How To Overcome The Need To Be “Perfect” In Sports

Perfectionist Athletes

Perfectionism In Athletes

When competing, do you hold yourself to the standard of perfection?

If you hit a bad shot or make a bad play… do you put yourself down? Does your performance steadily spiral downward?

Has there been a time when competing and you placed so much pressure on yourself to play the perfect game or have the perfect performance?

You may have felt confident when you started the game, match or competition, and then suddenly you make a mistake…

You get frustrated as you negatively critique your performance…

For some athletes who want to be perfect, just one mistake early in the competition can derail them. The athlete might even tank the rest of the competition or performance.

Chasing perfection, even if you label it “striving for perfection,” will only lead to dissatisfaction, insecurity and anxiety.

It’s impossible to play, perform or compete perfectly every time.

Accept the fact that no one is perfect… Therefore, the perfect performance in a competition is merely a myth.

By managing your perfection, you’ll remove the pressure and free up energy to focus on just performing functionally.

Adam Scott understands the lure of perfection as he had just overtaken Tiger Woods for the No. 1 World Ranking a few days prior to the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

Reaching the pinnacle in a sport and staying at the top are two different things…

When you are at the top, every athlete seeks to dethrone you…

Playing as the No. 1 ranked golfer can cause a player to feel the need to play perfect in order to maintain his standing.

Last week, Scott was three strokes off the lead at Colonial. Scott battled back and sunk a 7-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole for the victory to retain his No. 1 ranking.

Scott resolved the temptation for perfection which allowed him to relax, bounce back and focus on his brand of golf:

“Maybe added a little pressure for myself, trying to play like a No. 1. But I think the important thing was I realized that didn’t mean to play perfect, and I certainly didn’t play perfect all week. But the way you come back and get it done, and I felt like I certainly played like one of the best players in the world out there on the back nine.”

Try these tips to overcome the need to perform “perfect” in competition:

1. Overcome the lure of “perfectionism” with logic. No athlete is perfect. The pressure to play a perfect game hurts your confidence and enjoyment for the sport.

2. Perform functionally, not perfect. Don’t let one bad shot or play dictate your mindset and performance the rest of the competition. Focus on winning ugly and getting it done–without the need to feel or have it look perfect.

Improve your mental toughness with one-on-one mental coaching with Dr. Cohn.


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