May/June 2019 - 14

WHEN IT
MATTERS
MOST
How to consistently perform your
best during practices, training
and competition
By Kelsey Griffith, contributing writer
Let's look at the idea of " when it matters most. " In essence, it all matters.
If you think about the days and hours you spend practicing, chances are
the time spent training and preparing far outweighs the time spent in
competitive performance.
So, how do you make the most of all the moments, including outside of
competition? Here are three ideas.
1
2
3
Bring awareness to your ideal 'performance mindset.' " Performance "
doesn't just apply to game time. When you're your best, what's in play?
Do you thrive or crumble under stress? Is your pregame focus internal (all
game, all the time) or external (distractive)? Where's your confidence, and how
do you bolster it before stepping onto the court?
Practice using the tools necessary to get your mind in the game. And
when you're done, practice some more. Doing so daily - not just " when it
matters " - helps make these skills second nature.
Equalize the stakes. This means making practice mimic performance.
This makes sense as teams progress further into the season, when the
stakes are higher and the pressure is greater. It's like the more success we see,
the more we expect ourselves to continue to be successful.
Learn to develop pre-performance routines that establish familiarity and
signal when it's time to give your best effort. Bring your mental game to
the warmup, and give it the attention already given to your physical warm
up. Preparing the mind is just as important as preparing the body.
Focus on controlling the controllables. Outcomes are largely out
of our hands. Recently, 17-year-old Red Gerard became the youngest
USA gold medalist since 1928 and won the first gold medal for USA at the
PyeongChang Olympics. If you were watching the snowboard slopestyle
competition, you saw that his first run wasn't what won him gold. Neither was
his second.
Gerard knew he had three chances. And after runs one and two, he
needed to regain focus and get his head in the game. By focusing on the
controllables - body positioning, speed, technical preparedness - Gerard
was able to bring what he had practiced, time and time again, to center
stage. Sure, there were plenty of uncontrollables, the most notable of which
was the weather. But Gerard was able to trust in his training and harness
the mental toughness essential to his success.
This is the moment you've been training for. This is your time. Have your
athletes take stock of their mental game and make sure it's up to par with
their physical game. Know that you've done everything you can to be ready,
both mentally and physically, when all eyes are on you.
Kelsey Griffith is a performance and enhancement rehabilitation
specialist at The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention. Learn more
at www.themichelicenter.com.
14 MAY/JUNE 2019
http://www.themichelicenter.com
May/June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2019
