Using Mental Preparation to Reduce Mental Mistakes
Do you make mental mistakes in competition? If so, these mistakes may be a function of how you practice…
Mistakes in competition are not an indication of a lack of ability, talent or conditioning.
Most of the time, mental mistakes result from how you train, how you practice or more specifically, how you train your mind to compete.
This mental preparation is key to reducing mental mistakes in competition.
Too many athletes go through the motions in practice. These athletes attend practice two hours a day for five days a week for a total of 10 hours of training.
Although these athletes physically practice, they are not fully present mentally. Putting in the hours is different than making the hours count. These athletes may never miss a practice but certainly miss an opportunity.
The problem lies in how you are training your mind to react in competition…
When you are physically present in practice, your conditioning may improve and your technical skills may get better but you never train your mind to be fully prepared to compete.
For a gymnast, a lack of mental preparation does not train the mind how to respond to a bobble in the middle of a routine.
For a baseball player, a lack of mental preparation does not train the mind how to rebound after giving up four runs in the first inning.
For a soccer player, a lack of mental preparation does not train the mind to set the tone of the game by playing aggressive from the whistle.
For a tennis player, a lack of mental preparation, does not train the mind to fight through a match after having a bad warm-up.
If you are not training your mind to compete, then under the duress of competition you will make the same mental mistakes over and over again.
For example, mental mistakes have, at times, plagued the New York Jets during the course of the 2017-18 NFL season…
In a loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Jets were flagged for seven penalties, four of which were against the defensive, including one defensive offside penalty that extended a four-quarter drive for the Panthers.
All these mental mistakes allowed the Panthers to come back in the fourth quarter to hand the Jets their fifth loss in six games.
Jets linebacker Darron Lee stated the Jets paid particular attention to their mental preparation during the practices following the loss.
LEE: “Friday practices this week [we] had fewer mistakes, if any, after the coaches decided to put an extra emphasis on finishing each practice period strong. I’d say this whole week of practice has been pretty good. It’s been sharper across the board, no mistakes, very little penalties, guys are clocked in.”
Lee declared that the Jets’ defense focused on practicing the game in the same manner they want to compete in order to minimize mental mistakes…
LEE: “We started focusing in on the last period of the day. Just finishing, being sharp, no stupid penalties, jumping offside. We can control that and look forward to putting that together on Sunday.”
Minimizing mental mistakes starts with mental preparation and training your mind to compete.
Try this tip to train your mind to compete:
Have a practice plan. Ask yourself, “How can I practice to better compete?”
After you answer that question, identify practice goals and create competitive scenarios that allow you to train your mind to compete in that manner.
For example, having full focus, intensity, managing setbacks, overcoming doubts should be part of your regular practice.
Practice in a way that will help you in competition, don’t just go through the motions.
Improve Concentration in Sports!
If you’re an athlete who is frequently distracted, loses focus in competition, or wants to learn more about how to focus better under pressure, The Focused Athlete is for you!
Concentration and the ability to focus under adversity is what championship athletes do best.
It only takes one distraction to enter your mind for you to lose a critical point, miss a putt, or lose a second off your lap time. You cannot afford to let distractions run wild in your mind and cause you to make errors at critical times in the game!
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The Focused Athlete: A 14-Day Plan For Superior Concentration
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~Sarah, US National Aerobic Gymnastics Team
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~Stu Blasius, P.G.A. Golf Professional
Boost Your Self-Confidence And Focus With Expert Mental Game Coaching!
If you’re a top performer during practice but find yourself under-performing in competition, the most likely culprit holding you back is your mental game.
Master mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn can help you overcome your mental game issues with one-on-one personal mental game coaching.
You can work with Dr. Patrick Cohn himself in Orlando, Florida or via Skype, FaceTime, or telephone. Call us toll free at 888-742-7225 or contact us for more information about the different coaching programs we offer!
What are our mental game coaching students, parents and coaches saying?
“After going through a week of practice using your pre-kick routine, I was perfect on three field goals on a muddy field and a windy day in my final college game. Now I am entertaining the idea of trying to enter the professional ranks. Thank you for your help!”
~Nate Littlefield, Collegiate Kicker
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