Mental Edge: One strategy that can save athletes from mental anguish

An athlete must make a choice on what to focus on in order to prevent negative thoughts, according to Mental Edge.

The past can sometimes haunt athletes. For example, past mistakes, missteps and missed opportunities can prevent them from playing their very best right now. I call these “mental scars.” Reliving or revisiting bad plays high-jacks your confidence — and your focus. Thinking about how you messed up doesn’t give you feedback on how to play differently.

What you or your athletes focus on is a choice, so choosing to dwell on mistakes is like purposely and personally fracturing your confidence and programming more poor play. Have you ever been overtaken by negative thoughts? Did those negative thoughts motivate you to perform better? Did those negative thoughts raise your level of play afterwards? Furthermore, has negative thinking ever enhanced your confidence?

If you want to improve confidence, you must make a choice on what you will focus your mental energy on. You have three choices: you can focus on the past, future, or present. Only one option will lead to peak performance and that’s the present! I

f you want to have a break-through game or season, stop dwelling on past mistakes and focus on what you can directly control: your effort, execution, and focus on the present moment. Let go of the past by reminding yourself that you can’t get a do-over or get it back. The best thing is to move on and focus on a strong finish. If you make a mistake, say “that’s over” and refocus on the next, play, pitch, or touch. Don’t waist your mental energy on past mistakes. Save them for the next practice when you can use them to learn and grow!

Mental Edge: How to be mentally prepared when coach calls your name

Mental Edge breaks down the proper mindset of a second-string player, and how they can prepare for their moment.

The hardest position on any team is not being the main offensive weapon or defensive specialist. It is not easy being a second-string player when you put in all those hours of training and practice, but then you don’t play when it’s game time…

It can be discouraging, frustrating and confidence breaking.

Many second-stringers give up because they do not see the immediate fruits of their labor. They start buying into the notion that they are not as good as the starters. Their poor attitude can keep them on the bench. You need to be mentally tough, work as hard as or harder than the starters, prove yourself in practice, be patient for your opportunity, be mentally sharp on the sidelines and ready to perform when your time comes.

Being a second-stringer requires a unique mindset that keeps you positive, focused and ready to play at a moment’s notice — and that’s harder than being a starter. Remember always that you are a part of the team and you can contribute in many ways, including pushing your teammates and making them better. Stay positive, work hard, take advantage of every opportunity you get on the field and prepare fully for when your chance to play comes.

Circumstances change all the time in sports. You may be second string today but your opportunity might come tomorrow. You must be ready physically and, more importantly, mentally. Be mentally ready by staying focused on the moment, trusting your skills, and playing with confidence.

Mental Edge: BIG competitions mindset

For an athlete, a big performance shouldn’t be reserved for the best of the best. Mental Edge has more.

All athletes want to come up BIG in BIG moments such as:

  •  *The Fighter who wants that knockout punch.
  • The golfer who dreams of sinking a birdie putt to win a golf tournament.
  • The basketball player who wants to sink the final shot to win a playoff game.
  • The quarterback who wants the last play of the game. 

Unfortunately, many athletes not only fall short, but under perform in BIG moments. Many athletes believe they just don’t have what it takes to perform BIG in BIG moments. These athletes see this type of performance as reserved for a few top-tier athletes. Not only is that untrue but it doesn’t address why so many athletes under perform. Basically, under performing in big moments boils down to expectations and pressure. The higher you set your expectations, the greater the pressure and, thus, many athletes fail to perform up to their abilities.

There are two main reasons why athletes under perform in these circumstances:

  1. One reason is that some athletes see the competition as BIGGER than it is. That is they place too much importance on the competition. When you see the competitions as bigger than it is, you create more pressure. 
  1. The other reason is that athletes feel they need to perform BIGGER than they ever have in the past. Excessively high expectations coupled with trying to be perfect are a recipe for under-performance.

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Now, the right approach to a competition doesn’t ensure a victory but it fosters consistency and keeps your mind from over-emphasizing the importance of a competition. Remember that “focusing on the process brings desired results.” You don’t want to obsess about what winning or losing the BIG game would mean to you. Instead, you want to focus on one play, point, shot or pitch at a time!