Athletic competition
requires physical and mental strength and determination. Think about the last
time that you had to run in gym class. By the end of the run your lungs were
probably burning, you were gasping for breath and your muscles were killing you
the next day — that was just the physical part! It is mentally exhausting
pushing your body to its limits day after day and the pressure to win creates
even more stress for an athlete. Here are some tricks that professional
athletes use to mentally prepare for competition. You can try using these at your next soccer game, dance
recital, or math test!
Forget about everything
but the task at hand
When
you’re about to hit the slopes, get on the field, or into the ring, you can’t
do your homework, so why bother thinking about it? You’re there to compete!
Figure out a game plan
"Winning"
isn’t a game plan, it’s an outcome. Think about your skills and how you can use
them most effectively.
Positive thinking
Just
like in life, if you don’t believe in yourself and your strength as a
competitor, it will be difficult to succeed.
Review your practices
(in your mind)
Don’t forget the
techniques you learned and the mistakes you made during practices; think about
them, what you learned from them and how you can use them to win!
Visualize winning
It
sounds weird, but professional athletes (and successful business people) all
claim that when they imagine themselves performing well, they end up performing
well! This is probably related to positive thinking . . .
So
there you have it my fellow Olympians in Training. Write these tricks down and
start competing!
