Mental Skills Assessment Report

Summary
The purpose of this report is to assess an athlete using the Mental Skills Assessment Questionnaire (MST). After the assessment (refer to Appendix A), four key behavioural characteristics were identified, two of which scored lowest were addressed. A plan was arranged for the athlete and different strategies were used. Psychological changes observed from the athlete were recorded down.

Introduction
My athlete namely Mr JS, is a male Chinese in his early 30s who actively trains and compete in marathons. He got involve with marathons after he completed his time serving the national service with the commandos. He started off by joining short distance marathons (5km) and gradually increasing the distance. Just last year he completed his
They are categorized into two different parts, ‘the good’ and ‘the can be improved’.

The Good (3)
Mental Preparation – Set of questions from 5 to 8 which scored one of the three highest scoring in the mental skills. It shows JS is strong in mental preparation prior to his activities.
Concentration Ability - Set of questions from 17 to 20 which review about the JS’s ability to concentrate and not be distracted by thoughts and noises. JS possesses a high level of concentration.
Motivation – Set of questions, 25 to 28, where the subject scored high, looked into the ability to enjoy the competition and his motivation and feelings about trying his hardest during the race. This is a good set of mental skills for marathoners.
Can be improved (2)
Anxiety and Worry Management - Questions 13 to16 scored low, in which JS was asked questions related to fear of failure and worries while performing. It shows that JS worry about not achieving his best in the marathon races.
Relaxation ability – Another set of questions which scored lowest were 21 to 24, in which questions asked were about his abilities to relax before his marathon
Mediation helps reduce stress and allow athlete to stay calm and relax before an event and with elite the athlete can learn to relax different muscle groups and appreciate subtle differences in muscle tension. Maintain an impassive attitude, permit relaxation to happen at its own speed and expect other thoughts. When distracting thoughts occur, return your concentration to your breathing. Try to practice a relaxation technique once a day.
Doke (2015) is a strong believer that meditation is great for relaxing after training; calming nerves and helping you focus prior to competition. He is the founder of the Anamaya App, a meditation programme founded on 20 years research and featuring more than 350 meditations and 11 focus areas, including sport.

Implementation of strategies (Anxiety & Relaxation) – Annex C
JS will be given a set of yoga and meditation exercises for him to execute prior to his daily trainings. JS will be participating in the upcoming SunDown Marathon this year. In preparation for this event, we met up to discuss and the following exercise plan was put together for him to insert it into his daily training schedule.
The technique for Mr JS includes the following steps:
• Lie down on your back and close your eyes
• Relax all your muscles, beginning at your feet and progressing to your