The Winning Formula
I often inform my students about the three Cs for athletic success. These three keys include: (1) clarity, (2) confidence, (3) concentration…
But today I’d like to introduce another “C” for your success in sports. This overlooked mental skill is a close cousin to confidence and trust in your skills. Without it, you are doomed to underperform.
Today’s tip is about commitment. Commitment to your decisions when perform…
I’m sure you know the commitment I’m talking about. Lack of commitment or indecision leads to bad outcomes. Here just a few examples:
–> A golfer who second-guesses his club and can’t swing freely. He swings too easy and pulls the shot.
–> A baseball player who can’t decide on a plan at the plate as he silently rejects the third-base coach’s decision.
— > A tennis player who’s caught between two shots; down the line or cross court. She dumps the ball into the net.
— > A quarterback who second-guesses the coaches call and can’t commit to the play resulting in a broken play.
— > A basketball player who can’t decide whether he should shoot or pass the ball and loses the chance to take the open shot.
Can you identify with any of the above scenarios? It happens every day in sports– when athletes are wishy-washy and can’t commit to a plan.
The problem: indecision can cause you to hesitate just long enough that you lose the open shot. In self-paced tasks such as serving, second-guessing your plan can cause you to undermine trust in your performance.
Rory Mcilroy confessed that he lost commitment on the greens during his final round blunders at the Masters. “I was sort of second-guessing lines and second-guessing my speed, and on these greens you can’t do that.”
I recently talked with an NHL referee who was hesitating with his calls on the ice. Justin was second-guessing his calls, which led to a lack of commitment and indecision on future calls.
Justin was worried about what other officials thought about his call. Did I make the right decision, he would ponder?
What started his indecision on the ice? Self-doubt was eroding his confidence. A lack of confidence caused him to hesitate with his officiating.
If you don’t have confidence in your ability to perform, it’s harder to make quick split second-decisions you need to make or be committed to your decisions.
Thus, the key is build a stable level of confidence and learn not to second-guess your decisions….
The moment a batter “thinks” if it’s a good pitch to take, the ball is past him. In this situation, you have to react and allow your talents to take over.
Here’s the formula for success:
**Confidence in abilities –> Commitment to decisions –> TRUST in skills**
If you are a member of Peaksports Network, you can listen to my coaching session with Justin, an NHL referee. I coach Justin on the how to regain confidence–and control self-doubt–so he can be more decisive with his performance:
Peaksports Network: 1-on-1 Coaching Session with Justin
Until April 30, receive a free 20-minute coaching session with myself when you become a member of my online mental training program. Sign up here:
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Your Mental Coach,
Dr. Patrick Cohn
p.s. We’ve taken seven years to fill up my online mental training program with confidence-boosting tips. I have not raised the price of a new membership–until now….
Starting May 1, 2011, the cost of a one-year membership will increase due to the number of sports psychology articles, interviews, e-book, videos, and tips we have on the site. Get in now:
Peaksports Network One-Year Membership
Related Sports Psychology Articles
- Do You Or Your Team Have The Comeback Mindset?
- Your Mental Game and Performance Slumps
- On Comebacks, Meltdowns, and The Mental Game
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