As Canadian athletes busily train their bodies for the 2010 Olympic Games, they're also getting prepared mentally with the help of sport psychologists.
Dr. Peter Jensen is working specifically to help the Canadian women's hockey team win again after a gold performance in Turin.
In his new book, "Igniting the Third Factor," Jensen explains how to bring out the best in someone, which he says is the biggest challenge facing coaches, business leaders and even parents.
"The first factor is nature, the second factor is nurture and the third factor... is the role we play in our own growth and development," Jensen told CTV's Canada AM on Monday.
"It allows you to transcend nature and nurture in many ways."
He said competing in sport, or anything else in life, is about managing what's on the inside so you can get all your skills on the outside.
For coaches, Jensen said they must be able to make their athletes believe they can win.
"Are you good at creating pictures in the other person's mind so they can see what's possible?" he said.
"...They lend you a belief that you can use while you're busy developing one of your own."
In 2005, Canada launched "Own the Podium," a $110-million program designed to put Canada on top in the medal count at the Vancouver Olympics.
Part of the initiative includes the mental training that Jensen provides.
"In Canada, for years we had a very poor conversion rate. If you were in the top five in the world the year before the Olympics there was a 26 per cent chance you'd win an Olympic medal. Whereas countries like Germany had a conversion rate of 90 per cent," Jensen said.
He said experts realized that the final hurdle for many athletes was a mental one and he has worked to help many become mentally fit for competition.
Since 1984, Jensen has been involved in six Olympic Games and has worked with more than 40 medal winning athletes and their coaches.
He said he loves working with the current women's hockey team.
"They're wonderful to work with and the talent is unbelievable," he said.
