The Art of a Comeback
The best athletes in the world are consciously aware of what they are doing in the moment based on their previous best and worst performances, which allow them to have a clear mind to begin the comeback.
5 Minute Rule:
Immediately following a poor performance it is important to allow yourself to be frustrated within normal behavior which will allow you to live in the healthy tension. After the 5 minutes has passed it is time to think more logically and realize that you cannot go back and change the poor performance.
Imaginary Black Box:
You can only accept the poor performance as a past reality and move forward positively by suppressing all of the negative thoughts into an imaginary black box that you cannot open until after the completion of the competition.
Re-Charge:
It is important to expect the best and have a plan for the worst to become better prepared if adversity strikes. Bringing a book that includes inspiring quotes or bible verses to read in between rounds of competition can be an effective strategy to allow you to stay in the present moment and get excited to compete again. Another effective strategy for those who enjoy listening to music is creating a “Comeback Playlist” that you can listen to in between rounds of competition. There is H.O.P.E. Hearing Other People’s Experiences of comebacks will allow you to reconstruct your self-belief.
“A setback is only a set up for a comeback”.
Finally you must remind yourself to get the next best thing. Character is often defined after adversity strikes. It is relatively simple to act properly when you are winning but those who can pick themselves up after a poor performance and bounce back with one of their best performances are great examples of true character.