{"id":11387,"date":"2019-11-21T18:45:03","date_gmt":"2019-11-21T18:45:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=11387"},"modified":"2025-06-06T05:03:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T09:03:21","slug":"the-importance-of-having-a-game-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-importance-of-having-a-game-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Having a Game Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/general-image-big-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/general-image-big-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/general-image-big-1-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Implement_a_Game_Plan\"><\/span>How to Implement a Game Plan<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Article Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-importance-of-having-a-game-plan\/#How_to_Implement_a_Game_Plan\" >How to Implement a Game Plan<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-importance-of-having-a-game-plan\/#Focusing_on_your_plan_can_be_tricky_during_competitions\" >Focusing on your plan can be tricky during competitions.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-importance-of-having-a-game-plan\/#How_to_Put_a_Game_Plan_into_Action\" >How to Put a Game Plan into Action<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-importance-of-having-a-game-plan\/#Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Sports Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-importance-of-having-a-game-plan\/#The_Focused_Athlete\" >The Focused Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>A game plan only works if you focus on putting your <strong>game plan<\/strong> into action during the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having a game plan is necessary. Your game plan is your blueprint for success or strategy to either perform well or win out over the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, in football, your game plan may be the style of defense you are going to play in different game situations\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In gymnastics, your game plan may be the particular routine you are going to perform in each event\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In swimming, your game plan might be designed around your splits for a race\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In tennis, your game plan may be how to attack your opponent\u2019s weaknesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having a game plan is necessary for athletic success but your game plan is worthless unless you put into action. The key to putting your plan into action is focusing on your plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Focusing_on_your_plan_can_be_tricky_during_competitions\"><\/span>Focusing on your plan can be tricky during competitions.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When playing a tough team or facing a highly ranked opponent, athletes tend to focus on what their opponent is doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking the focus off of your plan leads to under-performance and gives your opponent a distinct advantage because you are worried about what your competitors are doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, taking your focus off implementing your <strong>game plan<\/strong> leads to defeat as professional tennis player Daniil Medvedev well knows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Medvedev lost his focus when playing future Hall of Famer Rafael Nadal at the 2018 Rogers Cup in Montreal.  Nadal dominated Medvedev throughout the match winning 6-3, 6-0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite having a game plan, Medvedev was too focused on \u201cwho he was playing\u201d instead of \u201cwhat he should be doing\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>MEDVEDEV<\/strong>: <em>&#8220;You speak with your coach, you understand your plan but you go out there and it doesn&#8217;t work because it&#8217;s [Rafeal Nadal]. [Nadal] kills your entire plan. In Montreal, I may not have been prepared mentally. It was terribly windy, which usually bothers Rafa but that day it could not help. The match was not close.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Worrying about who you are playing interferes with focusing on your game plan. And paying attention to what your competition is doing hinders focusing on your plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Focusing on the importance of the athletic contest interferes with your ability to implement your <strong>game plan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In order for YOU to compete at YOUR best, YOU need to keep the focus on YOU!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Put_a_Game_Plan_into_Action\"><\/span>How to Put a Game Plan into Action<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>First, you must formulate a game plan, whether the plan takes advantage of your strengths or exposes the competition\u2019s weakness. No matter, you need a strategy to focus on when the competition starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next you want to mentally rehearse your game plan during your pregame routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you have developed your strategy, break down your strategy into specific objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Set those objectives prior to the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And make sure you have plan B ready to go if plan A is not working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-979ef383-5bc7-43ee-b8f9-249663ca1a6c\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Sports Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-05642731-8752-4dbf-9c18-5cc4d276e821\" class=\"wp-block-list has-normal-font-size\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/do-you-or-your-team-have-the-comeback-mindset\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-game-plan-for-helping-perfectionist-athletes-succeed\/\"><strong>Mental Game Plan for Helping Perfectionist Athletes Succeed<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-grow-competition-confidence\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-assess-your-game-for-more-confidence\/\"><strong>How to Assess Your Game for More Confidence<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-preparation-boosts-confidence\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/on-comebacks-meltdowns-and-the-mental-game\/\"><strong>On Comebacks, Meltdowns, and The Mental Game<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-281f5afb-980b-4c71-9aa0-11d606b5f7c9\"><strong>Download a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/mental-toughness-report-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free sports psychology report<\/a>&nbsp;to improve your mental game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-94138e75-d591-4645-bb1d-212cf57a8841\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sport-psychology-training-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Focused_Athlete\"><\/span>The Focused Athlete <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/focused-athlete-teams-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Focused Athlete Audio and Workbook Program\" class=\"wp-image-19343\" style=\"width:215px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s probably no secret that you have many opportunities<strong> to become distracted<\/strong> in sports. Athletes are bombarded with both internal and external distractions everyday in practice and competition. <strong>Focused athletes<\/strong> are able to get the most from their skills because they are more efficient with practice and more concentrated in competition. Athletes who lack focus <strong>let distractions run wild through their mind and don\u2019t know how to adjust or refocus.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Focused Athlete was developed for any level coach, parent, or junior to professional athlete who wants to improve performance and gain a competitive edge. It does not matter if you are a fledgling junior athlete; or a seasoned professional, plagued with distractions; or you just wanting to learn how to improve concentration\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Focused Athlete\u201d is a complete system to teach you how to focus like a champion and harness the power of a zone focus every time you step on the playing field, court, track, or course in practice and games!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-769fef19\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-68fab510 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-focused-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-3043572a gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-focused-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to Implement a Game Plan A game plan only works if you focus on putting your game plan into action during the competition. Having a game plan is necessary. Your game plan is your blueprint for success or strategy to either perform well or win out over the competition. For example, in football, your game plan may &#8230; <a title=\"The Importance of Having a Game Plan\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-importance-of-having-a-game-plan\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about The Importance of Having a Game Plan\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[1154,257],"class_list":["post-11387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-game-plan","tag-mental-preparation"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.6.1 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A game plan only works if you focus on putting your game plan into action during the competition. 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Cohn\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/patrick-cohn-mental-coach-web-sq.jpg\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PeakPerformanceSports\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/PeaksportsCoach\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/sportspsychcoach\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@peakperformancesports\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/peaksports\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MindsetForSports\"],\"description\":\"Mental Performance Coach Dr. Patrick Cohn has helped athletes for over 30 years enhance their performance. 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