{"id":14779,"date":"2022-06-09T14:48:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T18:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=14779"},"modified":"2025-06-04T07:27:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T11:27:26","slug":"improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"Improve Self-Talk to Reach Your Peak Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/9-24-sr-large.jpg\" alt=\"facing adversity\" class=\"wp-image-13201\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/9-24-sr-large.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/9-24-sr-large-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=\"Your_Internal_Talk_and_Peak_Performance\"><\/span>Your Internal Talk and Peak Performance <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\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#Your_Internal_Talk_and_Peak_Performance\" >Your Internal Talk and Peak Performance<\/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\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#The_issue_is_not_your_initial_response_to_a_bad_game_The_problem_is_your_persistent_negative_response\" >The issue is not your initial response to a bad game. The problem is your persistent negative response.<\/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\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#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-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#The_Confident_Athlete\" >The Confident Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Do you tend to be excessively self-critical? After every mistake, error, or bad game, do you put yourself down?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Excessive self-criticism leads to fractured confidence, low motivation, and underperformance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Constant self-criticism is a loop: bad performance\u2026 excessive self-criticism\u2026 low confidence and motivation\u2026 poor performance\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Breaking the cycle starts with changing your self-talk.<br><br>When you are playing below your ability, of course, you will be upset. You may be critical of your lapse in focus or judgment after a couple of wild pitches, throwing errors, or mistakes. While doubts may pop up during a three-game hitting slump. These are normal reactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you dedicate a lot of time and effort, you want to see the fruits of your labor. Initial emotional responses are a sign that you care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_issue_is_not_your_initial_response_to_a_bad_game_The_problem_is_your_persistent_negative_response\"><\/span>The issue is not your initial response to a bad game. The problem is your persistent negative response.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you bombard your mind with negative criticism, one bad game turns into two, three, or four bad games. A hit-less game turns into a slump. Booting an easy grounder leads to more errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In reality, what does hyper self-criticism do for you? Does it make you a better ballplayer? Is there any benefit to being overcritical of yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stopping the cycle by changing your self-talk is the first step in getting back on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of what you would say to a teammate who was struggling. Would you tell them that they should quit? Would you tell your struggling teammate they will probably underperform for the rest of the season?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No! You would highlight their strengths. You would tell them to keep working hard. You would say to them they will break through soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you would feed a struggling teammate positive messages, you should tell yourself the same messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has been feeding positive messages to rookie catcher Adley Rutschman. Rutschman has been disappointed with his early performance at the major league level. Rutschman is batting .149 in 12 games since being promoted from Triple-A and has been charged with two throwing errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, Hyde fully keeps feeding Rutschman messages to get his offense on track. Hyde is confident Rutschman will be a solid major league player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>HYDE<\/strong>: \u201c<em>I told [Rutschman] when he first got here, \u2018I just want you to relax. It\u2019s going to be impossible to relax, but relax as best you possibly can and have fun with it&#8230; It just takes adjustments, and it takes a little bit of time, and he\u2019s doing just fine.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hyde knows that positive messages lead to positive performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>HYDE<\/strong>: \u201c<em>I know how hard it\u2019s going to be and difficult it is, and he just has to kind of get over the early stage of being a major league player. It\u2019s not easy. I just think support, that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re here for is to stay positive with him.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you send yourself the message to be patient, you will be more patient in games. When you tell yourself you can succeed at the next level, you will perform better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Developing Patience:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talk to yourself, in the same manner you would to a struggling teammate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Develop the positive self-talk off the field that you can use on the field such as &#8220;stay patient, let the game come to me.&#8221;<\/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\" 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\/how-self-talk-can-help-you-rebound\/\">How Self-Talk Can Help You Rebound&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/overcome-negative-self-talk-in-sports\/\">Overcome Negative Self-talk in Sports<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/positive-self-talk\/\">Positive or Negative Self-Talk. Which One Do You Use?