{"id":8991,"date":"2018-09-17T17:36:28","date_gmt":"2018-09-17T17:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=8991"},"modified":"2025-06-06T08:49:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T12:49:46","slug":"how-excuses-hurt-your-mindset-in-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-excuses-hurt-your-mindset-in-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"How Excuses Hurt Your Mindset in Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8994\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/How-Excuses-Hurt-Your-Mindset-in-Sports.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/How-Excuses-Hurt-Your-Mindset-in-Sports.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/How-Excuses-Hurt-Your-Mindset-in-Sports-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=\"Overcome_Excuses_to_Improve_Performance_in_Sports\"><\/span>Overcome Excuses to Improve Performance in Sports<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-excuses-hurt-your-mindset-in-sports\/#Overcome_Excuses_to_Improve_Performance_in_Sports\" >Overcome Excuses to Improve Performance in Sports<\/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-excuses-hurt-your-mindset-in-sports\/#Excuses_are_the_enemy_of_any_athlete\" >Excuses are the enemy of any athlete.<\/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-excuses-hurt-your-mindset-in-sports\/#Take_for_example_the_following_excuses_some_of_which_may_strike_a_chord_with_you\" >Take for example the following excuses, some of which may strike a chord with you:<\/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-excuses-hurt-your-mindset-in-sports\/#How_to_Overcome_the_Excuse_Trap\" >How to Overcome the Excuse Trap<\/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-excuses-hurt-your-mindset-in-sports\/#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-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-excuses-hurt-your-mindset-in-sports\/#The_Focused_Athlete\" >The Focused Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Excuses, excuses, excuses&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Excuses_are_the_enemy_of_any_athlete\"><\/span>Excuses are the enemy of any athlete.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Excuses shrug off responsibility and place the blame for a lackluster performance on something (weather, bad competition site, faulty equipment) or someone else (teammate, bad official, unruly fans).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Take_for_example_the_following_excuses_some_of_which_may_strike_a_chord_with_you\"><\/span>Take for example the following excuses, some of which may strike a chord with you:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>&#8220;I was stuck in traffic and I didn\u2019t get a chance to warm up.&#8221;<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>&#8220;My goggles leaked.&#8221;<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>&#8220;My ankle hurt midway through the competition.&#8221;<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>&#8220;That umpire was horrible.&#8221;<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>&#8220;I have a cold.&#8221;<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>&#8220;I didn\u2019t get much sleep last night.&#8221;<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>&#8220;The field conditions were bad.&#8221;<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Some athletes come to a competition with an excuse in hand and some athletes make excuses in the middle of a competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both situations take the responsibility out of your hands and onto other variables&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, excuses take control right from under your feet and give control to some force outside of yourself, leaving you a <strong>nervous<\/strong> wreck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No athlete, in any sport, will perform well when they allow tough circumstances to dictate their actions in competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s been said that those that make excuses, seldom make anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For this reason, you need a different approach when negative circumstances occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Excuses would have been easy for Rafael Nadal to make at the 2018 US Open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nadal was shut out in the first set 0-6 against Dominic Thiem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These circumstances were relatively uncharted waters&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nadal had only been shut out in the first set just the three times in nearly seven years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nadal battled forward through the longest match of his US Open career (four hours and 49 minutes), in overwhelming humidity and snatched the victory 0-6 6-4 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key for Nadal was to make a conscious choice to make adjustments rather than look for <strong>excuses.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NADAL:<\/strong> <em>&#8220;I am the guy to look at myself. I needed to move forward, to change that dynamic, and I did. But the first step to change that dynamic is not to find an excuse on the racket or on the string or on something that is not the truth. The only truth is that you have to do things better to be able to fight for the point and fight for the match.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nadal knew if he was to turn things around, he would need to <strong>focus<\/strong> on making adjustments to his tactics and fight for every point, one by one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You always have a choice:<\/strong> You can embrace excuses or you can fight for your potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So which will you fight for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Overcome_the_Excuse_Trap\"><\/span>How to Overcome the Excuse Trap<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Review past performances where you didn\u2019t do as well as you wanted or those competitions where you gave less than best after some undesirable circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What were some of the excuses in your mind that held you back or made you give up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How can you take full responsibility for your performance and take back control of the situation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mentally,<\/strong> put yourself back under those circumstances and <strong>visualize<\/strong> yourself responding as if you&#8217;re in control, not outside factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Choose to be problem solver rather than an excuse finder.<\/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-stay-motivated-in-training-sessions\/\"><strong>How to Stay Motivated in Training Sessions<\/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-your-emotions-affect-your-teams-mood\/\"><strong>How Your Emotions Affect Your Team\u2019s Mood<\/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\/how-to-perform-with-trust-in-competition\/\"><strong>How to Perform with Trust in Competition<\/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>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overcome Excuses to Improve Performance in Sports Excuses, excuses, excuses&#8230; Excuses are the enemy of any athlete. Excuses shrug off responsibility and place the blame for a lackluster performance on something (weather, bad competition site, faulty equipment) or someone else (teammate, bad official, unruly fans). Take for example the following excuses, some of which may strike a chord &#8230; <a title=\"How Excuses Hurt Your Mindset in Sports\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-excuses-hurt-your-mindset-in-sports\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How Excuses Hurt Your Mindset in Sports\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[1124,1085],"class_list":["post-8991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-excuses-in-sports","tag-mindset-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=\"Some athletes come to a competition with an excuse in hand and some athletes make excuses during competition. Excuses shifts blame away from the athlete\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Patrick Cohn\"\/>\n\t<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"mindset in sports,trust in sports,sports psychologist near me,excuses in sports\" \/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-excuses-hurt-your-mindset-in-sports\/\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO Pro (AIOSEO) 4.9.5.2\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sports Psychology Articles | Sport Psychology Articles for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Parents\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Excuses Hurt Your Mindset | Sports Psychology Articles\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some athletes come to a competition with an excuse in hand and some athletes make excuses during competition. 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