Whether I work with a tennis player or a golfer, a runner, a baseball player or a soccer player, certain themes tend to arise frequently. One of them is the way that anxiety and pressure negatively effect an athlete’s performance by causing the mind to speed up.
When the mind speeds up, breathing speeds up and shallows, athletes forget to complete pre-performance routines, muscle tension increases, and athletes begin to second-guess themselves.
For confident athletes, as the quote above says, can slow the game down. In sport psychology, we teach the athlete to “control the controllables”: Attitude, Effort, and Preparation. By having better pre-performance routines and sticking to them, by having defined and well-practiced re-focusing cues, and through positive self talk, athletes can ‘slow the game down’ and perform up to their ability more consistently.
Need help slowing the game down? Contact SPINw today! info@spinw.com / 866-300-1515
Portland, Oregon – Sport Psychology Institute Northwest
