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Golfers: Improve Your Golf Confidence for 2010! Dr. Cohn's new CD and workbook program teaches you the top eight lessons to play with mental toughness on the course. Read more about how to improve confidence in golf...

Tennis Players: Boost Confidence for Tournament Tennis! Learn how to boost your tennis confidence with Dr. Cohn's unique 8-week mental training course for tournament tennis players!

Parents and Coaches: Improve Sports Kids' Success with Kids' Sports Psychology! Kids' Sports Psychology is a one-stop, exclusive 10-step plan for boosting confidence and cultivating positive mental game skills in young athletes! Download age-specific confidence-boosting mental game e-books for young athletes. Learn how to boost sports kids' sports success...

Free Mental Game Reports! Golfers: Improve Your Preshot Routine. Baseball and Softball Players and Coaches: Improve At-Bat Routines. Tennis Players and Coaches: Improve Your Mindset Between Points! Parents and Youth Coaches: Boost kids' confidence and success in sports!

Locker Room Talk

Feature Mental Game Article

4 Mental Keys to Improve Comeback Potential
By Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.

Do you panic when your team is behind in the game? Do you lose confidence in yourself or team and doubt your ability to make a comeback when you're losing? Do you get angry or frustrated when you are losing to an opponent you expect to beat? Athletes who have mental toughness keep their faith during games even when they are losing...

I asked one of my mental coaching students what she does during competition when she's losing. "Do you get down on yourself or become frustrated when you are losing," I asked. She replied, "no." What do you think about when you are behind in the game? She replied: "I try to think about how I can play better and get even."

A good answer I thought because not too many of my athletes have this mindset while losing. If you want to mount a comeback, you must manage your mental game as well as your physical game.

I'm sure you have witnessed or have been a part of many comebacks... One great example I watched years ago was simply called "The Comeback." The Buffalo Bills were down 0 – 32 in the first half of a playoff game against the Houston Oilers. The Bills came from 32 points down to tie the game. Buffalo eventually won in overtime and went on to compete in the Super Bowl that year.

That was a long time ago and I'm sure you or your team has been a part of many comebacks. What mental skills does it take for  you to make a comeback when you are losing? I can quickly tell you what will not work: impatience, doubt or fleeting confidence, frustration, anger, or a lack of interest in the game. You might have slipped into one of these mental game no-no's during competition, which can ruin a chance for a comeback.

Let's talk about what one of the best QBs in the NFL does when his team is down and needs to mount a comeback. Keep in mind that momentum is huge in any comeback. No one really talks about momentum, but I'm here to tell you that momentum is a huge game-breaker or maker in sports. The team with momentum and the ball in their hands at the end of the game can beat a superior team.

Last weekend, the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning found themselves 13 points down at the half to the Texans. Then Manning mounted a charge and threw three touchdowns. Colts came back from a 13-point deficit at halftime. The Colts now 15-1 scored a fifth straight come-from-behind win. So they must have the formula for getting the job done when they are behind.

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Staying composed individually and as a team seems to be a one key for Manning and his team:

“We don’t get overexcited certainly when things aren’t going the way we want them to,” Peyton Manning said. “We don’t panic, we don’t yell, we don’t throw helmets. We just try to put the series behind us and move on to the next one. There was a lot of that (Sunday).”

Likewise, Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne said you have to keep a good poker face when you are down and not allow the other team to see you with doubt on your face:

“If you doubt, you’re done. It’s just like showing a bad poker face. If they see that, you’re in trouble. Guys just stick with it. We knew the defense was going to pick it up. We know we have to take care of the offense and get some drives going.”
~Reggie Wayne, Colts Wide Receiver

What are the mental keys to helping you or your team come from behind?

1. Focus on what's to come instead of what's happened and stop dwelling on the current score. Dwelling on the score and the fact that you are behind in the game does not help you execute the next play or shot. Think about what you need to do to get the momentum back one play at a time.
   
   
2. Stay calm and composed. Frustration, anger, or over-excitement will not help you play your best and usually leads to making more mistakes. You'll need to let go of what's causing your anger or frustration and get 100% focused on the game plan.
   
   
3. Keep your confidence up and smash the doubts. If you have trouble keeping your confidence high and avoiding doubt when you are losing, you cannot mount a comeback. Confidence and faith in your ability or your team's ability is paramount to helping you earn back momentum and strive for success.
   
