The Mental Edge Blog

A pre performance routine is the “sequence of task, relevant thoughts and actions which an athlete systematically engages prior to his or her performance of a specific sport skill” (Moran 1996, p177). The objective of executing a pre-performance routine is to assist the athlete to gain full focus of the task at hand. Just prior to starting the performance, it is quite common that noises, people moving around, intrusive thoughts, and emotions become a distraction.Read More

Although it may sound strange to some readers, but athletes and coaches are very familiar with this phenomenon as they witness repeated performances where expected outcomes are not nearly achieved. It is not necessarily fear of winning that athletes are concerned about; after all, that’s why they compete. However, it is the consequences that come as a result of winning that some athletes fear most about. Athletes feel high levels of stress trying to performRead More

A very well known sport psychologist, Dr. Adam Nicholls, found that “performance is impaired more by the expectation that failure will indicate one’s lack of competence than by the mere expectation of failure to complete a task.” Athletes can become much immersed in the expectation others have on them to the point that their performances become one of not wanting to fail others more than accepting one’s potential. Athletes do not want to disappoint parentsRead More

Reality is that we are bound to get distracted at one point or another. Let’s face it, it is extremely difficult to be 100% focused throughout the entire competition. Even if we have the good intention to put all our efforts toward a goal, something out of our control will most likely cause us to lose our concentration, even if is for a brief moment. Maybe a teammate of yours got injured, the referee madeRead More

Many golf players practice very hard to have the perfect swing as if achieving such a goal would guarantee lower scores. Many golf instructors are spending lots of time and effort teaching valuable lessons and tips so golf players can improve their game. It is also great that there are many new gadgets that provide us with a lot of technological information that can guide us to assess our golf improvement. But, it is aRead More

It is commonly said that experience is a great teacher. But, to what extent is it really? Learning Sports If experience is the only factor to help us become better athletes, then all we need to do is to continue competing and, when we get older, we will be great athletes. As you can see, this does not really make a lot of sense. In a recent NBA game played between the Los Angeles ClippersRead More

It is commonly said that experience is a great teacher. But, to what extent is it really? If experience is the only factor to help us become better athletes, then all we need to do is to continue competing and, when we get older, we will be great athletes. As you can see, this does not really make a lot of sense. In a recent NBA game played between the Los Angeles Clippers and theRead More

At the tender ago of 21 years old, Jordan Spieth won wire-to-wire the Master’s tournament. For those who are not familiar with the game of golf, he is the second youngest player to have ever won this tournament in its 78_year history. Only Tiger Woods was younger than Spieth, which by the way, by only a few days. It is very difficult to win a grand slam tournament and even more difficult to do soRead More

Athletes compete to win. They work hard to do the best they can and, when they finally lift up the trophy, the joy pours through their veins. It is true that professional sport psychologists emphasize learning through its process rather than focusing on whether we win or lose. However, as challenging as this is, it is difficult to disengage from a sports culture that puts a lot of weight on winning records. Stacy Lewis, currentlyRead More

We tend to easily assume that if an athlete misses a crucial shot, then it must be because he/she is a choker. We have witnessed more than our fair share of top athletes missing key plays only to be immediately labeled by the media as choking under pressure. But in reality, we may miss a bigger picture. According to Daniel Gould, a very experienced sport psychologist, choking is a process. The pressure of competition buildsRead More