Sports Psychology For Dummies. Leif H. Smith

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training and helps to mix up training and make it better. If practice is better, you will be better. If your practice is deliberate and focused, you will get even better. Now that is motivating!

      

Seek and find the new trends in physical and skills training in your sport. For example, more athletes are participating in yoga for better flexibility and mind control. There are also many new neuro- and biofeedback devices to help track mental training.

      Surrounding yourself with highly motivated people

      If you’re surrounded by others who are driven and achievement oriented, you’ll pick up their energy and it’ll buoy your confidence and motivation. These people are like the wind, helping to power your confidence sailboat.

      

On the other hand, if you’re around athletes and coaches who are content at just competing and not succeeding, get away from them as quickly as possible — they’ll sap your energy and motivation.

      Being disciplined

      With discipline comes freedom, so you need to discipline yourself to establish effective habits. Even though you may not feel like engaging in certain athletic tasks every day, your discipline will take over and build motivation. The goal is to establish strong, effective sports-related habits, and to make them subconscious and automatic. These habits require less mental effort the more you engage in them.

      Seeking support

      Surround yourself with emotionally supportive people who understand how hard sports participation can be. Express your thoughts and feelings to them — having people to talk to will lift the weight off your shoulders, allowing your motivation to return.

      Sports psychologists are great at this because they’re objective and supportive and allow athletes to vent and get things off their chest in a safe and supportive environment.

      Moving on from your mistakes

      You will experience failure and make mistakes in sports and in life. The best athletes in the world experience loss and imperfection every day. The key is to have a short memory when it comes to these failures. Learn from them, and then let them go. Nothing comes from obsessing about past mistakes except lower motivation levels and confidence. (For more on bouncing back from mistakes, turn to Chapter 11.)

      Thinking positive

      Thinking positive is a great way to raise motivation, which is why we devote an entire chapter to positive self-talk (see Chapter 8). Make sure that you’re training your brain to respond positively in the face of adversity or failure.

      

No matter how bad something may seem, something good can always come out of it. Sometimes our greatest learning comes from mistakes and failure.

Overcoming Obstacles to Staying Motivated

      Many challenging situations can get in the way of motivation. In fact, it’s easier to lose your motivation than it is to maintain it. So, you need to be aware of these roadblocks and know how to address them when they come up. In this section, we lead the way.

      When your role on the team has changed

      Whether you’re a high school athlete, a college athlete, or in the pros, your role on your team will change sometimes. Your coach may change you to a different position where they feel you’ll be a bigger help to the team. Another player may come along and take your starting role. Or you may be traded to another team. Regardless of the reason, when your role on the team changes, staying motivated can be a challenge.

      

Stay focused on what you have control over. No matter what your role on the team is, focus on mastering the technical aspects of the sport. Even if you don’t get playing time, you can stay motivated in practice by focusing on improving your performance. Make sure you’re always ready to perform your best — you never know when you’ll be called on to play another role on the team. This is where internal motivation comes into play as well.

      Talk with the coach about your concerns regarding your change in role. Don’t go into this conversation with any expectations; keep an open mind. Listen to their reasons for making the change.

      

You may not agree with the coach, but they make the decisions and you have to respect that fact while you’re a member of the team.

      When you’re burned out

      Burnout is one of the more common experiences among athletes today. Athletes are burning out earlier than ever before, and every year many athletes leave their sports as a result of burnout.

      

Why do athletes burn out?

       They’re expected to play sports year-round — there is no off-season. Young athletes especially are not mentally or physically equipped to handle such demanding schedules.

       Athletes are specializing in one sport younger than ever. As a result, they play their sport year-round, without letting up, which takes a toll on their motivation.

       The physical training in sports has become much more demanding and rigorous. You’re training longer and harder, and these physical demands weigh down not only your muscles, but your mental and emotional energy, as well as your motivation.

To stave off burnout, take care of your physical body with adequate diet and sleep. Getting enough rest and proper nutrition can have a strong influence on your emotional energy levels.

      Take time off from your sport when you can. If it’s during your off-season, you can afford to take more time off, maybe even a couple of weeks. The world won’t end if you take some time off.

      Give your mind and heart “rests” as well, through meditation, imagery, or breathing practice. Take naps! Naps can be one of the best ways to refresh your mind, body, and motivation.

      

When burnout is knocking at the door, reach out to people you can trust — a family member, a friend, a mentor, or a sports psychologist. These people can help you get things out of your head and off your chest so that your motivation can return to its normal levels.

      When

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