{"id":3411,"date":"2014-05-29T13:49:29","date_gmt":"2014-05-29T13:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports_psychology_blog\/?p=3411"},"modified":"2025-06-11T08:40:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T12:40:30","slug":"how-to-overcome-the-need-to-be-perfect-in-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-overcome-the-need-to-be-perfect-in-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Overcome The Need To Be &#8220;Perfect&#8221; In Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6040 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/baseball-mental-game.jpg\" alt=\"Perfectionist Athletes\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/baseball-mental-game.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/baseball-mental-game-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Perfectionism_In_Athletes\"><\/span>Perfectionism In Athletes<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-to-overcome-the-need-to-be-perfect-in-sports\/#Perfectionism_In_Athletes\" >Perfectionism In Athletes<\/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-to-overcome-the-need-to-be-perfect-in-sports\/#Its_impossible_to_play_perform_or_compete_perfectly_every_time\" >It&#8217;s impossible to play, perform or compete perfectly every time.<\/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-to-overcome-the-need-to-be-perfect-in-sports\/#Try_these_tips_to_overcome_the_need_to_perform_%E2%80%9Cperfect%E2%80%9D_in_competition\" >Try these tips to overcome the need to perform &#8220;perfect&#8221; in competition:<\/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-to-overcome-the-need-to-be-perfect-in-sports\/#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-to-overcome-the-need-to-be-perfect-in-sports\/#The_Confident_Athlete\" >The Confident Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>When competing, do you hold yourself to the standard of <strong>perfection<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you hit a bad shot or make a bad play&#8230; do you put yourself down? Does your performance steadily spiral downward?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Has there been a time when competing and you placed so much pressure on yourself to play the perfect game or have the <strong>perfect performance<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may have felt confident when you started the game, match or competition, and then suddenly you make a mistake&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You get frustrated as you negatively critique your performance&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chasing <strong>perfection<\/strong>, even if you label it &#8220;striving for perfection,&#8221; will only lead to dissatisfaction, insecurity and anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_impossible_to_play_perform_or_compete_perfectly_every_time\"><\/span>It&#8217;s impossible to play, perform or compete perfectly every time.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Accept the fact that no one is perfect&#8230; Therefore, the <strong>perfect performance<\/strong> in a competition is merely a myth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By managing your perfection, you&#8217;ll remove the pressure and free up energy to focus on just performing functionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reaching the pinnacle in a sport and staying at the top are two different things&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you are at the top, every athlete seeks to dethrone you&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Playing as the No. 1 ranked golfer can cause a player to feel the need to play perfect in order to maintain his standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scott resolved the temptation for perfection which allowed him to relax, bounce back and focus on his brand of golf:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;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&#8217;t mean to play perfect, and I certainly didn&#8217;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Try_these_tips_to_overcome_the_need_to_perform_%E2%80%9Cperfect%E2%80%9D_in_competition\"><\/span>Try these tips to overcome the need to perform &#8220;perfect&#8221; in competition:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>1. Overcome the lure of &#8220;<strong>perfectionism<\/strong>&#8221; with logic. No athlete is perfect. The pressure to play a perfect game hurts your confidence and enjoyment for the sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. Perform functionally, not perfect. Don&#8217;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&#8211;without the need to feel or have it look perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><strong><strong>Improve your mental toughness with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/hockey-mental-coaching\/\">one-on-one mental coaching with Dr. Cohn<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/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\" 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\/does-perfectionism-help-your-performance\/\"><strong>Does Perfectionism Help Your Performance?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/perfectionism-hurts-athletes-during-competition\/\"><strong>Perfectionism Hurts Athletes During Competition<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/top-10-challenges-of-perfectionism\/\"><strong>Top 10 Challenges of Perfectionism<\/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>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&#8230; 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 &#8230; <a title=\"How To Overcome The Need To Be &#8220;Perfect&#8221; In Sports\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-overcome-the-need-to-be-perfect-in-sports\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How To Overcome The Need To Be &#8220;Perfect&#8221; In Sports\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[525,1007,403],"class_list":["post-3411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-mental-game-in-sports","tag-perfection","tag-perfectionism-in-sports"],"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 competing, do you hold yourself to the standard of perfection? 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