Can what you expect keep you stuck in losing streak? A slump or losing streak starts as nothing unusual. Every athlete and team occasionally experiences bad games or unproductive performances. So, what turns a few bad games into a performance rut? What commonalities trap a player or team in a cycle of under performance? If
What would you say is your biggest distraction as an athlete? The list of potential distractions is exhausting: The previous examples are external distractions or sources that originate outside of you. While external distractions are bothersome, they are not the most formidable challenge for athletes. Internal distractions are much more destructive and difficult to manage,
What’s the difference between a mistake and a mental mistake? Mistakes are common in sports. Every athlete makes mistakes. However, mental mistakes are avoidable. Mental mistakes are lapses in awareness and focus, sloppy play, laziness, and lack of effort. Here are some examples of mental mistakes: In basketball, not getting back on defense and allowing
Is there anything more challenging for athletes than training or practicing when you don’t want to? Many athletes complain about going to practice, especially if the training session is monotonous, dull, or consists of seemingly useless drills. For example, some soccer players despise long training sessions in the rain. When you are soaked and cold
Do your emotions get the best of you after a bad officiating call? Do your emotional outbursts lead to a loss of focus and uncharacteristic mistakes? You can’t take emotions out of the game. By nature, we are emotional beings. However, when you don’t reel in your emotions, they will intensify, and your performance will
Learning to be Comfortable with Your Game What does it mean to be comfortable with your game? You can view “comfort” in two ways… One way to view comfort is the acceptance of the status quo. In that sense, athletes train within a comfort zone impeding progress. To grow as an athlete, you should push