{"id":8310,"date":"2017-07-14T20:22:27","date_gmt":"2017-07-14T20:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=8310"},"modified":"2025-06-09T08:13:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T12:13:58","slug":"how-to-keep-fighting-after-a-poor-start-to-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-keep-fighting-after-a-poor-start-to-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Keep Fighting After a Poor Start to Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Staying-Mentally-Tough.jpg\" alt=\"Staying Mentally Tough\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Staying-Mentally-Tough.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Staying-Mentally-Tough-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=\"Staying_Confident_After_A_Slow_Start\"><\/span>Staying Confident After A Slow Start<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-keep-fighting-after-a-poor-start-to-competition\/#Staying_Confident_After_A_Slow_Start\" >Staying Confident After A Slow Start<\/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-keep-fighting-after-a-poor-start-to-competition\/#How_did_you_respond\" >How did you respond?<\/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-keep-fighting-after-a-poor-start-to-competition\/#Mental_Toughness_Tip_For_Grinding_it_Out_After_a_Poor_Start\" >Mental Toughness Tip For Grinding it Out After a Poor Start:<\/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-keep-fighting-after-a-poor-start-to-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\/how-to-keep-fighting-after-a-poor-start-to-competition\/#The_Confident_Athlete\" >The Confident Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Every athlete at some point feels they don\u2019t have &#8220;it&#8221; today in a competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You know the feeling, from the onset of a game or meet, you have difficulty getting psyched to compete. You start off slow or with mistakes and can\u2019t seem to get into the flow of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You feel your game is off and you are not exactly sure why. This experience probably sounds familiar&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of a time when you just didn\u2019t have &#8220;it.&#8221; You probably realized quickly from the onset of the competition that your game was off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_did_you_respond\"><\/span>How did you respond?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Did your mind run wild with negativity? Did you become angry or frustrated? Did you conclude, <em>&#8220;This is not my day,&#8221; <\/em>and resign yourself to just a bad day?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many athletes who conclude, <em>&#8220;I don\u2019t have it,&#8221;<\/em> take the &#8216;I&#8217; out of &#8216;fight&#8217; and mentally give up. The thought process is,<em> &#8220;Since I don\u2019t have it, there is nothing I can do about it, so why even try.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you start to think this way during competition, your self-fulfilling prophecy will turn into a poor performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not all athletes respond in this negative manner&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mentally tough<\/strong> athletes keep fighting even though they know that their performance will not be one of their top performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being &#8220;off your game&#8221; does not cause <strong>mentally tough<\/strong> athletes to stop fighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the contrary, when mentally tough athletes feel they don\u2019t have it, they fight harder, dig deeper and compete tougher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At this year\u2019s Wimbledon, world No. 59 tennis player Bernard Tomic demonstrated the need for an athlete to be <strong>mentally tough<\/strong> when they have difficulty finding their game early in a competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a lackluster first-round loss, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, to 27th seed Mischa Zverev, Tomic first talked about not being able to get into the flow of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>TOMIC<\/strong>: <em>&#8220;To me, this is one of the biggest tournaments in the world that I have done really well in my career and, yeah, I just couldn&#8217;t find anything.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is Tomic\u2019s follow-up statement that highlights how a lack of <strong>mental toughness<\/strong> can affect the level of fight in athletes&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>TOMIC<\/strong>: <em>&#8220;I wasn&#8217;t mentally and physically there, with my mental state to perform and I don&#8217;t know why. But I felt a little bit bored out there to be completely honest with you. You know, I tried at the end and [Zverev] managed to win that set 6-3 or 6-4, but it was too late.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There will always be ups and downs throughout a competition. If you can&#8217;t fight through the rough patches, you&#8217;ll be knocked out of the game at the first sign of <strong>adversity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So when you don\u2019t have it physically, that is the precise time when you need to pick it up mentally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mental_Toughness_Tip_For_Grinding_it_Out_After_a_Poor_Start\"><\/span>Mental Toughness Tip For Grinding it Out After a Poor Start:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Keeping the fight alive is your most valuable weapon when things aren\u2019t clicking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ability to grind out your game for the rest of the competition is a sign that you can get the job done without your A-game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look for ways to change the <strong>momentum<\/strong> to get back into the competition. Maybe a good break, a positive call from an official, or a good play can turn it around for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Embrace the fact that you will struggle at times and be prepared mentally to grind it out&#8211;then you will always have a fighting chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-athlete-cd-program\/\"><strong>Start by learning how to keep your confidence tank high with The Confident Athlete Audio and Workbook program.<\/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\/do-you-or-your-team-have-the-comeback-mindset\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/learning-how-to-win-ugly-in-sports\/\"><strong>Learning How to Win Ugly in Sports<\/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\/if-your-mental-toughness-only-improved-one-percent\/\"><strong>If Your Mental Toughness Only Improved One Percent\u2026<\/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\/are-you-good-enough-to-start-on-your-team-but-dont\/\"><strong>Are You Good Enough to Start on Your Team, but Don\u2019t?<\/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>Staying Confident After A Slow Start Every athlete at some point feels they don\u2019t have &#8220;it&#8221; today in a competition. You know the feeling, from the onset of a game or meet, you have difficulty getting psyched to compete. You start off slow or with mistakes and can\u2019t seem to get into the flow of the game. You &#8230; <a title=\"How to Keep Fighting After a Poor Start to Competition\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-keep-fighting-after-a-poor-start-to-competition\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to Keep Fighting After a Poor Start to Competition\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[318],"class_list":["post-8310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-confidence-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=\"Athletes at some point feels they don\u2019t have &quot;it&quot; today in a competition. 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