{"id":8403,"date":"2017-09-21T17:13:54","date_gmt":"2017-09-21T17:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=8403"},"modified":"2025-06-09T07:53:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T11:53:14","slug":"control-your-focus-to-let-go-of-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/control-your-focus-to-let-go-of-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Control Your Focus to Let Go of Mistakes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Letting-Go-of-Past-Mistakes.jpg\" alt=\"Letting Go of Past Mistakes\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Letting-Go-of-Past-Mistakes.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Letting-Go-of-Past-Mistakes-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=\"Focusing_on_The_Present_Rather_Than_Past_Mistakes\"><\/span>Focusing on The Present Rather Than Past Mistakes<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\/control-your-focus-to-let-go-of-mistakes\/#Focusing_on_The_Present_Rather_Than_Past_Mistakes\" >Focusing on The Present Rather Than Past Mistakes<\/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\/control-your-focus-to-let-go-of-mistakes\/#How_does_your_concentration_work\" >How does your concentration work?<\/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\/control-your-focus-to-let-go-of-mistakes\/#How_to_Let_go_of_Past_Mistakes\" >How to Let go of Past Mistakes:<\/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\/control-your-focus-to-let-go-of-mistakes\/#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\/control-your-focus-to-let-go-of-mistakes\/#The_Focused_Athlete\" >The Focused Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Letting go of mistakes<\/strong> is a difficult task for many athletes, but a super important skill for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you dwell on the last play, poor routine, error or bad performance and let it to fester in your mind, this leads to more mistakes and a downward spiral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The memory of mistakes creates a split <strong>focus<\/strong> where it divides your focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you have a split focus, half of your <strong>mental energy<\/strong> on the past, this is no different than giving half the amount of physical effort in a competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are not fully present in the moment, you risk making more mistakes and becoming frustrated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dwelling on the past is a <strong>focusing<\/strong> problem. The mistake is over, but you cannot let go because it is <strong>upsetting<\/strong> or <strong>frustrating.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_does_your_concentration_work\"><\/span>How does your concentration work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Well, you have three moments in time where you can place your focus:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Past<\/strong> \u2013 While you can learn from the past, reliving past mistakes only serves to crush confidence and misplace your focus.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Future<\/strong> \u2013 If you have difficulty letting go of mistakes, this leads to fear of repeating those mistakes in the near future. This leads to playing it safe.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Present<\/strong> \u2013 Focusing on the present requires you to let go of the past and play with no expectations. In essence, focusing on the present is a matter of just performing with no judgment of how you are doing.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Matthew Stafford, quarterback for the Detroit Lions, is the highest paid player in the National Football League. Despite his contract and being one of the best players in the league, Stafford is not immune from mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stafford\u2019s first pass of the 2017 season was a pick-6 and put the Lions behind early in the game. But Stafford remained <strong>focused<\/strong> and led his team to score 20 points in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the game, Stafford talked about the importance of <strong>letting go of mistakes<\/strong>, moving on and <strong>focusing<\/strong> on the present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>STAFFORD:<\/strong> <em>&#8220;Focusing on a mistake keeps the attention on yourself. What did I do? How could I have avoided that? They&#8217;re worthy questions. Just ask them after the game is over. Your teammates are counting on you to play now, not answer for something in the past while there is still time to get the job done&#8230; Keep playing, this is what we talk about.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Playing in the present is the best way for mistakes to be contained to the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Let_go_of_Past_Mistakes\"><\/span>How to Let go of Past Mistakes:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Cue yourself after a bad play, routine or performance, and tell yourself, <em>&#8220;Move on,&#8221; <\/em>or<em>, &#8220;That&#8217;s in the past.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First you have to recognize you&#8217;re dwelling, which is half the battle. Then you have to adjust your focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, ask yourself: <em>&#8220;What do I focus on right now to help my team or perform this play?&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-focused-athlete-cd-program\/\">Finally, learn all my strategies for a focused performance with &#8220;The Focused Athlete&#8221; audio and workbook program:<\/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\/how-to-refocus-after-making-mistakes\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-refocus-after-making-mistakes\/\"><strong>How to Refocus After Making Mistakes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/refocus-quickly-when-distracted\/\"><strong>How To Refocus Quickly When Distracted<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-prevent-mental-mistakes-during-competition\/\"><strong>How to Prevent Mental Mistakes During Competition\u00a0<\/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:200px\"\/><\/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>Focusing on The Present Rather Than Past Mistakes Letting go of mistakes is a difficult task for many athletes, but a super important skill for all. If you dwell on the last play, poor routine, error or bad performance and let it to fester in your mind, this leads to more mistakes and a downward spiral. The memory &#8230; <a title=\"Control Your Focus to Let Go of Mistakes\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/control-your-focus-to-let-go-of-mistakes\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Control Your Focus to Let Go of Mistakes\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8406,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[292,647],"class_list":["post-8403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-focusing-in-sports","tag-letting-go-of-mistakes-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=\"Letting go of mistakes is a difficult task for many athletes, but a super important skill. 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