Become a partner of
of the Montreal Sports Council
of Montreal
Become a partner of
of the Montreal Sports Council
of Montreal
Become a partner of
of the Montreal Sports Council
of Montreal
Become a partner of
of the Montreal Sports Council
of Montreal
Summary of the Meeting Between M.E.S. and the Montreal Sports Council / Excellence in Sports on the Island of Montreal
Profile of Nathalie Prieto, M.Sc., CMPC®
Mental performance should not be assessed only after a poor performance or a remarkable achievement. It should be intentionally and systematically integrated into an athlete’s monitoring process, just like physical, technical, and tactical aspects.
The proposed approach encourages coaches and instructors to better distinguish mental factors from physical or technical-tactical factors, while taking into account the influence of the environment and team dynamics. The “Gold Medal Profile” presented during the session groups mental abilities into three broad categories: fundamental abilities, self-regulation, and interpersonal skills. Among the dimensions discussed are motivation, confidence, resilience, self-awareness, stress management, regulation of emotions and arousal levels, attentional control, the coach-athlete relationship, leadership, teamwork, and communication.
Mental health is a cross-cutting element of this model. The presentation also highlights that mental skills can play an important role in athletes’ well-being and in preventing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
The development of mental skills must be tailored to the athlete’s level of development and their sport. The session therefore encouraged participants to consider which mental skills are priorities at each stage of long-term development, how their role can influence them, and how to measure their progress over the course of a season.
During the season, the recommended approach favors tools that are quick, simple, and tailored to the athletic context. Short scales—for example, from 1 to 5—as well as visual cues can facilitate regular data collection without adding to the daily workload of the athlete or the team.
One of the key messages of the meeting is the importance of not interpreting a single piece of mental data in isolation. The analysis is best conducted chronologically and contextually, by looking for correlations between performance quality, context, and other available indicators: error rates, GPS data, power output, heart rate, jump height, or other discipline-specific measurements.
A 360-degree assessment, involving coaches and support staff, can also help provide a better understanding of the factors that promote or hinder performance and well-being.
At the end of the season, the assessment should be based on the goals and metrics established at the beginning of the year. Depending on the targeted mental skills and environmental factors, scientifically validated tools can supplement the analysis, including the OMSAT-3, the ACSI-28, the Sport Performance Perception Scale (SPPS), and the SECTS scale, which focuses on communication within sports teams.
| Principle | Application |
| Plan Ahead | Incorporate mental training into your performance plan from the start of the season rather than waiting for a problem to arise. |
| Follow | Use a few simple, relevant indicators that are tracked over time. |
| Put into context | Compare perceptions with performance data and the conditions under which the data were collected. |
| Collaborate | Compare the observations of the athlete, the coach, and the support staff. |
| Reevaluate | Conduct an end-of-season review based on the initial goals and adjust priorities for the future. |
The presentation draws in particular on the Gold Medal Profile in Sports Psychology (Durand-Bush et al., 2022), the framework for long-term development through sports and physical activity, as well as research on monitoring well-being, performance perception, and mental fatigue.
Document prepared for publication on the Montreal Sports Council (CSM) website, based on the M.E.S. presentation “What About the Mind?”
