By Stephen Wright

Copyright bernews

Taurean Manders Launches New Business

[Written by Stephen Wright]

Former Bermuda footballer Taurean Manders is on a mission to help local athletes unlock their potential by giving them the mental edge too often overlooked in sport.

The 39-year-old has launched Mental Versatile Peak Performance, a consultancy dedicated to training the mind as rigorously as the body.

Drawing on a master’s degree in sports psychology and his own football career, Manders says he wants to provide players with the tools to cope with pressure, sharpen focus and ultimately succeed where others fall short.

Manders, who enjoyed professional stints in Canada with Capital City and York Region Shooters, said the seeds of his new venture were sown long before hanging up his boots.

“The journey started at the IMG Academy [in Bradenton, Florida], where we did mental conditioning in the early 2000s,” Manders told Bernews.

“I also did a psychology course in high school, which my piqued curiosity. When I went to university, it was the only thing I was interested in.

“After my playing days, I got my coaching badges and started working with young players.

“I could clearly see some of them didn’t have the mental tools to succeed or make it.”

That realisation pushed him deeper into sports psychology.

After completing his master’s degree at the University of Staffordshire in England, Manders returned to Bermuda last year determined to put theory into practice.

He has already started working with local athletes, including players in the high-performance sport programme at Warwick Academy during the previous academic year.

“I have a couple of other clients I’m working with, some players who have gone away to school,” he said.

“It’s still a building phase. At the elite level, the one per cent edge can make all the difference.

“It’s about being the best version of yourself regardless of the level you’re at. You might need that little bit of extra focus, commitment, to give you the best chance of success.”

Manders, who also holds a Uefa B coaching licence, says the brain is still the most neglected aspect of training.

“You have technical sessions, tactical sessions, but no-one really trains the brain through repetition and mental skills,” the former North Village midfielder said.

“The mental part helps with the physical, technical and tactical – it all blends in.”

Website: https://www.mvp.bm/

#BermudaBusiness #BermudaFootball #StephenWrightReports

Category: All, Business, News, Sports