2. Do not make the meet into an event. During practice, you’re active for multiple hours during multiple drills and even some scrimmage time. So competing at a meet for continuous hours is no different.
3. Don’t spend too much time looking at who you will be competing against. (1) All you need to know is where to go when it is your turn to compete. You really don’t need to know the name of your opponents because that shouldn’t have an effect on your performance. (2) Over-analysis of other competitors leads you to “looking ahead” and playing “what if” scenarios in your head. (3) Looking at other athletes can make the meet into more of an “event” which could add pressure.
4. Stay away from negative people/small time thinkers. Upsets happen to even the best athletes and teams. Everyone can be beat because no one is superhuman. The only person in the building who needs to believe in you is YOU.
5. Stay away from people who make you overthink or add pressure (certain team coaches, private coaches, parents, friends, teammates).
6. Stay positive and BELIEVE in yourself even when it’s tough to do so. Part of being mentally tough means staying stubbornly positive and optimistic despite adversity.
7. In between each event, maybe stretch or do some light drills. This will help keep you and your teammates loose and will lower anxiety from just sitting around waiting for game time.
8. Use warm-ups like a practice meet. Go all out during warm-ups to make sure your muscles and techniques are ready. Don’t tire yourself out too much; but do use the warm-up time to get you ready.
9. Don’t over or under eat/drink. Be full, but stop when you’re full. You should be fully hydrated when you compete.
10. Stay in the present moment. Don’t look ahead or behind. If you lost or performed poorly, do NOT let the same opponent beat you twice. On the other side of the coin, do not celebrate or become too content when you win your event at a meet, pull off a big upset, or fulfill/exceed other people’s expectations of you. Just stay focused on the matches ahead of you for that tournament.
10.5 Take advantage of a Free Mindset Trial Session with our team.