mental block

Ever get so overwhelmed before competing that it causes you to underperform? Sometimes it’s more about distracting yourself before competition than focusing on it. Distractions can serve as useful tools in protecting our mind from becoming overwhelmed before competing. As athletes, we often experience overwhelming thoughts and feelings due to our fears of failure, disappointment, and expectations from our self and others, and even that once in a lifetime shot at achieving our dreams.

Getting Ready to compete………………. It’s less than 1 hour away from competition and every athlete is getting ready. Some athletes are physically warming up by doing some repetitions of a few basic skills. Others are stretching and listening to music, and some are strategizing with their coach and loved ones, while others are alone collecting their thoughts.   Different Routines, Same Goal……………………..

#1 Question Junior Tennis Players Ask about Losing…….

Bruce Lee said it best when asked about failure. “Defeat is a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.”

In this article I want to share a few of the best athlete documentaries that allow the viewer to see and feel how mentally tough a successful professional athlete must be in order to make it. One of the biggest set backs of many athletes is their ability to stop pushing for more and start making excuses for their lack of progress. After watching these two documentaries I hope that at least some of the athletes and their support team will have a new and more positive perspective on training and what it takes to reach their own goals.

For athletes to be successful at the highest level it is critical that they fulfill 3 of the bottom areas discussed below. Some athletes may be stronger in one or two of the areas where some athletes may only dedicate most of their mental game to one. Below, I explain how each area relates to peak performance.