Mindset Mondays: Rainer Martens — Athletes First, Winning Second
Rainer Martens, the father of modern coaching education, famously challenged the "win-at-all-costs" mentality with a simple, disruptive motto: "Athletes First, Winning Second." What made him a legend was that while many focus on "winning at all costs," Martens revolutionized the field by arguing that the best way to win is actually to put the athlete’s development first.
Martens argued that when winning is the only objective, performance actually suffers. Why? Because the fear of losing creates paralyzing anxiety. However, when the focus shifts to the development of the athlete — physically, psychologically, and socially — the scoreboard often takes care of itself.
To Martens, a "winning mindset" is about three core psychological skills:
Realistic Self-Confidence: Martens defined this not as "hope," but as a realistic expectation of success based on preparation.
Energy Management: You can’t reach peak performance if your energy is too high or too low, or if it’s too "noisy" (anxious) or too "quiet" (bored).
Stress as an Imbalance: He taught that stress occurs when you perceive a gap between the demand placed on you and your ability to meet it. Get better, set smaller milestones between big goals that you are confident you can meet, and celebrate small wins.
Today, identify your "Yardstick of Success." Are you measuring your worth by the result (the win) or by the effort and growth (the development)?
Pick one skill you want to improve this week. Focus entirely on the process of mastering it rather than the outcome of your performance. When you put "Athlete First," you become a "winner in life," regardless of the score.
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