What is Your Biggest Distraction as an Athlete? The list of potential distractions is exhausting: The previous examples are external distractions or sources that originate outside of you. While external distractions are bothersome, they are not the most formidable challenge for athletes. Internal distractions are much more destructive and difficult to manage, particularly the ‘what if’ trap. ‘What … Sport Psychology Article…
A mistake Versus a Mental Mistake Mistakes are common in sports. Every athlete makes mistakes. However, mental mistakes are avoidable. Mental mistakes are lapses in awareness and focus, sloppy play, laziness, and lack of effort. Here are some examples of mental mistakes: In basketball, not getting back on defense and allowing the other team a breakaway basket. In … Sport Psychology Article…
How to Train to Win Many athletes complain about going to practice, especially if the training session is monotonous, dull, or consists of seemingly useless drills. For example, some soccer players despise long training sessions in the rain. When you are soaked and cold by the midway point, who wouldn’t want to go home, dry off and fall … Sport Psychology Article…
Do Emotions Get the Best of you After a Bad Call? Do your emotional outbursts lead to a loss of focus and uncharacteristic mistakes? You can’t take emotions out of the game. By nature, we are emotional beings. However, when you don’t reel in your emotions, they will intensify, and your performance will decline rapidly. For example, Mary … Sport Psychology Article…
Learning to be Comfortable with Your Game What does it mean to be comfortable with your game? You can view “comfort” in two ways… One way to view comfort is the acceptance of the status quo. In that sense, athletes train within a comfort zone impeding progress. To grow as an athlete, you should push past comfort and … Sport Psychology Article…
Does your Confidence Depend on Winning? When teams are winning, playing with confidence is easy. You don’t second-guess decisions when you are ahead. You play loose and free and are not adversely affected by one or two mistakes. In fact, when you play with the lead, you and your teammates play as a cohesive unit and feel pretty … Sport Psychology Article…