Welcome to Sports Insights Magazine

Welcome to Sports Insights Magazine! We are pleased to bring you practical, cutting-edge sports psychology and mental training tips to improve your mindset and performance. We thank you for being a subscriber of Sports Insights Magazine!

If you enjoy our free mental toughness newsletter, please forward it to other athletes and coaches. Get powerful mental game strategies as a subscriber to Sports Insights Magazine!

Peaksports.com News

The Relaxed Athlete: A 14-Day Plan for Optimal Mental Preparation. Two programs combined into one, you not only learn how to develop a focused and confident pre-competition routine, but you also learn the secrets to a poised and relaxed mindset. Read more about mental preparation keys...

NEW! 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! As a member of our newest online community, parents and coaches can download age-specific confidence-boosting mental game strategies, e-books, videos, and audio programs produced specifically for young athletes. Learn how to boost sports kids' success...

The Focused Team DVD Program! After months of tweaking, The Focused Team is so powerful that it’s virtually the same as having me conduct a live (in person) mental training seminar for your team. Includes everything a coach or team leader needs to effortlessly boost his or her teams' focusing skills and here is the kicker…. in just 7 short sessions! Read more about how to focus your team in 15 minutes per day...

Locker Room Talk

Feature Mental Game Article

Performing Your Best When You Are Outmatched
By Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.

Competitiveness is a quality that all champion athletes posses – they simply hate to lose or love to win and this drives them to succeed. However, a strong competitive drive can work against some athletes because even with the smallest of failures or setbacks – they lose confidence, become frustrated with themselves, and lose motivation.

Competition in sports sometimes is lopsided. One competition (or team) might possess superior physical skills to the next. A blowout competition can be trying for both teams or individuals involved. The losing team or person can feel frustrated and lose confidence quickly.

What’s the downside for the winning team? The winning team can lose interest quickly when they feel a lack of challenge according to Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihaly….

Dr. "C" as I call him, is a psychologist at the University of Chicago who studied the phenomenon of “flow” throughout his career. “Flow” is sort of a zone state that helps athletes have fun and feel fully focused during performance.

Dr. C. studied a variety of athletes—basketball players, dancers, rock climbers, chess players, factory workers and other performers—to understand why people enjoy activities even when there are no inherent rewards present (Autotelic as he describes it). He hypothesized that when people become fully absorbed in an activity, they reach a state described as flow.

In his book “Flow in Sports,” Dr. C. maintains four elements as prerequisites to getting into flow:

1. Challenge-Skills balance
2. Merging of action and awareness
3. Clear Goals
4. Availability of instant feedback

We know that all four elements above are present in sports. First, sports are challenging by definition. Second, sports usually match the skills of individuals or teams in a competitive environment. Third, the goals of sports are clear—to hit a jump shot or to sink a ten foot putt. Lastly, athletes get instant feedback related to their performance—whether or not they miss the basket or sink the putt.

Dr. C. believes that athletes find the flow channel when they feel challenged and perceive their skills match the challenge. Flow happens between the state of anxiety and boredom. When you feel overmatched, anxiety or stress can ensue. Likewise, when you are superior to the competition, boredom can set in because you don’t feel challenged enough, which leads to a poor focus.

____________________________________________

Want to Improve Your Mental Coaching Skills? Enroll in Our Unique
Mental Game Coaching Professional Certification Program!
Apply for the 2008 Fall 10-Week Course!
____________________________________________

Thus, a lopsided competition can present mental game issues and challenges for both parties. A superior opponent’s challenge is to stay focused and into the match. A weaker opponent’s challenge is to remain poised and not become frustrated.

In today’s newsletter, I want to focus on mental game strategies when you feel outmatched by the competition. What’s the best way to handle yourself well in this situation? The top mental game mistakes are to worry about losing the game, focus on what others will think if you lose, and get frustrated that you are losing the game by six goals.

I certainly encourage my students to stay confident in their performance when on the losing end. Huge shifts in momentum can turn the competition around rapidly. You might have saw a massive change in momentum during game four of the 2008 NBA finals. In this pivotal game, the Lakers were leading the Celtics by a whopping 24 points in game four of the NBA finals. The Celtics changed the momentum of the game in the second half, made a big comeback, and beat the Lakers 97-91 to take a 3-1 lead. The Celtics went on to win the championship.

However, sometimes winning might not be a realistic option when the game is a real blowout. If you are overpowered by the competition, your goals are to perform your best no matter the score, stay composed so you can grind it out, and learn from the experience. Let’s examine each one of these strategies.

Goal #1: Stay Composed and Grind it Out
Your hardest task is to stay composed and not let the frustration of losing get you down. Some athletes will even “pack their bags” before the game is over. Doing this can turn a 20 point loss into a 30 point loss quickly. How do you stay composed? First, you have to let go of the outcome – don’t focus on losing. Second, focus on what you can do successfully during each play, point, or shot. For example, a hockey player could focus on getting a qualify shot on net during his shift.

Goal #2: Focus on Your Performance
You may not win the game, but you can win the inner battle. When you focus on your performance (and not the outcome of the competition), you can continue to execute like you trained in practice. For example, a tennis player can continue to focus on her serve and volley game. When you are losing, it’s easier to focus on mistakes. And in this mindset, you can’t focus on improving your performance. Let go of mistakes and don’t focus on making the same mistakes again and again.

