{"id":4201,"date":"2015-08-27T21:01:59","date_gmt":"2015-08-27T21:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports_psychology_blog\/?p=4201"},"modified":"2025-06-11T05:18:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T09:18:14","slug":"mentally-tough-athletes-do-this-in-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mentally-tough-athletes-do-this-in-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Mentally Tough Athletes Do This In Competition"},"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\/2015\/08\/Achieving-Mental-Toughness.jpg\" alt=\"Achieving Mental Toughness\" class=\"wp-image-5700\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Achieving-Mental-Toughness.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Achieving-Mental-Toughness-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=\"Talent_vs_Ability\"><\/span>Talent vs. Ability<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\/mentally-tough-athletes-do-this-in-competition\/#Talent_vs_Ability\" >Talent vs. Ability<\/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\/mentally-tough-athletes-do-this-in-competition\/#The_three_things_that_bring_success_to_light_are\" >The three things that bring success to light are:<\/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\/mentally-tough-athletes-do-this-in-competition\/#Top_athletes_do_this_for_greater_mental_toughness\" >Top athletes do this for greater mental toughness:<\/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\/mentally-tough-athletes-do-this-in-competition\/#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\/mentally-tough-athletes-do-this-in-competition\/#The_Confident_Athlete\" >The Confident Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not as talented as&#8230;\u201d \u201cHe is so much better than me.\u201d \u201cI will never be able to beat her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you ever had one of these thoughts about your ability? How hear your athletes talk this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you sometimes feel at a disadvantage because other athletes have much more talent than you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a big difference between talent and ability. Talent is an innate skill or capacity to perform a certain activity. Talent is present in a person at the time of birth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ability is what you are ABLE to do. It may sound the same but there is a subtle difference. Ability is the power to accomplish something&#8230; it requires work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talent does not necessarily lead to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the most talented athletes in the world never live up to their potential&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alternately, there are countless stories of athletes who worked, against all odds, to <strong>achieve great success.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_three_things_that_bring_success_to_light_are\"><\/span>The three things that bring success to light are:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Belief (\u201cI have the ability\u201d)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hard work (\u201cI\u2019m willing to do whatever it takes\u201d)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mental toughness (\u201cNothing will stop me\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of <strong>mental toughness<\/strong> is maintaining a high level of confidence. And if you want to keep confidence high, you don&#8217;t want to look around and compare your skills to other athletes&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you focus on others ranking, experience, or wins? Do you think other athletes are faster, stronger, or bigger than you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why does this hurt your <strong>mental toughness?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making comparisons to other athletes&#8211;who you think are better than you&#8211;only hurts your confidence because you put others on a pedestal above you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you make comparisons to other athletes, you intimidate yourself! I call this &#8220;self-intimidation.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Top_athletes_do_this_for_greater_mental_toughness\"><\/span>Top athletes do this for greater mental toughness:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Top athletes don&#8217;t focus on other athletes and wish they had what others have&#8230;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, they focus on their own abilities and talents. They focus on their warm up and how to prepare mentally and physically for competition&#8211;not what others are doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Top athletes know why they deserve to feel confident and they focus on these personal attributes.<\/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\/two-attributes-of-mentally-tough-athletes\/\"><strong>Two Attributes of Mentally Tough Athletes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-athletes-can-be-mentally-tough\/\"><strong>How Athletes Can Be Mentally Tough<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-importance-of-mental-toughness\/\"><strong>The Importance of Mental Toughness<\/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>Talent vs. Ability \u201cI\u2019m not as talented as&#8230;\u201d \u201cHe is so much better than me.\u201d \u201cI will never be able to beat her.\u201d Have you ever had one of these thoughts about your ability? How hear your athletes talk this way? Do you sometimes feel at a disadvantage because other athletes have much more talent than you? There &#8230; <a title=\"Mentally Tough Athletes Do This In Competition\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mentally-tough-athletes-do-this-in-competition\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Mentally Tough Athletes Do This In Competition\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5701,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,3,4],"tags":[246,356,155],"class_list":["post-4201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-confidence-in-sports","category-mental-toughness","category-mental-toughness-in-sports","tag-mental-toughness","tag-mentally-tough-athletes","tag-confidence"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.6.1 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you sometimes feel at a disadvantage because other athletes have much more talent than you? 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