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a>&nbsp;on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/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-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Confident_Athlete\"><\/span>The Confident 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\/2023\/10\/confident-athlete-audio250.jpg\" alt=\"Sport Psychology Cds\" class=\"wp-image-15979\" style=\"width:190px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d consists of 2 audio programs that include 14 days of confidence fueling exercises and a simple to follow workbook that guides you through the 14 days, helps you apply the strategies, and customizes the exercises to your personal needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me help you put a <strong>stop to the confidence leak<\/strong>. You can learn to have greater levels of confidence in competition than you do in practice by identifying the specific ways you undermine your own confidence and <strong>how to convert your practice confidence into COMPETITIVE CONFIDENCE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d is a ground-breaking system to teach you how to think like a champion and have ultimate self-confidence every time you step on the playing field, court, track, or course. The confident athletes was <strong>developed for any athlete \u2013 junior to professional \u2013<\/strong>that wants to gain confidence. However, coaches and sports parents can learn how to teach others to perform with ultimate confidence. Use my program if you want to bust a slump or just wanting higher or more consistent levels of self-confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-0b39f7aa\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-a74417ae gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-461ab57c gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-confident-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your Internal Talk and Peak Performance Do you tend to be excessively self-critical? After every mistake, error, or bad game, do you put yourself down? Excessive self-criticism leads to fractured confidence, low motivation, and underperformance. Constant self-criticism is a loop: bad performance\u2026 excessive self-criticism\u2026 low confidence and motivation\u2026 poor performance\u2026 Breaking the cycle starts with changing your self-talk. &#8230; <a title=\"Improve Self-Talk to Reach Your Peak Performance\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Improve Self-Talk to Reach Your Peak Performance\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13202,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[318,250],"class_list":["post-14779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-confidence-in-sports","tag-sports-psychology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.6.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you are playing below your ability, of course, you will be upset. You may be critical of your lapse in focus or judgment after a couple of bad matches\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Patrick Cohn\"\/>\n\t<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"confidence in sports tips,sports psychology articles\" \/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO Pro (AIOSEO) 4.9.6.2\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sports Psychology Articles | Sport Psychology Articles for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Parents\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Improve Your Self-Talk in Sports for Athletes and Parents\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When you are playing below your ability, of course, you will be upset. You may be critical of your lapse in focus or judgment after a couple of bad matches\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/blue-logo-512.png\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:secure_url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/blue-logo-512.png\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-09T18:48:00+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-04T11:27:26+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeakPerformanceSports\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeakPerformanceSports\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@PeaksportsCoach\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Improve Your Self-Talk in Sports for Athletes and Parents\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"When you are playing below your ability, of course, you will be upset. You may be critical of your lapse in focus or judgment after a couple of bad matches\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@PeaksportsCoach\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/blue-logo-512.png\" \/>\n\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"aioseo-schema\">\n\t\t\t{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BlogPosting\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\\\/#blogposting\",\"name\":\"Improve Your Self-Talk in Sports for Athletes and Parents\",\"headline\":\"Improve Self-Talk to Reach Your Peak Performance\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/#author\"},\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/9-24-sr-small.jpg\",\"width\":150,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"adversity in sports\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-09T14:48:00-04:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-04T07:27:26-04:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\\\/#webpage\"},\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\\\/#webpage\"},\"articleSection\":\"Mental Performance Articles, Confidence in Sports Tips, Sports Psychology Articles\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\\\/#breadcrumblist\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog#listItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-tips\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Mental Performance Articles\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-tips\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mental Performance Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-tips\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Improve Self-Talk to Reach Your Peak Performance\"},\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog#listItem\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Improve Self-Talk to Reach Your Peak Performance\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-tips\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Mental Performance Articles\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Peak Performance Sports, LLC\",\"description\":\"Sports psychology coaching, articles and tips for athletes, coaches, and performers excel in sports.