4 Mental Game Errors

Jan 21, 2022

“I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.”

SERENA WILLIAMS

1. Emotional Frustration

Athletes can appear calm on the outside but churning emotionally on the inside. Frustration can be the athletes’ biggest enemy. When an athlete is frustrated, dwelling on mistakes made in executing skills can result in a loss of focus. If an athlete does not have one hundred percent focus to the current point, there is a potential for missed shots or failed strategies. These missed opportunities further cause negative emotions to bubble up thereby causing over-extensions on shot executions, sudden change in an unwanted or unrecognized strategy, aggressive play, or basically giving up during a point or the entire match.

2. Creeping in Doubt on Confidence

Self-Doubt is another key mental game error some athletes simply don’t know is happening until it’s too late. Doubting one’s own ability during a game can sap your confidence. With a lack of self-confidence, athletes lose trust with shot execution, dwindle with their assertive play, and start to play tentatively resulting in mistake after mistake. Athletes are not playing at their best and fear takes over.

3. Perfectionism

Athletes will try to play the “perfect” game and place such high expectations on themselves they become very hard on themselves. Athletes cannot play at their best when they are beating themselves up. This is also true when athletes team up with others, whether it is within a group of players or within doubles matchups. If the athlete berates others over minor mistakes and less than perfect strategies or plays, then the athlete is a victim of perfectionism.

4. Negative Self-Talk

We all have an inner critic. This little voice can be helpful and keep us motivated toward goals or it can be very dark. Athletes often program their minds with a lack of positive images or thoughts. Be mindful of what you say to yourself and the thoughts you program into your mind – keep them positive for your own good mental health.

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Periodization is all about creating a plan for improvement or your own personalized roadmap to success.

Have you ever had a bad game or a string of losses, do you generally feel like you will keep on losing? Ever feel like you are taking one step forward and two steps back?

If you are like most people, you’ve read a book, watched a video, or attended a meeting and come away excited. You were pumped, right? These new skills were going to change your life, change the world and make big changes in your game, but it didn’t stick. Ever wonder why that happens?

Making predictions about your future after a bad performance will keep you stuck in a rut. The ability to process a loss or poor performance is necessary to minimize negative emotions, rebound from bad games, and focus on your next games. You can either be haunted by poor performance or learn from the past.

Remember, a negative mindset sees losses as failures, while a positive mindset finds valuable feedback.

One reason why the self-help we consume doesn’t create permanent change is a simple fact that…

We don’t know HOW to recognize and develop the greatness that is already in us! That’s why Periodization works – it’s comprehensive and outlines how to get you to where you want to go with tangible success.

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