{"id":2543,"date":"2012-04-03T17:15:00","date_gmt":"2012-04-03T17:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports_psychology_blog\/?p=2543"},"modified":"2025-06-12T07:58:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T11:58:05","slug":"lessons-from-national-championship-games-the-dangers-of-protecting-your-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/lessons-from-national-championship-games-the-dangers-of-protecting-your-lead\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons from National Championship Games: The Dangers of Protecting Your Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/protecting-lead.jpg\" alt=\"Protecting The Lead\" class=\"wp-image-6285\" title=\"Kentucky Championship Game - Sports Psychology\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/protecting-lead.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/protecting-lead-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=\"Dont_Protect_Your_Lead\"><\/span>Don&#8217;t Protect Your Lead<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\/lessons-from-national-championship-games-the-dangers-of-protecting-your-lead\/#Dont_Protect_Your_Lead\" >Don&#8217;t Protect Your Lead<\/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\/lessons-from-national-championship-games-the-dangers-of-protecting-your-lead\/#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-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/lessons-from-national-championship-games-the-dangers-of-protecting-your-lead\/#The_Confident_Athlete\" >The Confident Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Do you or your team adopt a defensive mindset and fear mistakes when you have the lead in the game? Do you or your team protect a big lead and then just play it safe or try to hold on to the lead? If so, this is a sign that a comfort zone is causing you to change your approach during competition. This phenomenon in sports comes to light when an athlete (or team) stops going on attack and begins to just hold on to the lead and thinking about not losing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, I\u2019ve been working with a <strong>young tennis player<\/strong> that has some trouble closing out a game. She\u2019ll work hard and get game point, 40-30 or 40-15, and change her mindset. She holds onto the lead and tries to not make mistakes. This of course leads to hitting poor shots and losing the game. But this is just one example of how comfort zones hold back athletes from closing out a competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What\u2019s a comfort zone?<\/strong> A comfort zone is based on your expectations. A comfort zone is based on expectations that you maintain about your capabilities on any given day. Comfort zones are developed based on past experiences and previous success or lack of success. When you are performing better than you expect, a comfort zone becomes self-defeating because it limits and prevents you from performing in the \u201cnow,\u201d or present moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>With strick expectations about your performanc<\/strong>e, it&#8217;s more likely you&#8217;ll be judgmental and critical of your game. Once the competition starts, you will compare how you are currently doing with your performance expectations. Therefore, if you feel you are performing better than expected, this can lead to performing tentatively and trying not to mess up the lead you have. Like wise, if you feel as if you are under performing, frustration can ensue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read this entire article in April&#8217;s newsletter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-insights-archives\/\"><strong>Lessons from National Championship Games: The Dangers of Protecting Your Lead<\/strong><\/a><\/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\/poor-performance-on-the-back-nine-in-golf\/\"><strong>Do You Protect Your Score on the Back Nine?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-grow-competition-confidence\/\"><strong>How to Grow Competition Confidence\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/why-top-seeded-teams-lose\/\"><strong>Why Top-Seeded Teams Lose<\/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-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\/2024\/01\/confident-athlete-audio250.jpg\" alt=\"The Confident Athlete Audio\" class=\"wp-image-16347\" style=\"width:198px;height:auto\"\/><\/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>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Don&#8217;t Protect Your Lead Do you or your team adopt a defensive mindset and fear mistakes when you have the lead in the game? Do you or your team protect a big lead and then just play it safe or try to hold on to the lead? If so, this is a sign that a comfort zone is &#8230; <a title=\"Lessons from National Championship Games: The Dangers of Protecting Your Lead\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/lessons-from-national-championship-games-the-dangers-of-protecting-your-lead\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Lessons from National Championship Games: The Dangers of Protecting Your Lead\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,25,18,142],"tags":[736,737,735,250],"class_list":["post-2543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-composure-in-sports","category-concentration-in-sports","category-confidence-in-sports","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-basketball-national-championship","tag-comfort-zones-in-sports-psychology","tag-kentucky-national-championship","tag-sports-psychology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.5.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you or your team adopt a defensive mindset and fear mistakes when you have the lead in the game? 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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. 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. He works with high-profile teams and athletes, such as the Miami Dolphins, NASCAR winners, NHL players, NFL players, National Motocross champions, and PGA Tour professional golfers. 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