One of the biggest mental struggles for athletes is letting go of mistakes. Athletes often dwell
on their mistakes, allowing them to control their emotions and performance. Studies have shown that elite athletes refocus faster on the next task than amateur athletes.
This skill (resetting) allows the athlete to resent their focus on the present moment and stay emotionally under control. One technique that works great on letting go is for athletes to imagine that their mind is separate from their body. Listed below are several essential steps to adding this technique to your game.
1) Athletes must accept that their body performs slightly differently daily. This can be seen throughout different sports and performance areas, such as an athlete's ability to maintain their:
Timing
Balance
Speed
Strength
Endurance
The challenge for the athlete is that they (and in many cases also their coaches & parents) often feel the need to have complete control of these areas every day. In addition, many athletes expect to maintain these areas at a prominent level with little to no negative change throughout the week. With this poor mentality, athletes who experience an "off day" often struggle with:
Frustration
Low effort
Lack of enjoyment in training
Unfortunately, these days have become detrimental to athletes' reaching their full potential, resulting in them not getting the most out of their game and not reaching their goals. On average, athletes who train weekly may experience 1 to 3 good days, 1 to 2 neutral days, and 1 to 2 "off days" or "bad days". If the athlete lets their off days affect their quality of training, this can be the difference throughout their career from reaching their full potential or not. For example, an athlete who trains 6 days a week and has 2 "off days" wastes 33% of their training because they cannot give maximum effort, control their emotions, etc., to maximize those days throughout their career!
2) Have athletes put more emphasis on their minds than their bodies when a mistake or mediocre performance occurs. Separating the mind from the body means that the athlete can accept that it was not their fault but their body's fault. This approach allows athletes to reset quicker because they recognize that if their mind is focused on the right areas and they can stay mentally tough, their body is prepared in the best way possible. Therefore, the athlete feels they have done everything right and can accept that sometimes mistakes happen unexplainably.
The result of this approach is that athletes will make fewer MISTAKES. This approach, with the addition of knowing how to use essential mental skills to improve their mind, will allow athletes to let go of mistakes more often and much faster, resulting in more quality moments in training and competition and more enjoyment in their sport.
For more information on how to let go of mistakes and much more, contact Mind Over Sport and Coach Nye and start training your mental game today.
Until next time.
Coach Nye
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