Mental Preparation—Don't Overthink It

Mental Preparation—Don't Overthink It

Our Fall/Winter kickoff meet is only four weeks away. Everyone on the team ought to know exactly what they want to do at the meet. Goals should be set, teammates should be working hard at accomplishing those goals. Teammates should be perfecting technical and tactical instructions from their coaches to insure success at this meet. Our team goal is 100% Best Times at this meet lets all step it up a notch! One of the pitfalls with setting the bar so high is that occasionally young athletes can go from not thinking enough to overthinking which will also adversely affect performance. Below is an article from the Daily Herald that gives some helpful hints on avoiding overthinking.

Overthinking it

When the going gets tough, sometimes the tough make embarrassing last-minute mistakes, says The Washington Post.

In her book, “Choke” (Free Press, $15), newly available in paperback, psychologist Sian Beilock examines the mental forces that drive golfers to miss easy putts, cause businessmen to bungle presentations and may have caused you to nuke yourself during that Mario Cart match against your housemates last weekend.

Her recommendations: Don't psych yourself out. “Choking can occur when people think too much about activities that are usually automatic,” she writes.

But don't relax too much, either. “People also choke when they are not paying enough attention to what they are doing and rely on simple or incorrect routines.”

Don't get hung up on your mistakes. And don't be afraid to practice in pressure-filled circumstances. One do: Keep a diary. “Writing about worries and stressful events in your life can help free up your working memory,” Beilock writes.

Amat Victoria Curam --Translation: "Victory loves preparation"

PRACTICE LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY!!

RACE LIKE A CHAMPION AT SECTIONALS, JUNIOR OLYMPICS and NATIONALS!!