   
4. Look for ways to gain momentum and ride the wave. Critical moments during competition can change momentum quickly. Look for opportunities to change momentum in your or your team's favor. When you have momentum, you have confidence squared. Momentum is even more powerful than a full tank of confidence.

Want to learn all of Dr. Cohn's secrets for staying composed under pressure? Jump over to The Composed Athlete CD and Workbook program to catapult your composure during competition.

Sports Specific Mental Training Tip

"Goal is to be in contention..."

Cristie Kerr know something about coming from behind to win. She has closed out tournaments with an 8 shot deficit...

"I am comfortable with having the lead. I'm also comfortable coming from behind. I've come from behind as much as eight shots, you know, to win a tournament. I've had the lead all four days in a tournament. I've won pretty much every way there is to win. I think the goal for me is to be in contention, if not having the lead, being right up there going into Sunday, doing that more often. Statistics will tell what they will tell at the end of my career, I guess, whether I was more comfortable having the lead or not. I'm not sure."

~Cristie Kerr, LPGA State Farm Classic (2009)

Podcasts of the Month

The Tennis Psychology Podcast of the Month!
In this week’s tennis psychology session, Dr. Cohn teaches you how let go of mistakes and play on with composure. Many tennis players get frustrated when they make mistakes, which cause players to lose focus and under perform. Listen to the podcast to learn how to forget about past mistakes.

• Show me the Tennis Psychology Podcast of the Month!
• Watch the Tennis Confidence Video series!
• Tennis Players & Coaches: Improve your mental game between points with this free report!
• Subscribe to the Tennis Psychology Podcast at iTunes!

The Golf Psychology Podcast of the Month!
Dr. Patrick Cohn, golf psychology expert and author of the "Golfer's Mental Edge" CD program, teaches amateur to tour professional golfers how to improve their mental game of golf. In this week's golf psychology session, Dr. Cohn helps a golfer who loses confidence during warm-up because of poor performance. 

• Show me the Golf Psychology Podcast of the Month!
• Watch the Golf Confidence Video series!
• Golfers and Instructors: Download a golf psychology report to improve your preshot routine overnight
• Subscribe to the Golf Psychology Podcast at iTunes!

Pro Athlete Quote of the Month

Ask Doc Cohn

"How can I relax without losing focus?"

Hockey Player:

I am a goaltender playing college hockey. The mental aspect of the position is critical. How can I relax in a game without losing my focus and working hard?

Jump to Dr. Cohn's answer now!

Most Valuable Product (MVP)

Golfers Mental Edge: An 8-Week Plan for Ultimate Golf Confidence NEW!

Golfer's Mental Edge: An 8-Week Plan for Ultimate Golf Confidence. What's the one big sign that your mental game is the weak link in your golf game? When you can't play consistently as well as you can perform in practice! The “Golfer's Mental Edge Program” is a complete brain dump of the TOP eight mental training sessions Dr. Cohn teaches his personal students to help them boost their mental game and improve consistency on the course. In each of his 8 coaching sessions, you eavesdrop as Dr. Cohn teach four golfers his top mental strategies and learn right along side his students.

Read more about The Golfer's Mental Edge CD Program!

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Dr. Patrick J. Cohn is the President and founder of Peak Performance Sports of Orlando, Florida. He earned his Ph.D. in Education from the University of Virginia in 1991, and founded Peak Performance Sports in 1994. Dr. Cohn is an author, speaker and one of the nation's leading mental game experts. His coaching programs instill confidence, composure and effective mental strategies that enable athletes and teams to reach their performance goals. Dr. Cohn has helped athletes from a variety of sports backgrounds (both amateurs and professionals) identify and develop the mindset needed to achieve peak performance. World-class golfers, runners, shooters and auto racers, as well as motocross, tennis, baseball, softball, football and hockey players, are among those who have benefited from his mental game coaching and training.

Boost Your Success with The Confident Athlete Series!

The Confident Athlete Series by Peak Performance Sports brings you the latest cutting-edge mental training strategies in a practical step-by-step 14-day achievement plan. Each program consists of 2 Audio CDs and an easy to follow workbook to help you apply the mental strategies. Perfect for any competitive athlete or team coach! Boost your confidence... Buy All 4 Programs and Get "The Relaxed Athlete" FREE! (**Plus Free Shipping!**)

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