Overcoming Mistakes In Sports
Overcoming mistakes quickly is part of a strong mental game.
Ruminating about mistakes can hurt your confidence and focus… But you will make mistakes in competitions no matter who you are.
Let’s discuss confidence for a minute… When you are performing well, you are not thinking or judging how you’re doing–you are just playing.
Confidence is high when you are able to accept the fact that you will make mistakes, let go of the last play and re-focus on what you need to do in the present.
Having a short memory or letting go of mistakes will help you maintain your confidence at peak levels.
Cornerback Darryl Roberts was drafted by the New England Patriots out of Marshall University with the 247th pick in the 2015 NFL draft.
Despite being drafter late and not even being invited to the NFL Combine, Roberts entered minicamp with a high level of confidence. In fact, Roberts’ confidence helped him become successful at the collegiate level…
At Marshall, Roberts broke up 17 passes which was tied for the second-most in Division I football.
As a rookie in Patriots minicamp, Roberts’ confident play has earned him reps with the first team.
Chuck Heater, Roberts’ former-defensive coordinator, spoke highly of Roberts’ confidence and his ability to let go of mistakes.
HEATER: “He had a swag about him [Roberts] and was always confident… And you would like to have that personality in your corner because you’re going to make some plays but won’t make every one of them. You’ve got to be able to get back to the next play, and he had a real ability to forget about the play before and get right back to the next play. He made a lot of football plays for us. That was a great quality, the confidence that he played with.”
If you get down on yourself after a mistake, it can pull down your confidence and cause you to question your ability to make future plays.
In order to perform consistently, you need to be able to rebound and re-focus and not give into those negative voices inside your head.
If you focus on those negative voices, you are bound to continue to make those same mistakes over and over.
Being proactive with your confidence is the best defense against self-doubt.
Confidence gives you an edge over the competition by helping you move on from mistakes, putting things in perspective and get mentally ready to compete.
Tip for moving on from a mistake and playing confident:
You need to fully accept that you’re not perfect and will make mistakes.
Use a routine that you can perform after each play to regain your focus after a mistake (Slap your thigh, take a deep breath or say “no more”). Whatever your routine, make sure it has personal meaning to you.
Not dwelling on mistakes allows you to maintain your confidence to play to your potential.
Improve Your Trust For Competition Today!
“The Fearless Athlete” is program number four in The Confident Athlete Workbook series. This CD/Workbook program is a ground-breaking program. which will help you overcome the mental handcuffs of perfectionism and fear of failure, leading you to perform with unshakeable trust. Dr. Cohn delivers his program in a step-by-step practical workbook you use for just 15 minutes a day! Dr. Cohn gives you ALL HIS TRUST-BOOSTING STRATEGIES in this 14-day step-by-step easy-to-apply mental training program! Read more…
Boost Your Self-Confidence With Mental Game Coaching!
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.
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 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
For All Athletes – Learn Confidence-Boosting Techniques!
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?
Have you labeled yourself as a loser, poor closer, or mediocre athlete and these labels keep you stuck in a rut of self-pity and indecision?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, check out The Confident Athlete!
The Confident Athlete CD and workbook program is a 14-day plan for ultimate self-confidence. This program is ideal for any athlete or coach that wants to discover proven confidence-boosting techniques guaranteed to drastically build self-confidence and improve sports performance.
Learn more about one of our most popular CD programs in The Confident Athlete Series…
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.”
~Tylor Prudhomme (Listen to his success story)
“I am a ASP world qualifying professional surfer and after beginning the ‘The Confident Athlete’ I had an almost instant change in attitude about my own surfing ability and my mindset going into competition. By using the Confident Athlete strategies, my confidence has done a complete 180 degrees. I won a local pro/am a few weeks back, and just had my best result of the year in one the last big events on the world circuit this last week in Brazil! It is my secret weapon!”
~Shaun Burrell, Professional Surfer (Listen to his success story)
For Young Athletes and Parents – Learn More About How to Help Kids Improve Confidence Quickly!
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