are simple and easy to apply in both practice and competition situations, and are suitable for all sports and levels of ability.

• Develop greater sensitivity to language and non-verbal behaviour.
• Improve their rapport building and communication effectiveness in both formal
  coaching and informal social situations.
• Recognise visual, auditory and kinaesthetic thinking styles in others and be able to
  match their communication to suit an individual's thinking style.
• Discover how to overcome objections with integrity and put your case in a most
  favourable light;

Module 2: Sports NLP: Perceptual & Anchoring Techniques

Participants will:

• Recognise and respond to eye movement cues, breathing, posture, language patterns,
  gestures and other non-verbal communications;
• Develop the flexibility to take multiple viewpoints on situations, and be able to train
  others to also do so;
• Learn how to establish anchors in self and others in all sensory systems;
• Be able to identify other people's thinking and decision making strategies;
• Learn the four key factors which influence behaviour in others.

Module 3:Sports NLP : Meta Model & SUCCESS Process

Participants will:

• Learn practical language and questioning skills;
• Be able to identify the specific limitations in an individual's language, and
  respond with appropriate challenges to aid in recovery of accurate information;
• Enhance their own self motivation;
• Understand a range of motivational and influential language patterns and be able to use
  these fluently in coaching and personal situations.
• Learn how to identify the limitations in an individual's language, and encourage a 'peak
  performance language' in those being coached.

• Recognise and be able to implement a variety of motivational styles in coaching
  others to success.
• Understand the link between language and personal motivation.
• Learn the four most common 'poor self-motivation strategies', and be able to
  positively influence others to change to more effective methods of self-motivation.
• Identify a clear life mission statement.
• Feel motivated and empowered to follow through with decisions to manifest
  positive changes in their coaching performance.

• Reflect on their life in five key areas;
• Make decisions about where they wish to go in the future;
• Feel motivated and empowered to follow through with those decisions to manifest
  positive changes in their life;
• Identify and write down specific sports, financial and personal goals - and
  understand how to guide others through this process;
• Be able to identify their own and others' time lines and make use of 'positive
  compulsions' to assist in achieving personal and professional goals;
• Learn how to establish practical action plans and routines to achieve the desired goals.
• Plan the future more effectively.
• Be more flexible in their management of personal time.

• Be able to use a variety of techniques to enhance concentration and focus under
  pressure.
• Learn the building blocks of all emotions and how to trigger and amplify positive
  emotions and feelings.
• Change negative, non-constructive feelings, automatic un-productive emotional
  reactions, and limiting behaviours to more empowering ones.
• Develop a repertoire of positive, empowering feeling states.
• Build 'circuit breakers' for dis-empowering emotional states.
• Learn an emotional vocabulary and develop an effective sensitivity to their feelings.
• Be able to access the present more fully, and teach others to build triggers for getting
  into the 'zone'.
• Enhance decision-making capabilities and skills.

• Learn six different relaxation / visualisation processes using a well established six
  step format, and be familiar with using them to assist athletes to relax and practice
  mental rehearsal.
• Experience ten different sports uses for visualisation and mental rehearsal
  exercises.
• Understand and recognise the difference between life-threatening fear, and fantasy
  fears, and develop automatic, resourceful responses to previously fear/anxiety
  generating contexts.
• Learn various self hypnosis processes and be familiar with using them.
• Know how to use a range of cognitive and behavioural tools for dealing with fear and
  anxiety.
• Be able to use basic and advanced visualisation techniques to assist athletes to enhance
  sports performances - including exercises to improve specific sports skills, and
  competition performances.

Module 8:Positive Mental Attitude & Positive Self Image

Participants will:

• Hone their mental edge - mastering thoughts and perceptions to emphasise the
  positive and downplay the negative, and develop a powerful, positive mental attitude,
  and a wealth of positive feeling states.
• Understand the structure of a positive mental attitude, and be able to identify and
  teach the six components of a positive attitude.
• Recognise the 'explanatory style' differences between optimism and pessimism and
  their effects on sports performances, and use this knowledge to encourage more
  optimistic attitudes in athletes.
• Develop a stronger, positive self image in themselves and others through the use of
  'monitoring' and 'filtering' techniques.
• Learn and be able to use affirmation imprinting techniques to initiate positive
  improvement in athletes' self image and performances.

Module 9:Confidence & Self Esteem for Athletes

Participants will :

• Understand the two elements of self esteem and their link to sporting success.
• Enhance their personal confidence and self esteem.
• Understand the factors that affect self esteem in others, and how to positively
  influence them.
• Improve decision-making capabilities and skills.
• Release and reprogram negative behaviours, habits and emotions.
• Respond resourcefully to criticism and be able to teach this skill to their athletes.
• Establish and maintain healthy relationships with others.

• Learn and be able to apply the four keys of mental mastery : awareness, focus,
  meaning, and timing.
• Understand the structure of beliefs and how they work.
• Learn practical techniques for changing limiting habits and behaviours in self and
  others.
• Recognise the importance of 'leveraging' in teams.
• Positively change their feeling response to negative past experiences, and be able to
  teach this process to athletes to enable them to 'let go' of past poor performances.
• Feel more positive and self directed in their life.
• Identify the precise mental structure of an individual's 'talent', and be able to use this
  information to install the same strategy in themselves, or others.