Today I’ve got Technique #4 for How to perform brilliantly under pressure. Have you gotten the idea from me yet that the key to performing under pressure is to prepare for and practice mental skills BEFORE you ever get to the pressure situation?
I’m still amazed that in this day and age there are athletes wanting to get to the next level of their sport and they do next to nothing for their mental game. Sports psychology is now a science, it’s not a bunch of quotes from successful athletes. You may be blessed with a mind that is wired to work well for your sport under pressure and do pretty well. However, you can ALWAYS improve just like you can always improve your physical skills. Why do athletes ignore this huge piece of the success puzzle when it’s way beyond proven and actually easier to work on than physical skills?
Ok, I’m done with my rant. You aren’t one of those athletes. You know the value of learning mental skills to come through under pressure. You’ve seen the value of what I’m teaching here so let’s get to today’s tip and it’s this:
Whenever you are under pressure and have any time to think before performing, find ONE thing to focus on.
ONE thing to lock your mind and your eyes onto.
Think like golfers. They have one goal…put a ball in a cup at the bottom of a flag. While they are getting ready to hit, they are staring at and thinking about that flag or cup. If they are too far away to see it, they focus on a spot on the ground that they want the ball to go to. This works for all sports…
A billiards player could just stare at one of the balls or a pocket.
A soccer player locks his mind on the corner of the goal he wants to put the ball in while staring at the ball.
A swimmer just stares at the wall where she will make the turn.
A wrestler focuses on a spot on the mat.
Focus. That’s what we’re talking about.
You don’t even have to focus on something that relates to your sport. You could look at a spot on the ground or wall. The point is, the ability to focus can overcome just about any mental/emotional problem, including pressure and fear.
It’s especially helpful for sports where you have to wait for your opponent to perform like football or bowling. Bowlers commonly look straight down at the floor when their opponent is up. What their opponent does means nothing.
Once again, practice this before you ever get to a pressure situation. Your ability to focus and direct your mind improves the more you work on it, just like any physical skill. Imagine you have a “focus” muscle that gets stronger with your mental workouts, it does.
Under pressure, your opponents will do everything they can to distract you and put more pressure on you. A strong focus is your defense and it also helps to ground you in the present moment.
More help on improving your focus muscle later…
Let’s do this.
Craig Sigl mental toughness trainer