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/\",\"email\":\"coach@peaksports.com\",\"telephone\":\"+14079091700\",\"foundingDate\":\"1996-08-01\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"value\":5},\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/cropped-2022-Logo-Ball-Blue.jpg\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\\\/#organizationLogo\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Sports Psychology for Athletes\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\\\/#organizationLogo\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PeakPerformanceSports\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/PeaksportsCoach\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/sportspsychcoach\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@peakperformancesports\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MindsetForSports\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/#author\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/\",\"name\":\"Patrick 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 40 years enhance their performance. Dr. Cohn earned a master's degree in sports psychology from CSUF and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, specializing in Applied Sports Psychology. He is also the creator of The MGCP Mental Game Coaching Professional program. He's worked with athletes in the NFL, NHL, Olympic Athletes, Motocross Champions, and NASCAR drivers. Today, he is the president and founder of Peak Performance Sports, LLC in Orlando, Florida, where his team offers mental performance coaching to individual and team athletes.\\u00a0\\u00a0Visit full bio&gt;&gt;\",\"jobTitle\":\"Master Mental Performance Coach\",\"alumniOf\":[{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"name\":\"University of Virginia\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.virginia.edu\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"name\":\"California State University\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fullerton.edu\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"name\":\"University of Buffalo\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.buffalo.edu\\\/\"}],\"knowsLanguage\":[\"english\"]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\\\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\\\/\",\"name\":\"Improve Your Self-Talk in Sports for Athletes and Parents\",\"description\":\"When you are playing below your ability, of course, you will be upset. You may be critical of your lapse in focus or judgment after a couple of bad matches\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/#website\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\\\/#breadcrumblist\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/#author\"},\"creator\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/#author\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/9-24-sr-small.jpg\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\\\/#mainImage\",\"width\":150,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"adversity in sports\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\\\/#mainImage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-09T14:48:00-04:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-04T07:27:26-04:00\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Sports Psychology Articles for Athletes\",\"description\":\"Sport Psychology Articles for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Parents\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/#organization\"}}]}\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro -->\r\n\t\t<title>Improve Your Self-Talk in Sports for Athletes and Parents<\/title>\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"Improve Your Self-Talk in Sports for Athletes and Parents","description":"When you are playing below your ability, of course, you will be upset. You may be critical of your lapse in focus or judgment after a couple of bad matches","canonical_url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/","robots":"max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1","keywords":"confidence in sports tips,sports psychology articles","webmasterTools":{"miscellaneous":""},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#blogposting","name":"Improve Your Self-Talk in Sports for Athletes and Parents","headline":"Improve Self-Talk to Reach Your Peak Performance","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/author\/doccohn\/#author"},"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/9-24-sr-small.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"caption":"adversity in sports"},"datePublished":"2022-06-09T14:48:00-04:00","dateModified":"2025-06-04T07:27:26-04:00","inLanguage":"en-US","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#webpage"},"articleSection":"Mental Performance Articles, Confidence in Sports Tips, Sports Psychology Articles"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog#listItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/category\/sports-psychology-tips\/#listItem","name":"Mental Performance Articles"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/category\/sports-psychology-tips\/#listItem","position":2,"name":"Mental Performance Articles","item":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/category\/sports-psychology-tips\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#listItem","name":"Improve Self-Talk to Reach Your Peak Performance"},"previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog#listItem","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#listItem","position":3,"name":"Improve Self-Talk to Reach Your Peak Performance","previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/category\/sports-psychology-tips\/#listItem","name":"Mental Performance Articles"}}]},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/#organization","name":"Peak Performance Sports, LLC","description":"Sports psychology coaching, articles and tips for athletes, coaches, and performers excel in sports.","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/","email":"coach@peaksports.com","telephone":"+14079091700","foundingDate":"1996-08-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","value":5},"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/cropped-2022-Logo-Ball-Blue.jpg","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#organizationLogo","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Sports Psychology for