Mastering the Mental Game: 3 Critical Components Every Athlete Needs
Athletes do a great job putting in the work to develop their physical skills and ensure they are technically and strategically proficient. They lift weights, run sprints, do fundamental drills, watch film, and train consistently. This helps to create a solid foundation. All of this work is necessary, but insufficient, to create great athletes that reach their full potential.
The reality is that athletes need to have mastery over their mental game so that all of that work shines when it matters most – in the heat of the battle, when pressure is on, and when there are no “do-overs.” Great athletes are able to face the challenges in competition by incorporating mental skills that allow them to highlight their physical, technical, and strategical skills. There are three critical components every athlete needs to master their mental game:
Routine
Routines are designed to prepare the body and the mind for the situation that is approaching. The consistency of the routine enables the performance that follows to feel effortless. Prior to a competition, every athlete needs a routine that focuses on getting their body AND mind ready to compete. Most athletes already have a fairly standard physical routine that includes getting on a uniform, stretching or warming up, and completing some fundamental drills. Effective routines incorporate mental components, such as visualizations, deep breaths, defining success, and affirmations to increase confidence.
Depending on the sport, there may be other recurring situations that would also benefit from a routine that prepares the athlete physically and mentally:
Shooting a free throw
Kicking a field goal
Hitting a golf ball off a tee
Kicking a corner kick
Serving a tennis ball
Recovery
In sports, things are going to go wrong. This could be an error, failure, or simply a subpar performance. The quicker an athlete can recover and move forward, the more consistent their overall performance. A great recovery strategy is the 3R Recovery.
Recognize
Quick analysis of the mistake/error/failure
What went wrong? What do I need to do differently?
Release
Intentional, physical action to have a breakpoint between the mistake and the moving forward
I.e., taking a deep breath, clapping your hands, etc.
Refocus
Moving your focus back to the moment
What’s the ONE THING I need to do RIGHT NOW?
The more specific and controllable, the better!
Reset
A reset is a particular set of actions that an athlete does in response to a particularly challenging event. Each sport and each athlete has specific situations and moments that run the risk of throwing an athlete into a tail spin. By identifying what common situations may knock an athlete off their game, specific resets can be created to respond effectively.
Examples:
Situation: Losing the first set of a tennis match
Reset: Taking 2 drinks of water with a pause in between for a deep breath. Naming my top two strengths on court today and one of my opponents weaknesses. Focusing on one controllable for the next 2 games – my footwork.
Situation: Opponent hitting a homerun off of you
Reset: Stepping off the mound and stretching. Taking 2 deep breaths. Shaking my arms out. As I walk back onto the mound telling myself “be smooth” and “trust my training.”
Are you an athlete looking to take your performance to the next level? Are you ready to rise to the challenges of your sport and show the world your talent? Develop these three critical components and watch how your game becomes all that you knew it could be. Want help creating your routine, recovery or reset? Want a more customized approach?