Are you Successful under Pressure? Each individual athlete responds to pressure in his/her own way. Kobe Bryant stated he played his best when the pressure was on, "Everything negative – pressure, challenges – are all an opportunity for me to rise." Brazilian soccer star Neymar Jr. implied he doesn’t feel pressure, “There is no pressure when you’re making a dream come true.” Younger … [Read more...]
How to Thrive as an Underdog in Sports
The Underdog Mindset in Sports The definition of underdog is a team or individual that has a small chance of winning a competition. Here are a few examples when you may be considered the underdog: Playing against an undefeated team this seasonCompeting against higher ranked or seeded opponentPlaying against a team that you have never beatenCompeting against physically stronger or faster … [Read more...]
How to Improve your Visualization Skills
Visualization Skills for Athletes Being focused in the present moment is essential for athletic performance, but many athletes struggle with maintaining this type of focus, especially after making mistakes. Often athletes make faulty predictions based on past outcomes. These faulty predictions are accompanied by negative images where the athlete sees themselves messing up in their next game … [Read more...]
Anticipation and Mental Preparation
The Importance of Having a Plan B ‘Expect the unexpected’ is a notion that is good in theory but rarely put into action by athletes. The unexpected happens all the time in competition but rarely are athletes prepared to deal with it. Many athletes train and practice expecting to perform under ideal conditions but, when things go slightly wrong, it can generate so much anxiety and ruin … [Read more...]
Overcoming Mental Blocks in Competition
Having Confidence in Your Skills Mental blocks are often the most frustrating hurdles for an athlete to encounter. The thing that makes mental blocks so challenging and irritating is that you know how to perform a skill… You know you have the ability to perform the skill and… You know you have successfully performed the skill in the past. To illustrate mental blocks, let’s first examine … [Read more...]
How to Be Ready to Enter The Game Like Harmon
Be Mentally Prepared to Come Off The Bench The “next man up” mentality has received a lot of attention in team sports recently. This mindset refers to a player stepping in off the bench and contributing to the team’s success. It’s not easy coming off the bench in a middle of competition with little warm-up and quickly jumping into the flow of competition--and being at your best. In every sport, … [Read more...]
Figure Skating Practice, Preparation, and Confidence
Mental Preparation in Figure Skating Every skater has heard the phrase, "Practice makes perfect." In reality, mostly all skaters have some degree of doubt regarding this mentality. The ultimate truth of the matter is that "practice makes preparation." For example, if you practice landing a clean salchow jump 20 times in practice, 5 days a week, that is 100 practice jumps over the course of a … [Read more...]
How Athletes Bounce Back From Defeat
Moving Past Missed Opportunities in Competition A missed potential game-winning shot does NOT define you... A fall during a major competition does NOT define you... A dropped ball in a playoff game does NOT define you... A false start at Nationals does NOT define you... A game-ending mistake against your biggest rival does NOT define you. Missed opportunities can be bitter pills to swallow. As … [Read more...]
Mindset and The Eagles’ Losing Season
How to Be Self-Accountable in Sports Have you had a season where nothing much went right? The officiating calls didn’t seem to go your way, unfortunate injuries constantly affected the lineup, team chemistry seemed a bit off and early season losses put more pressure on the team... You had high hopes for this season especially since you had a solid season the year prior. Now you … [Read more...]
One Method to Be Mentally Prepared
How to Visualize Your Upcoming Performance How has anxiety affected some of your athletic performances? Chances are that anxiety prior to an athletic performance caused you to play far below your ability. The main reason for anxiety prior to a competition is uncertainty. Uncertainty can cause some athletes to mentally envision potential mistakes or fear the worst prior to a competition, … [Read more...]
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