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To get an Olympic gold medal, athletes have to train hard and follow the strictest regimen. But this is not the only thing that distinguishes them from others. Sports psychologists are sure that internal attitudes play an important role.
1. Don’t focus on confrontation
“Winning a competition is all about you—your skill, your preparation, your focus,” says David Fletcher, a sports and personal performance psychologist at Loughborough University.
The advice seems strange, because the point of sport is just to compete and win. But Fletcher insists that the most effective tactic for athletes is to focus on themselves rather than competing with others. “Michael Phelps, the highest-scoring Olympic champion in history, was eventually removed from the podium,” the psychologist recalls. “If he gave too much importance to always being first, that feeling would crush him.”
2. Set achievable goals
Motivation plays a key role in our psychological readiness to go all the way. “If we feel that we are strong in something, we will definitely want to do it further,” David Fletcher is sure. “The secret is to find a balance between being ambitious and achieving goals. If you set the bar too high, you run the risk of wasting energy without getting the desired result, and eventually disappointing yourself. If you set yourself a sparing regime, you will not be able to reach a new level of achievement.
3. Love the “chill in the stomach”
The physiological sensation of stress is unnerving before important events. But with a certain attitude, this feeling can be useful. “Tension is a sign that the goal is important, you are tense and ready to go,” says Fletcher, adding that it is necessary to properly perceive this excitement.
4. Remember the taste and smell of victory
According to David Fletcher, some athletes can learn to evoke a winning attitude through smells and sounds – including outside of competition. For example, for some athletes, this feeling is associated with the smell of lavender or a certain song. Smells and sounds evoke a strong response in the association areas of the cerebral cortex. “This is the best way to quickly trigger the memory or experience associated with triumph,” explains the expert.
5. Know yourself
“The biggest piece of advice I give to any athlete is to get to know yourself as best you can,” says Andrea Faull, a sports psychologist at the University of Worcester. – To perform the exercise cleanly, you need to have a good idea of your level, your capabilities. That’s the only way you can be sure you’re ready.”
6. Talk to yourself
Many athletes memorize and replay words in their heads that help them focus. “They convince themselves of their own strength, remind themselves of what they have already succeeded in the past,” explains Andrea Faull. “Doubts can undermine your self-confidence, so you should always have success stories at the ready that could strengthen your self-esteem.”
7. Prepare yourself for “force majeure”
To be truly prepared for the challenge ahead is to think through all possible options so as not to be caught off guard. “A good athlete always knows what to do if his shoelaces break, his glasses break or his hat flies off,” emphasizes Andrea Faull.
8. Work in a protective “bubble”
“I often use the bubble analogy when I work with athletes,” shares Andrea Faull. You need to imagine that you are inside a bubble. You decide what can get through the wall of that bubble and what stays outside.” This exercise helps to focus on what is necessary and discard everything that distracts from the goal and prevents you from moving towards it.
9. Use visualization
Before the start of the competition, athletes need maximum composure – but how to achieve it if there are thousands of people in the stands, and millions on the other side of the camera? In such an atmosphere, you need to be focused, and visualization helps to achieve this state. Athletes often imagine in detail the movement on the race track, the attacks of the opponent in the ring or court, the throw of the ball into the basket. This tactic can also work in everyday life, for example, when you need to hold an important event or give a report.
10. Stick to the plan
“Often we focus too much on intermediate indicators and on whether we have enough time,” says Andrea Faull. “But it can distract us from the goal and make us nervous. No wonder they say that a kettle that is constantly watched will never boil.
11. Love frames
Many do not like to work in conditions of strict requirements and lack of time. But, according to Andrea Faull, the pressure of circumstances actually helps us to be on our toes. “Many people – whether they are top-level athletes or office workers – achieve high results in conditions of restriction and control,” the psychologist emphasizes.