Feature Mental Game Article
4 Mental Game Tips to Perform Better in Competition
By Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.

Can you take your practice game to competition? The number one reason athletes, coaches, and parents contact me is when athletes can't take their practice game to competition. Do you look like a star in practice, but choke up in competition? Freezing up (or what I call lack of self-trust) in competition is a common challenge for many athletes. 

When you compete, do you suddenly lose trust in your physical skills - the same skills you have work so hard to improve in practice? Does your performance feel tight, controlled, or lack of freedom when you compete? Many hard-working athletes who get lots of confidence from practice get in their own way (mentally) when they compete.. 

Why do athletes tense up and lose trust in their skills when they compete? Athletes lose trust for many reasons. Here are a few:

• They worry too much about your competitors; intimidation
• They become too analytical about your performance; over control
• They are anxious or scared to lose; fear of failure
• They try too hard to perform perfectly in competition; perfectionism
• They can't transfer their hard-earned practice confidence to competition

All of these mental game no-nos lead to under performance when it counts. The bottom line... Your mind does not allow you the freedom to perform up to the capabilities you have shown in practice. If your mind is getting in the way during competition, what's the solution? 

The first step is to understand how you are sabotaging your game in competition.
Do you focus too much on proper or perfect form during a game? Do you try to be perfect when performing? Does your coach over-coach you right before game time and you try to do everything the coach says? Are you afraid to make mistakes? 

Once you understand how you're getting in your own way, you can address it and make changes.

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For example, many athletes I work with continue "training" when they compete. They’re stuck in a "practice mindset" during competition. They worry more about how it looks and feels than performing well. If you or your athletes do this, you must learn to separate your practice from your performance. 

Why is it important to trust your physical skills and abilities?
If you believe in your ability to execute a skill successfully, you'll feel more confident. And more confidence will lead to more trust. That's crucial to success and peak performance in sports. In order to trust, you need to let go of conscious control of your learned skills. It is paramount that you are able to perform spontaneously and intuitively. 

Here are four tips to improve your ability to compete with trust and freedom.  You want to: 

Leave practice on the practice field
Learn to trust in what you practiced that week. Your practice is over and now is the time to become a performer in competition and "let it happen." Here, you want to
react intuitively and keep it simple: See the ball and hit it. 

Perform in the here-and-now
Let go of how well or correctly you are performing. Avoid over analyzing the last shot, play, or routine. Keep your mind focused on one point or shot at a time, not the past mistake. 

Keep your performance simple
You want to keep your performance simple. Avoid trying to think about the six things your golf instructor or hitting coach told you to do. Think about one feeling or image, such as see the hoop or target and trust your shot. 

Commit to winning ugly and to get the job done when you compete.
You want to have enough confidence in your practice and skills to bring your best game to competition! Why do you practice? So you can have confidence and trust in your skills when you compete. Please don't forget this. 

Note: This article is based on Dr. Cohn's The Fearless Athlete CD and Workbook program.