{"id":14796,"date":"2022-06-16T14:29:04","date_gmt":"2022-06-16T18:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=14796"},"modified":"2025-06-04T07:23:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T11:23:28","slug":"how-athletes-can-use-constructive-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-athletes-can-use-constructive-criticism\/","title":{"rendered":"How Athletes Can Use Constructive Criticism"},"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\/2022\/01\/Poor-Performance.jpg\" alt=\"Moving Forward After a Bad Performance\" class=\"wp-image-14495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Poor-Performance.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Poor-Performance-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=\"Tips_for_Receiving_Constructive_Criticism\"><\/span>Tips for Receiving Constructive Criticism<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\/how-athletes-can-use-constructive-criticism\/#Tips_for_Receiving_Constructive_Criticism\" >Tips for Receiving Constructive Criticism<\/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\/how-athletes-can-use-constructive-criticism\/#Never_Take_Constructive_Criticism_Personally\" >Never Take Constructive Criticism Personally<\/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\/how-athletes-can-use-constructive-criticism\/#How_to_Use_Constructive_Criticism\" >How to Use Constructive Criticism:<\/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\/how-athletes-can-use-constructive-criticism\/#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\/how-athletes-can-use-constructive-criticism\/#The_Composed_Athlete\" >The Composed Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>How do you respond to <strong>constructive criticism<\/strong>? Do you reject it outright or welcome it from coaches?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why do some athletes reject corrections or <strong>constructive feedback<\/strong> from their coach?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Athletes fear receiving <strong>constructive criticism<\/strong> for several reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They feel they are negatively being judged.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The criticism confirms some self-doubt they have about themselves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They have perfectionist standards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They fear they are letting down others.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They are given feedback in an aggressive or disapproving tone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Some athletes see the criticism as a list of everything they do wrong. In these instances, the feedback is dismissed or ignored. Other athletes view criticism as constructive or advice on how to improve their game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Accepting and using feedback is a critical mental skill for athletes. When you develop this mental skill, feedback will not feel like an attack on your ability but like a suggestion on how to improve your performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Never_Take_Constructive_Criticism_Personally\"><\/span>Never Take Constructive Criticism Personally<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>However, not every coach or parent is skilled in how to provide feedback effectively. So finding the message in the criticism is up to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a practical example from the Boston Celtics. The Celtics had built an 18-point lead against the Golden State Warriors in the first half of Game 3 in the 2022 NBA Finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Boston built the lead by playing tough defense and controlling the ball on offense. The Celtics became reckless with the ball, committing foolish turnovers and allowing the Warriors to climb back into the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the fourth quarter, Boston head coach Ime Udoka was fuming during a timeout. After the timeout, the Celtics collected themselves, regained their composure, and eventually won the game 116-100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the game, Boston guard Marcus Smart commented on how the team acted on the coach\u2019s feedback and was not offended by the tone of the message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>SMART<\/strong>: \u201c<em>You want to know what you\u2019re doing wrong so you can fix it. You can\u2019t fix nothing if you don\u2019t know what the problem is. So we definitely appreciate his honesty and his openness<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Criticism can feel like an attack, but often there is a message that you can focus on and disregard the negative tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is normal for your defense mechanism to kick in, but criticism can be helpful or, at least, the message within the criticism. Rather than throwing out the message due to the negative delivery and the person delivering the message, grab hold of the parts of the feedback that can help your game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Use_Constructive_Criticism\"><\/span>How to Use Constructive Criticism:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you receive criticism, ask yourself three questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. What is the message?<br>2. Does this message apply to me?<br>3. If yes, how can I use this feedback to improve my game?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>And do this:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. Communicate with the person giving you feedback. Clarify the message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. Challenge your defensiveness. Find out why are you bothered by receiving feedback?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3. Focus on the message itself, not how the message is delivered. How the message was given is not as important as the information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4. Ask yourself if the feedback can help you and, if so, how you can apply it to your game.<\/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-this-pro-manages-criticism\/\">How This Pro Manages Criticism<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-turn-negative-criticism-into-motivation\/\">How to Turn Negative Criticism into Motivation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/pregame-stress-and-anxiety-athletes-mental-roadblock-to-success\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/what-separates-elite-athletes-from-the-rest\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-overcome-the-fear-of-negative-outcomes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mindset-to-maintain-confidence-after-a-mistake\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/self-intimidation-for-athletes\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-importance-of-mental-toughness\/\">The Importance of Mental Toughness<\/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_Composed_Athlete\"><\/span>The Composed 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\/composed-athlete-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Composed Athlete Workbook &amp; Audio\" class=\"wp-image-19327\" style=\"width:200px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Composed Athlete\u201d is presented on<strong> 80-minute Audio Programs<\/strong> with a <strong>70-page step-by-step workbook<\/strong> that guides you through the program each day. It\u2019s a complete system for conditioning your mind to have <strong>maximum composure in competitio<\/strong>n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<strong>The Composed Athlete<\/strong>\u201d was developed for <strong>any level coach, parent, or junior to professional athlete<\/strong> 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 your composure\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-8fee86ee\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-df6f9eb5 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-composed-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-9e238db0 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-composed-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tips for Receiving Constructive Criticism How do you respond to constructive criticism? Do you reject it outright or welcome it from coaches? Why do some athletes reject corrections or constructive feedback from their coach? Athletes fear receiving constructive criticism for several reasons: Some athletes see the criticism as a list of everything they do wrong. In these instances, &#8230; <a title=\"How Athletes Can Use Constructive Criticism\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-athletes-can-use-constructive-criticism\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How Athletes Can Use Constructive Criticism\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[318,246,247],"class_list":["post-14796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-confidence-in-sports","tag-mental-toughness","tag-mental-toughness-in-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.5.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why do some athletes reject corrections or constructive feedback from their coach? 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