Do you (or your athletes) beat yourself up and lose confidence after a poor performance or defeat?
Or do you walk away feeling dejected and lose motivation to improve after a tough loss?
Some athletes think they can use defeat as a strong motivator…
But defeat can wreck careers in sports–depending on how one reacts.
Do you believe in the idea that you can learn or grow from defeat or failure?
Some athletes argue that nothing good can come from making mistakes, losing a game, or failing.
Resilient athletes would argue that defeat gives them a chance to gain knowledge about their training, preparation, and the mental game, and thus improve.
They think the best lessons are often learned in the context of a setback–no matter how big or how small.
Here’s a great example…
Golfer Rory McIlroy squandered a 4-stroke lead in the final round of the 2011 Masters and lost the event.
He used this defeat to teach him how to perform better under pressure… Just a couple months later, he won the 2011 US Open.
Rory said that he wasn’t ready to win the Masters, but learned a lot from his defeat.
“I learned a lot. I think one of the things I learned was that as a person and as a golfer, I wasn’t ready to win the Masters; wasn’t ready to win a major,” said McIlroy.
He went on to say how he turned defeat into triumph just a couple months later…
“I realized that I needed to try and be myself a little bit more. That was something that I tried to put into practice at the U.S. Open when I had to go out with the lead and try and just get the job done.”
You’ll have plenty of opportunities to be critical of yourself or your team’s performance, if you choose to.
A better option – one that can lead to great mental toughness – is to use defeat to learn, improve, or grow.
Resilient athletes are able to grow from defeat and use failure as a springboard to improve mentally toughness.
Instead of dwelling on what went wrong in your next competition, ask yourself: “How can I use this experience to become a better athlete?”
This article was based on one of many e-books you can download as an exclusive member of Peaksports Network, my online mental training program. Here’s the link to the e-books:
Peaksports Network – Online Mental Game Training Membership Site for Athletes
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Master mental game coach, Dr. Patrick Cohn, can help you or your athlete(s), ages 12 and up, overcome mental game issues with personal coaching.
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What are our students saying?
“WOW!!! What a week I had. I was able to perform with a confidence that allowed my style to shine through–no more entering the arena with that “deer in the headlights” look or feeling. I stopped evaluating myself while I was performing, and I actually left the arena after my patterns feeling like I had experienced a lot of fun. Thank you so much.”
~Julia Dreyer, National Champion Equestrian
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D you have a negative self-image of yourself as an athlete that stifles confidence?
No matter ow positive you try to be, are you unable to shake the doubt that rushes into your head when you size up your competition?
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The Confident Athlete: A 14-Day Plan For Ultimate Self-Confidence
Check out all of the products in The Confident Athlete Series!
What are customers saying?
“I first purchased The Confident Athlete to see how the program went and immediately saw results. I then purchased the rest of the confident athlete series and have noticed a dramatic improvement in my level of play or should I say consistency. I currently play NCAA Division 1 baseball for Lamar University, and even my coaches have noticed a change in the way that I approach the game. My attitude and confidence at the plate.”
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We’ve got a great program for you called “The Confident Sports Kid: A 7-Day Plan for Building Ultimate Self-Confidence.”
The Confident Sports Kid is a 7-day program for sports parents and kids to boost young athlete’s performance, happiness and success… in sports and life!
The Confident Sports Kid is two programs in one. There’s a manual and CD for parents/coaches, and a workbook/CD for young athletes.
Packed with mental strategies that you and your kids can start using immediately, this program teaches your athletes how to identify confidence busters, proactively deal with them, manage expectations that undermine confidence, and mentally prepare to stay confident when faced with adversity.
What’s more, our program teaches you, as sports parents and coaches, how you may be hurting your kids’ confidence and gives you instructions for changing your behavior in ways that will improve your athletes’ performance, confidence and enjoyment.
Learn more about one of our most popular CD programs in The Confident Sports Kid Series…
The Confident Sports Kid: A 7-Day Plan for Building Ultimate Self-Confidence
Check out all of our products in The Confident Sports Kid Series!
What are parents and coaches saying about our program?
“I appreciate the advice to parents as to how to help your child become more mentally resilient to bullying in sports. The specific advice and scenarios are extremely helpful for any child on a team and very helpful in guiding parents, coaches and administrators in how to deal with bullying in sports. I cannot thank you enough for your input, and I am so reassured to know that there are people like you who are writing articles and doing interviews on such timely and important matters.”
~Julie Goot
“Dr. Patrick Cohn and Lisa Cohn are to be congratulated! Together, they offer a wealth of knowledge, information, and practical mental tools for sports parents on the substantial “mental game” challenges and pressures facing today’s young athletes.”
~Marc D. Anderson, LCSW, MGCP, Mental Game Coach
For Mental Coaches – Add More Value To Your Mental Training Programs!
This workbook series was designed for coaches and mental coaches to use with their athletes.
The Athlete’s Mental Edge workbooks complement your existing mental training program. Each of the 15 workbooks in the Athlete’s Mental Edge System teaches your athletes a specific mental skill to improve their performance.
For mental coaches, this system is ideal for between session education.
For sports coaches, you’ll be able to conduct 15 team seminars using the workbook system.
In the Athlete’s Mental Edge workbook system, you receive 15 easy-to-read, practical Mental Edge Workbooks on PDF, as well as 16 coaches’ game plan MP3 audio files.
Athlete’s Mental Edge Workbook System
What are coaches saying?
“I am really pleased with the Athlete’s Mental Edge workbooks – they are fitting in really well with my coaching! I find they offer a great framework for doing workshop sessions. I have also used the workbooks with a few individual athletes – for the younger ones (12 and under). They are giving a good structure and framework to our sessions. The workbooks have worked well with all of them!”
~Kerri Morgan, Mental Game Coach
“I am impressed with the willingness and openness of Dr. Cohn to share all of his assets (intellectual, products, etc.) with the MGCP students. You have developed an incredible model/package for mental training. Even though we are paying for your service, you are passing on a legacy built on your contribution to the world of sports. Thank you for that.”
~Tony Melito, MGCP
Rory McIlroy definitely used his lesson of defeat for his benefit. If we all can focus and try to understand that we have the opportunity to improve from a situation such as this, then we will. The mind is the most powerful part of us all. If you can strengthen your muscles in the gym to hit the ball harder, shoot the ball farther, and pummel your opponent, then you must also train your mind to strengthen everything that your muscles cannot do. People wonder why the Mohammed Ali’s and Chris Johnsons, Derrick Rose, Ray Rice’s, Nadal’s, and many others are so successful when they dont have the build of a champion. Yes they all have specific traits that give them a huge push such as speed and power. But most of all is the power they have mentally in game time. You don’t see them throw a fit if they mess up. After a trip up, missed shot, mis hit, etc. they get right back up and stay calm. Their mind is focused and learning from everything that is happening. That is the art of sports, the art of pursuing greatness. While not actually focused on becoming a champion, these and many other individual athletes are on their way to that great achievement. Just like Rory, we must take everything that happens in our situations not only on the court or field, but mostly in life. Get back up and finish the game like a champion.