Performing in the Present Moment

Mistakes or errors occur everyday in sports and life, but many athletes sabotage their own performance because they simply can't let go of past mistakes.

Missing shots, double faulting, and losing an important game happen often in the sports world and become a thorn in many athlete's mind - in some cases for the remainder of the competition because they can't stop dwelling on the error or missed opportunity.

I am sure you have made some mistakes in your sports career that you and were unable to quickly forget. You carried a critical mistake with you for most the competiton and either did not enjoy your day or were too busy beating yourself up to help yourself or your team.

Dwelling on errors is the number one distraction for athletes today. You cannot play in the present moment, a quality of the zone, if your mind is stuck on a missed opportunity or faulty performance.

Rarely do athletes use mistakes or anger to help them perform better, but it does happen. You watch Tiger Woods get angry on the golf course, but he is able to channel his frustration to make it work for him instead of against him.

Tiger becomes more focused and determined to make up for the error by refocusing his mind in the present moment.

Why does the mind sometimes want to stay glued to past errors?

Making mistakes do not match what you expected of yourself. You want better for yourself and think you should be a better performer. In some instances, you may display your anger or disappointment to others who are watching because you want show them you are actually a better athlete.

Once you begin to dwell on an error and beat yourself up, it is very hard to stop the cycle of negativity because you will try to avoid committing future errors - not a great mindset for focusing in the present moment.

The best athletes in the world use mistakes to help them grow and become better athletes. They become more focused, more determined, and are able to let go of mistakes quickly so it does not affect them for several plays or shots to come.

If you want to learn my system for letting go of errors and refocusing quickly so mistakes do not drown you in self-pity, I suggest you pop on over to peaksports.com and read about my latest creation: The Focused Athlete: A 14-Day Play for Superior Concentration - Get more Focus and Concentration for athletes now!

The first printing of 'The Focused Athlete' is going fast! When we go back to the press, the introductory pricing will be history and I won't look back!

Your Concentration Coach,

Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.,
Master Mental Game Coach

Get Self-Confidence – Keep Sports Confidence

Are you on the self-confidence roller coaster in sports? Many athletes allow their confidence to be thrashed around by immediate results and circumstances.

What do I mean by the confidence roller coaster? I am talking about the athlete who loses confidence easily or has fragile confidence based on his immediate results. With each shot, play, or point, his confidence goes up and down depending on his performance.

But fragile self-confidence or letting results or circumstances dictate how confident you feel in the present moment IS NOT true confidence. Real self-confidence is stable, long-term, and lasting even under adversity or poor results.

The most confident athletes in the world, such as Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, and Michelle Akers, have gained confidence from their practice and positive results, but they also stay confident even after a defeat or poor play.

Anyone can get an immediate boost of confidence from a good performance, but can you keep confidence even after poor results?

If you want to learn how to get confidence AND keep it, I suggest that you pop on over to peaksports.com and grab a copy of The Confident Athlete

Your Confidence Coach,

Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.,