Sports Psychology: Letting Go of Mistakes

Mistakes or errors occur every day in sports and life, but many athletes stifle 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 these thoughts continue for the remainder of the competition because the athlete can't stop dwelling on the error or missed opportunity.

I am sure you have made some mistakes in your sports career that you were unable to quickly forget. You carried a critical mistake with you for most the competition. Either you 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 does 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. You will try to avoid committing future errors, which is 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.

Learn my entire system for letting go of errors by visiting The Composed Athlete.

Sports Psychology: Sturdy or Fragile Confidence?

For some athletes, self-confidence goes up and down like a roller coaster, changing direction with every bump and turn in the road.

Over the last 15 years, I have worked with athletes who possess both high and low levels of confidence. What allows one athlete to have a brick wall of confidence and another athlete to have a Lego wall of confidence?

One explanation is self-image. Confident athletes have a positive athletic self-image. For example, when I asked Masters' Champion Larry Mize about what makes a great putter great, he said that great putters believe they are the best putters in the world.

The most confident athletes in sports do not just have tons of confidence. They also have sturdy levels of confidence built on years of success, instead of fragile confidence based only on the last failed or successful performance.

Anyone can feel confident for a few fleeting moments during practice, but enduring self-confidence is the mark of a champion.

Why do some athletes ride the confidence roller coaster while others ride the steady confidence gondola to the top of the mountain? One reason is that many athletes maintain an unhealthy belief that you are only as good (or as confident) as your last performance.

Self-confidence is simply a belief about one's ability that sometimes is overwhelmed by other beliefs such as doubts, indecision, and irrational thinking.

One of your confidence improvement goals is to brush aside mistakes, immediate results, or small errors that may influence your current state of confidence. Your confidence should be based on years of practice and play instead of the last shot, play, routine, or point.

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