For most BYU athletes, the physical work started years ago.
Athletes spend hours training and competing to reach the college level, but preparation alone can only take them so far. Managing the mental side of sports is just as important.
BYU student-athletes balance practices, travel, games and school while representing the university in a very public way. Along with those responsibilities, many athletes are also learning how to manage high expectations and the emotional side of competition.
“Student athletes are under a tremendous amount of pressure,” said Holly Binks, assistant athletic director for clinical mental health at BYU.
Part of that pressure comes from what it means to represent BYU. Athletes compete in front of fans, appear on social media and often live much of their college experience in the public eye.
“They represent a notoriously moral university that has high standards and low margin for error,” Binks added.
The expectations have also evolved as college athletics continues to change. Social media and name, image and likeness opportunities have added another layer for athletes who are learning how to manage their public presence while still focusing on school and competition.
“They are also trying to navigate the changing world of college athletics and really have no roadmap for doing so,” she said.
At the same time, athletes are still balancing the everyday responsibilities of being students while thinking about their life after their athletic careers.
“They also have to prepare themselves for a future occupation that has a high probability of having nothing to do with their sport,” Binks said.
These demands happen even while athletes are still navigating normal college experiences, often with a lot more attention than other students receive.
“They have to do all this while dating, socializing, and being very visible in the public eye,” she said. “They are left open and vulnerable to public scrutiny and criticism. These pressures would be a lot for anyone to handle.”
Because of those challenges, mental health support has become an important part of the resources available to student-athletes at BYU.
“There are mental health counselors available to each of the athletes that they can meet with at any time,” Binks said. “There are mental health awareness activities and events regularly taking place that encourage athletes to focus on their mental health.”
The athletic department has also created systems designed to help athletes who may need additional support.
“The Athletic Department has implemented procedures, assessments, and protocols to help identify and treat athletes that are struggling as well,” Binks said.
Along with mental health resources, many athletes also work on developing their mental performance.
Craig Manning, associate athletic director for mental performance at BYU, works with athletes to improve skills that help them compete under pressure.
“I work with athletes to help transform them into their most beneficial and effective version of themselves,” Manning said.
Mental performance training can include tools like visualization, reflection, and building routines that help athletes stay mentally consistent during competition. Research on neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to adapt and form new connections — has helped shape how athletes approach mental training.
“The science of neuroplasticity shows that we can organize the mind in a way that allows athletes to develop skills faster and unlock more of their potential,” Manning said.
He said much of that work starts by helping athletes recognize their strengths and build confidence from that foundation.
“Go back to the foundational mental skills and reinforce one’s identity around their unique god-given strengths and build back up from there,” he added.
While sports are often viewed as primarily physical, Manning said the mental side can ultimately play the biggest role in performance.
“My mentor said 95% of sports is physical and 5% is mental. But the 5% that is mental rules the other 95%,” Manning said.
For Manning, the work is not just about improving performance but helping athletes better understand themselves.
“I love applying science," he said. "Science is the pursuit of truth and I love teaching young adults what they are capable of."
Binks hopes fans remember that athletes are navigating far more than what happens in one competition.
“I wish that the fans knew that the athletes do everything they can physically, emotionally, and mentally to be the best, and play the best, to represent BYU."