{"id":8321,"date":"2017-07-20T14:49:13","date_gmt":"2017-07-20T14:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=8321"},"modified":"2025-06-09T08:12:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T12:12:06","slug":"why-playing-safe-doesnt-help-you-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/why-playing-safe-doesnt-help-you-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Playing Safe Doesn&#8217;t Help You Win"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8323 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Playing-Safe.jpg\" alt=\"Playing it Safe\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Playing-Safe.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Playing-Safe-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=\"Playing_Aggressive_to_Keep_Your_Lead\"><\/span>Playing Aggressive to Keep 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\/why-playing-safe-doesnt-help-you-win\/#Playing_Aggressive_to_Keep_Your_Lead\" >Playing Aggressive to Keep 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\/why-playing-safe-doesnt-help-you-win\/#How_to_Stay_Aggressive_and_Maintain_Your_Lead\" >How to Stay Aggressive and Maintain Your Lead:<\/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\/why-playing-safe-doesnt-help-you-win\/#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-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/why-playing-safe-doesnt-help-you-win\/#The_Focused_Athlete\" >The Focused Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Playing safe rarely works out for athletes. Yet many athletes adopt a cautious mindset when leading late in a competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, a football team has dominated the opposing team for three plus quarters and has a 14-point lead with four minutes remaining&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of sticking to their offensive game plan, they play prevent defense, allowing the opposing team to tie up the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or a gymnast who was in first place previously attacked routines and stuck her landings. All of a sudden, despite consistently hitting her routines, she cautiously performs her final rotation for fear of falling only to bobble three times on the beam, her strongest event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or the golfer atop the leader board who has a lead. Playing well, he carried a four-stroke lead into the last three holes. Instead of going for it, he decides to play it safe, double bogeys two of the holes and loses the tournament by one stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You play safe when they <strong>fear making mistakes<\/strong> and fear that those mistakes will cost you the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trying to avoid mistakes is a trap that many athletes fall into. Fear creates <strong>anxiety<\/strong> which <strong>trust<\/strong> in your skill, fills your head with worry, creates doubt and often leads to making mistakes you are seeking to avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But playing it safe opens the door for other competitors to erase the lead you built up. In fact, your opponents can sense that you are playing it safe and it gives them <strong>confidence<\/strong> to charge forward. Your opponents gain <strong>momentum.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you built a lead by \u201cgoing for it\u201d or playing <strong>aggressively,<\/strong> why would you change this mindset later in the competition? Keep doing what works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PGA golfer, Patrick Rodgers, fell prey to the play-it-safe mentality and it cost him the victory at the 2017 John Deere Classic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rodgers was the leader heading into the final round but had four bogeys including a critical bogey on the 17th hole that ultimately cost him the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RODGERS:<\/strong><em> &#8220;Our tendency when you have the lead is to kind of hold on and play safe and guard against making mistakes. But I had guys coming at me with some really low rounds.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The lesson is to maintain the same style of play that helped you get a lead.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that is not to say that you should play recklessly. You have to be <strong>smart<\/strong> and <strong>aggressive.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key is to not focus on the victory and continue to play the game one play at a time or one shot at a time. Of course easy for me to say and hard to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Stay_Aggressive_and_Maintain_Your_Lead\"><\/span>How to Stay Aggressive and Maintain Your Lead:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have never been in the situation that Rogers&#8217; faced, you might anticipate how you would react when leading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How might your game derailed by distraction, focusing on the outcome, protecting from making mistakes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How will your respond that help you keep momentum and play in the moment?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Start by getting your copy of &#8220;The Focused Athlete&#8221; audio and workbook program to learn how to stay focused in the moment&#8230;<\/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\/how-to-refocus-after-making-mistakes\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/do-you-have-an-athlete-who-plays-it-safe-when-in-the-lead\/\"><strong>Do You Have An Athlete Who Plays It Safe When In The Lead?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/refocus-quickly-when-distracted\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-help-athletes-stay-aggressive-at-the-end-of-a-game\/\"><strong>How to Help Athletes Stay Aggressive<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-prevent-mental-mistakes-during-competition\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/athletes-who-play-too-safe-during-games\/\"><strong>Athletes Who Play Too Safe During Games<\/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_Focused_Athlete\"><\/span>The Focused 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\/2019\/08\/focused-athlete-teams-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Focused Athlete Audio and Workbook Program\" class=\"wp-image-19343\" style=\"width:215px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s probably no secret that you have many opportunities<strong> to become distracted<\/strong> in sports. Athletes are bombarded with both internal and external distractions everyday in practice and competition. <strong>Focused athletes<\/strong> are able to get the most from their skills because they are more efficient with practice and more concentrated in competition. Athletes who lack focus <strong>let distractions run wild through their mind and don\u2019t know how to adjust or refocus.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Focused Athlete was developed for any level coach, parent, or junior to professional athlete who wants to improve performance and gain a competitive edge. It does not matter if you are a fledgling junior athlete; or a seasoned professional, plagued with distractions; or you just wanting to learn how to improve concentration\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Focused Athlete\u201d is a complete system to teach you how to focus like a champion and harness the power of a zone focus every time you step on the playing field, court, track, or course in practice and games!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-769fef19\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-68fab510 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-focused-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-3043572a gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-focused-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Playing Aggressive to Keep Your Lead Playing safe rarely works out for athletes. Yet many athletes adopt a cautious mindset when leading late in a competition. For example, a football team has dominated the opposing team for three plus quarters and has a 14-point lead with four minutes remaining&#8230; Instead of sticking to their offensive game plan, they &#8230; <a title=\"Why Playing Safe Doesn&#8217;t Help You Win\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/why-playing-safe-doesnt-help-you-win\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Why Playing Safe Doesn&#8217;t Help You Win\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,142,3],"tags":[1076],"class_list":["post-8321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fear-of-failure-in-sports","category-sports-psychology-tips","category-mental-toughness","tag-playing-aggressive-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=\"Playing safe rarely works out for athletes. 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