Athletes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#organizationLogo"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeakPerformanceSports","https:\/\/x.com\/PeaksportsCoach","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sportspsychcoach\/","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@peakperformancesports","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MindsetForSports"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/author\/doccohn\/#author","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/author\/doccohn\/","name":"Patrick 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 40 years enhance their performance. Dr. Cohn earned a master's degree in sports psychology from CSUF and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, specializing in Applied Sports Psychology. He is also the creator of The MGCP Mental Game Coaching Professional program. He's worked with athletes in the NFL, NHL, Olympic Athletes, Motocross Champions, and NASCAR drivers. Today, he is the president and founder of Peak Performance Sports, LLC in Orlando, Florida, where his team offers mental performance coaching to individual and team athletes.\u00a0\u00a0Visit full bio&gt;&gt;","jobTitle":"Master Mental Performance Coach","alumniOf":[{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","name":"University of Virginia","sameAs":"https:\/\/www.virginia.edu\/"},{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","name":"California State University","sameAs":"https:\/\/www.fullerton.edu\/"},{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","name":"University of Buffalo","sameAs":"https:\/\/www.buffalo.edu\/"}],"knowsLanguage":["english"]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/","name":"Improve Your Self-Talk in Sports for Athletes and Parents","description":"When you are playing below your ability, of course, you will be upset. You may be critical of your lapse in focus or judgment after a couple of bad matches","inLanguage":"en-US","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#breadcrumblist"},"author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/author\/doccohn\/#author"},"creator":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/author\/doccohn\/#author"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/9-24-sr-small.jpg","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#mainImage","width":150,"height":150,"caption":"adversity in sports"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/#mainImage"},"datePublished":"2022-06-09T14:48:00-04:00","dateModified":"2025-06-04T07:27:26-04:00"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/","name":"Sports Psychology Articles for Athletes","description":"Sport Psychology Articles for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Parents","inLanguage":"en-US","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/#organization"}}]},"og:locale":"en_US","og:site_name":"Sports Psychology Articles | Sport Psychology Articles for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Parents","og:type":"article","og:title":"Improve Your Self-Talk in Sports for Athletes and Parents","og:description":"When you are playing below your ability, of course, you will be upset. You may be critical of your lapse in focus or judgment after a couple of bad matches","og:url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/","og:image":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/blue-logo-512.png","og:image:secure_url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/blue-logo-512.png","og:image:width":512,"og:image:height":512,"article:published_time":"2022-06-09T18:48:00+00:00","article:modified_time":"2025-06-04T11:27:26+00:00","article:publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeakPerformanceSports","article:author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeakPerformanceSports","twitter:card":"summary","twitter:site":"@PeaksportsCoach","twitter:title":"Improve Your Self-Talk in Sports for Athletes and Parents","twitter:description":"When you are playing below your ability, of course, you will be upset. You may be critical of your lapse in focus or judgment after a couple of bad matches","twitter:creator":"@PeaksportsCoach","twitter:image":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/blue-logo-512.png"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"14779","title":"Improve Your Self-Talk in Sports for Athletes and Parents","description":"When you are playing below your ability, of course, you will be upset. You may be critical of your lapse in focus or judgment after a couple of bad matches","keywords":null,"keyphrases":{"focus":{"keyphrase":"","score":0,"analysis":{"keyphraseInTitle":{"score":0,"maxScore":9,"error":1}}},"additional":[]},"primary_term":null,"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":"","og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"Article","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[],"defaultGraph":"Article","defaultPostTypeGraph":""},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":"{\"article\":{\"articleType\":\"BlogPosting\"},\"course\":{\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"provider\":\"\"},\"faq\":{\"pages\":[]},\"product\":{\"reviews\":[]},\"recipe\":{\"ingredients\":[],\"instructions\":[],\"keywords\":[]},\"software\":{\"reviews\":[],\"operatingSystems\":[]},\"webPage\":{\"webPageType\":\"WebPage\"}}","pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":"-1","robots_max_videopreview":"-1","robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":"default","local_seo":null,"seo_analyzer_scan_date":"2025-08-16 07:45:03","breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"reviewed_by":null,"open_ai":"{\"title\":{\"suggestions\":[],\"usage\":0},\"description\":{\"suggestions\":[],\"usage\":0}}","ai":null,"created":"2022-06-09 17:29:56","updated":"2025-08-16 07:45:03"},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/category\/sports-psychology-tips\/\" title=\"Mental Performance Articles\">Mental Performance Articles<\/a>\n<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\tImprove Self-Talk to Reach Your Peak Performance\n<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog"},{"label":"Mental Performance Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/category\/sports-psychology-tips\/"},{"label":"Improve Self-Talk to Reach Your Peak Performance","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/improve-self-talk-to-reach-your-peak-performance\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14779\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}