What Prevents Athletes From Performing Their Best in Tryouts?
Tryouts or qualify can be an anxious time for many athletes.
Whether you are trying out or qualifying for a traveling team, select team, high school team or college team, you need to be on top of your game to have the best chance of earning a spot.
Unfortunately, some athletes get in their own way and perform well below their usual level of play. The culprit that causes athletes to under perform in tryouts is a misplaced focus.
Athletes that have difficulty performing to their potential are usually focused on three things:
1. Trying to impress the coaching staff.
When you look to impress the coaching staff, most of the time, you feel you need to be perfect… make the perfect pass, hit the perfect landing, make the perfect throw, etc.
When you seek perfection, you heap more pressure upon yourself, try harder, and, in some cases, force your game. The coaching staff is not looking for you to be perfect.
The coaches are assessing your potential, how well you perform under stressful conditions and how you rebound from mistakes.
2. Keeping up with the other athletes trying out for the team.
Making comparisons to other athletes is a confidence-killer and a performance destroyer. Worrying about how you are performing in comparison to others takes the focus off your game.
It really doesn’t matter how other athletes are performing. That’s something you cannot control. The things within your control are how you are performing, your level of effort, and your response to errors or missteps.
3. Worrying about making the team.
Worrying about the future prevents you from performing freely and confidently in the present moment. Of course you want to tell others you made the team, but you cannot perform your best in the moment when you fear getting cut in the future.
Your best chance to have a successful tryout is to stay focused on your game and give maximum effort no matter what happens during the course of the tryout.
Here’s and example from the pro ranks that applies to any sport…
Mike Vecchione is a hockey player from Union College who signed with the Philadelphia Flyers last March and is trying to make the team this upcoming season.
Being a rookie, Vecchione knows that making the Flyers is a numbers game. There will be many talented players vying for a limited number of spots on the team. No matter the level of competition, Vecchione is determined to stay focused on himself.
VECCHIONE: “If I worry about everything everyone else is doing, I will lose track of what I am doing. You have to worry about what you can control, and I have been pretty good at doing that. I think that is a big reason why I am sitting here.”
To be the best YOU at tryouts, YOU must focus on YOU!
How to Perform Well in Tryouts or Qualifying:
Concentrate on what YOU are doing in the here-and-now. Focus on one shift, routine, pitch, drill or shot at a time. As soon as it is done, don’t judge it, let it go and focus on to the next one.
Try not to approach the tryout of qualifying with the need to be perfect or standout. Play within yourself – use the skills you have that day and don’t press or worrying about making mistakes.
Improve Concentration in Sports!
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Concentration and the ability to focus under adversity is what championship athletes do best.
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The Focused Athlete: A 14-Day Plan For Superior Concentration
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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!
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