GREAT FALLS — As the 52nd annual MCA coaches clinic wrapped up in Great Falls Friday, guests learned that it wasn’t all about X’s and O’s this week. Internationally-renowned motivational speaker Dr. Spencer Wood gave the keynote address on mental toughness training. He’s worked with athletes at the highest levels, including the Olympics, Division I college sports and the NBA.
It’s Wood’s second time at the clinic. He last spoke there in 2015. Wood said he was so impressed with it the first time that accepting the invite back was an easy decision, since he learns just as much as he teaches.
"It’s not just about a brand for me or getting out my message, it’s about growing and improving too, and this is a great clinic for that," Wood said. "Mental toughness is trainable and it is teachable. It’s commonly seen as one of those X-factors that either he or she has it, or they do not. And that’s actually not true. So one of the messages and one of the skills that this session teaches is: how do you bounce back? How quickly can you flush that mistake out of your system and play present and bounce back for that next play, that next skill."
