{"id":5568,"date":"2016-06-02T23:07:04","date_gmt":"2016-06-02T23:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=5568"},"modified":"2025-06-10T06:29:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T10:29:23","slug":"how-to-cope-with-unexpected-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-cope-with-unexpected-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Cope With Unexpected Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5570\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/unexpected-conditions.jpg\" alt=\"Unexpected Conditions\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/unexpected-conditions.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/unexpected-conditions-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=\"How_to_Deal_with_the_Unexpected_During_Competitions\"><\/span>How to Deal with the Unexpected During Competitions<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-cope-with-unexpected-challenges\/#How_to_Deal_with_the_Unexpected_During_Competitions\" >How to Deal with the Unexpected During Competitions<\/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-cope-with-unexpected-challenges\/#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\/how-to-cope-with-unexpected-challenges\/#The_Confident_Athlete\" >The Confident Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Conditions aren\u2019t always perfect during competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rain, excessive heat, poor field or arena conditions, intrusive or obnoxious fans and broken equipment are just a few things that can steal your focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You have most likely been in a competition where an unexpected incident occurred&#8230; Did it knock you off your game?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe it took you away from <strong>concentrating<\/strong> on what you were doing or needed to do&#8230; Or perhaps you were unable to regain your focus and, consequently, your performance suffered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem is that most athletes practice and prepare for smooth-running events expecting everything to unfold according to plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While there may be ideal conditions for competing, rarely are those competition conditions perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Something unexpected will happen&#8230; There will always be a bump in the road somewhere during the course of the competition, if not several bumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But an unexpected incident does not need to be an unfortunate incident as long as you <strong>prepare for the unexpected<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most athletes do not plan for the unexpected, erroneously believing this invites unfavorable conditions. There is nothing further from the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Top athletes <strong>mentally prepare<\/strong> for some unexpected events, thus, training their minds to cope with distractions and adapt to circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As athletes gear up for the 2016 Rio Olympics, they are well aware of the unexpected events that have occurred throughout the history of the Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These elite athletes spend a lot of time getting ready for the out-of-the-blue occurrence and how they will react to those circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elite athletes understand the need for <strong>training their focus<\/strong> so they are mentally prepared to block out distractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sports psychologist Karen Cogan works with Olympic athletes helping them prepare to deal with unexpected circumstances so they are optimally ready when they hit the Olympic stage in Rio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>COGAN<\/strong>:<em> &#8220;It&#8217;s not so important that we nail the things that are going to happen, but it&#8217;s the process about going through the &#8216;what-ifs,&#8217; and what would you do. That&#8217;s something they take with them, and then they&#8217;re ready to deal with whatever comes their way.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, the ability to <strong>block out distractions<\/strong> can be improved through training for every athlete at any level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>COGAN<\/strong>: <em>&#8220;You can see how [training your brain to focus] is helpful in competition, when [athletes are] distracted by somebody else, or something going on in the stands, or there&#8217;s some delay of some sort. They want to regain their focus so their performance isn&#8217;t affected. It&#8217;s a learned skill, and something they have to practice in competition and develop as part of their skill set.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The mental skill of <strong>focus<\/strong> helps you stay in your \u201cathletic cocoon\u201d where you are fully immersed in what you are doing in the moment. It is this type of focus that produces optimal performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tip for managing the unexpected during competitions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Create some \u2018if\/then\u2019 scenarios&#8230; For example, \u201cIf someone screams out before I am about to do my routine, then I will pause, take a deep breath and re-focus on the first thing I am going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After you have some scenarios created, rehearse them in practice. Have a teammate cause a distraction by screaming, then perform your re-focusing strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Always keep in mind, peak performance is more than physical training&#8230; It requires training your mind.<\/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\/do-you-or-your-team-have-the-comeback-mindset\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-mentally-prepare-for-challenges-in-races\/\"><strong>How to Mentally Prepare For Challenges in Races<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-grow-competition-confidence\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/challenges-of-having-limited-competitions-during-a-long-season\/\"><strong>Challenges Of Having Limited Competitions During A Long Season<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-preparation-boosts-confidence\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-game-challenges-for-equestrian-athletes\/\"><strong>Top Mental Game Challenges For Equestrian Athletes<\/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>How to Deal with the Unexpected During Competitions Conditions aren\u2019t always perfect during competitions. Rain, excessive heat, poor field or arena conditions, intrusive or obnoxious fans and broken equipment are just a few things that can steal your focus. You have most likely been in a competition where an unexpected incident occurred&#8230; Did it knock you off your &#8230; <a title=\"How to Cope With Unexpected Challenges\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-cope-with-unexpected-challenges\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to Cope With Unexpected Challenges\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[516,621,1029,620],"class_list":["post-5568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-adverse-playing-conditions","tag-athlete-mental-preparation","tag-challenges-in-sports","tag-mental-preparation-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=\"Elite athletes understand the need for training their focus. 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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 30 years enhance their performance. 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