Goal #3: Learn from the Experience
Do you beat yourself up, become upset, and lose confidence when not winning or performing poorly? Many athletes are tough on themselves when losing. Sometimes I think this is born out of human nature – wanting to perform as well as you can each time you compete.

“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
~Thomas Edison

But the reality is that you can’t be in the zone every time you compete and you can’t win every game. That’s why it is important to remember that in order for you to continue to improve as an athlete you need to learn from failures. Learning from defeat seems like a contradiction. Some of my students argue that nothing good can come from losing a game or failing. I Agree – but only when you lose confidence, throw composure out the window, and beat yourself up for losing. In reality, however, you can learn the best lessons in light of a failure – no matter how big or how small. Losing provides an opportunity to assess your performance and improve your weaknesses!

If you want to learn all my composure-boosting strategies, I suggest you snag a copy of "The Composed Athlete," part 3 of my ground-breaking CD programs in The Confident Athlete Series.

Sports Specific Mental Training Tip

"I Just Focus on What I Need to Do!"

According to Tiger Woods, it does not matter if you are the favorite or underdog when you compete. It's not really relevant to your performance. You still need to execute your best one shot or play at a time. If you focus on your job or task and do what you need to do in the process, the results will take care of themselves. I'm a big advocate of this approach.

“To be honest with you, I go out and play. If someone wants to say that I'm the favorite, then so be it; the underdog, so be it. But I just need -- I just focus on what I need to do."

~Tiger Woods (2000 U.S. Open)

Podcasts of the Month

The Sports Psychology Podcast of the Month!
In this week's sports psychology podcast, Dr. Cohn talks about how to have a positive image of yourself as an athlete. Some athletes who have potential in sports wish they could play well versus knowing they can play well or reach a higher level of competition. Listen to this month's sports psychology podcast...

Show me the Sports Psychology Podcast of the Month!

The Golf Psychology Podcast of the Month!
In this week's golf psychology session, mental game of golf expert and author of The Mental Game of Golf, Dr. Cohn, helps golfers who feel pressure from their parents to play well. Many golfers want to please or impress their parents, which is a natural instinct, but can cause fear of failure. Learn how to throw out expectations and play for yourself.

Show me the Golf Psychology Podcast of the Month!

Pro Athlete Quote of the Month

Ask Doc Cohn

"How do I encourage my child to be more assertive?"

Soccer Parent:

"My son is just not very aggressive when it comes to soccer try-outs. He’s not one to really show himself on the field. His skills are excellent, but he lacks the competitive edge that some of the lesser skilled players have. How do I encourage him to be more assertive on the field?"

Jump to Dr. Cohn's answer now!

Most Valuable Product (MVP)

The Relaxed Athlete: A 14-Day Plan for Optimal Mental Preparation NEW!

The Relaxed Athlete: A 14-Day Plan for Optimal Mental Preparation!"The Relaxed Athlete," our 5th CD program in the confident athlete series teaches you Dr. Cohn's top mental strategies for complete mental preparation for competition. Two programs combined into one, you not only learn how to develop a focused and confident pre-competition routine, but you also learn the secrets to a poised and relaxed mindset. The program includes 14 days of mental preparation exercises that can be tailored to your specific sport. Each copy comes with 3 premium bonuses that you can download immediately! Become a peaksports member and receive 30% off retail.

Read more about The Relaxed Athlete CD Program!

Buy The Relaxed Athlete Program Now!

Peaksports Members please login in by using this page to access the "Member Only" link to save 30%.

Not a peaksports member yet? Go demo our New Online Mental Training Site at Peaksports!

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!

NEW! 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! Read more... Buy All 4 Programs and Get "The Relaxed Athlete" FREE! (**Plus Free Shipping!**)

Peaksports.com Quick Links

Mental Game Coaching Check out our on-site coaching programs! Virtual Mental Coaching Get expert mental coaching from your home or office! Seminars for Teams Learn about our mental game seminars for teams! (MGCP) Certification Become a mental game coaching professional! Join Peaksports Network Gain access to over 500 performance-booting pages! AMAQ Assessment Find out how mentally tough you really are!	Kids' Sports Psychology Boost your kids' mental toughness effortlessly! The Confident Athlete Learn how to improve your confidence & focus fast! Goal Monitor Program Be the best you can with our goal monitor program! Books, CDs, & E-books Boost your confidence with our mental game products! Youth Sports Podcast Become the ultimate sports parent - get a free e-booklet! Get Psyched Podcast Listen to our most recent sports psychology podcast!
teamwork :: confidence :: focus :: composure
© 2008 Peak Performance Sports, LLC 7380 Sand Lake Rd. PMB 5012, Orlando, Florida 32819 (www.peaksports.com) Reproduction of any portion of this document is prohibited without the express written consent of Peak Performance Sports, LLC. Please contact Dr. Cohn if you would like to republish Sports Insights Magazine on your web site or newsletter. You are receiving this email because you have requested Sports Insights Magazine newsletter at Peaksports.com. If you are receiving our newsletter in error, please use the opt out link at the bottom of your email to unsubscribe.