Sometimes, the athlete’s mind becomes their biggest opponent. I am a former professional bodyboarder who competed on the World Tour for many years. And my experience as an athlete fired my passion for sport and performance psychology. One key phrase that still echoes in my mind is one that many other athletes and I said after defeat: “I lost to myself,” meaning that the athlete underperformed not because of a lack of sports skills, but because of their inability to keep everything they trained together during the time frame called competition. Unfortunately, when we cannot control our minds, all the hard work (physical training, hours of practice) goes to waste. So the key to consistent performance is to train our minds and physiology to respond optimally to whatever challenges the competition throws our way. And to empower athletes to perform their best when it matters most, I combine the tools of two powerful scientific fields, sport and performance psychology (my master’s degree), and Applied Psychophysiology (currently my Ph.D. where I am working on my research and dissertation).
Success in sport can be defined as being able to go there and deliver your very best, but when athletes struggle, their performance does not reflect their true ability. The solution begins by determining whether the breakdown occurs before the competition, during the performance, or after it. Then, athletes can become aware of their thinking habits for evaluating good and bad performances. The next step is to train those thinking habits to help them retain the good from successful experiences and learn from the bad experiences. In addition, the athlete’s physiological responses during competitions are not the same as in practice. Increased respiration and heart rate change the chemistry in the athlete’s body, which also leads to excessive muscle tension and mistakes. But athletes can also train their physiological responses with Biofeedback, enabling them to perform optimally and give their all regardless of the challenges they face.
When athletes realize they can benefit from improving their mental preparation, they often come to my office with one of the following concerns.
- The coach or a family member already recommended an area to work on: confidence, calming the nerves, attention control, and so on.
- The athlete is frustrated because he/she is performing only a fraction of his/her potential.
- The athlete is curious and wants to learn more about mental training and how it can improve his/her performance.
- Sometimes the athlete is already performing at their best and just wants to maintain high levels of performance.
Athletes who work on their mental preparation not only perform at higher levels but also report greater enjoyment in sport, longer commitment to sport, and sustained engagement in physical activity even in later adulthood. Being mentally prepared also helps prevent burnout. No matter the athlete’s motivation, winning, bragging rights, or simply a challenge to themselves, we can build the skills that make their performance unstoppable.
Andrea Carvalho Mental Performance Coach, Ph.D.c. ABSP-BC, BCB
