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Mindsets impact training adaptation and high-pressure performance: beliefs and perceptions of professionals working in elite sport and mission critical teams
Date
2026-06-22
Abstract
A critical objective in professional sports and mission critical teams such as specialist police units, military special forces and emergency medicine
responders is preparing individuals, and teams, to perform optimally under intense pressure. Empirical research demonstrates that mindsets positively
impact performance during stressful activities. However, no research has specifically investigated the perceived importance of mindset from individuals working in high-performance teams. In this mixed-methods study we utilised an anonymous online survey to: (1) Explore how practitioners define, perceive and understand mindset, (2) Determine the perceived importance of mindset and establish what strategies, if any, are deployed to leverage mindset in training and high-pressure performance settings, and (3) Establish the resources professional sport teams and mission critical teams allocate to the development and optimisation of mindset. This exploratory study, philosophically grounded in pragmatism, gathered the perspectives of 266 Performers and Performance Support Staff working in high-performance teams. Findings confirmed that mindsets are considered crucial to optimising performance during high-pressure situations. Mindsets are perceived to positively impact adaptation to technical, tactical and physical training. A novel finding was that a significant proportion of Performers and Performance Support Staff utilise deliberate mindset switching as a strategy to optimise performance. Participants used a multitude of definitions to define ‘mindset’ suggesting a lack of shared meaning within, and amongst, organisations. Despite mindset education being highly valued, a relatively large proportion of Performers and Performance Support Staff have never received any mindset-specific education indicating a sub-optimal and disparate approach to training provision. Findings demonstrate that mindsets are considered a pivotal component in developing, and sustaining, high-pressure, high-performance capabilities. We discuss how findings gathered from this unique cohort of professionals could improve real-world applied practice and propose future avenues for mindset research.
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Description
Publisher
frontiersin.org
Citation
Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
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Kiely_2026_Mindset.pdf
Adobe PDF, 835.61 KB
ULRR Identifiers
Funding code
Funding Information
Sustainable Development Goals
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License
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International