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Here's the Strategy Elite Athletes Follow to Perform at the Highest Level

Saturday, October 14, 2023

I talk with many athletes and coaches who are seeing the same pattern over and over. The athlete has big goals and dreams. They are very talented and have a ton of potential. They put in the work; the extra workouts, film, nutrition, everything they can think of. All of the extra work and dedication helps and makes a big difference, but there's still something missing. There's still that competitor, that isn't any more talented than they are, but is just getting better results.

This differentiating factor is often the athlete's mental game. It's their confidence.

Confidence is that thing that it just seems that some athletes have and some don't, or at times they have it and at times they don't. Confidence can be crushed after a bad performance and it seems like it may never be regained.

But confidence is actually like any other skill, muscle, or talent. It's something that you should continually be working on. If you consistently apply the correct tools and techniques you'll be able to have a steady supply of confidence and bounce back quickly from negative outcomes.

As mental game coach, Tami Matheny, said "Confidence-building is a way to improve your game without additional physical work."

Today I will give you five areas of focus that you need to work on that will improve your confidence and help you perform better as an athlete.


Talk the Talk

The first step to confidence is your self-talk. We are constantly talking to ourselves in our mind. If you can improve your self-talk, you'll immediately improve your confidence.

What you say to yourself affects how you think and feel, and in turn how you will act.

The very first step is to begin to recognize your negative self-talk. Once you begin to be aware of your negative self-talk you can put the tools in place that will help you to replace it with more productive thoughts.

Obviously this is an easy thing to say, but in reality it's not always easy. Sometimes in the middle of a competition you recognize that negative self-talk, but your emotions don't care, because those negative things you're saying to yourself are "justified" or "right."

One of the many tools that we use with our athletes is the W.I.N Technique (What's Important Now). Our brain can't have multiple thoughts at one time. When you focused on negatives, stop and ask yourself W.I.N? This will shift your focus back to the present. Using this in the middle of competition can quickly get you back focused on what's most important.


Walk the Walk

Another essential part of confidence is your body language.

How you carry yourself, or physically react to things will strongly impact how you feel and will have an impact on your self-talk.

The most successful athletes carry themselves in a certain way. They move with confidence.

By becoming more intentional with your body language, you can create more confidence in yourself.

We use many different tools with our athletes to help them improve their body language, but one simple thing that you can do right now is to hold your chin up and have great posture. Just raising your chin and pulling your shoulders back immediately makes you feel more confident.


Visualization

You have to see it, before you can be it!

Visualization is a powerful tool that we use with all the athletes and entrepreneurs that we work with. Everything in existence is created twice, first in someones mind and then in reality. If you want a specific outcome, you've got to be able to see it first.

Visualization stimulates the same areas of your brain as when you are actually doing the same action. Your brain does not know the difference between when you are vividly visualizing something and actually doing it. When you can create a vivid vision of the performance you desire, it's easier to then go and physically do that thing confidently.

Before every performance (including practice), we have our athletes go through a quick, two-minute visualization script to help them see their future performance. Implement this into your pre-game routine.


Confidence Is Being Prepared

Preparation in the foundation of confidence. We cannot expect to compete with a high level of confidence if we know that we have not prepared ourselves to compete.

In an interview with World Champion Tie Down Roper, Tyson Durfey, he told me that because of his preparation, when he competed he felt as if he deserved it more than the others because he knew they had not put in the work that he had.

Preparation cannot be a sometime thing. The most successful athletes carefully prepare for every competition and practice. We have a Preparation Checklist that our athletes quickly review to ensure they are ready to compete.


Know Your Why

One of the most important things you can do to compete with a high level of confidence and to achieve your goals is to know your true why. What is your purpose for what you are doing?

With a strong enough why, you can overcome anything that gets in your way. With a strong enough why, you'll work hard on the days you don't feel like it. With a strong enough why, you'll overcome any setback.

The problem is that most people don't really know their why. They think they do. But you've got to go through a process to take it from a surface level why, deeper to a heart-felt, emotional level. We do this through a process called The 7-Levels Deep. Continue reading and I'll let you know how you can get the 7-Levels Deep training for free.


Mental Strength Success Secrets

Through your thoughts and actions, you are the one who determines your confidence. It's not something you are either born with or your not.

If you work on these five areas consistently, you will be able to practice and compete with more confidence. You will also be able to quickly bounce back from negative situations and not let it impact your performance.

I've outlined just a few things you can implement today that will immediately help you to have more confidence, but there are many more tools and exercises.

Our Mental Strength Success Secrets is a collection of the tools and resources we use with athletes at all levels to help them play with more confidence. This includes all of the following:

The Mental Strength Success Secrets

  • Talk the Talk Confidence Resources: 20 Ways to Master Your Self Talk
  • Walk the Walk confidence Resources: 20 Exercises to Master Your Body Language
  • ​Pre-Game Visualization Script
  • Preparation Check-List
  • ​7-Levels Deep Training: Discover Your True 'Why" and Purpose to Achieve Your Goals

The Mental Strength Success Secrets is a combination of many of the best resources we use with our athletes in The Confident Athlete Program, which is an amazing program we use to help athletes combine their physical talents with a powerful mental game to reach their full potential.

For a limited time, we are offering a FREE 14-Day Trial of The Confident Athlete Program for athletes, coaches, and parents of athletes. We just want you to come and see what it's all about. There is No Obligation, but we know that we can help you get to the next level.

All you have to do is say, I'll test-drive The Confident Athlete Program for 14 days, and you'll get The Mental Strength Success Secrets for FREE!

If all you do is get your Free Trial Membership of The Confident Athlete Program along with The Mental Strength Success Secrets and implement these things into your routine, it will be a game changer!

You put so much time and effort into the physical aspect of your sport, but the mental game is just as important. The mental game is what separates the good from the great athletes. This free opportunity could be the differentiating factor that helps you achieve your dreams. Just give it a try today!

Click on the link below >>>

www.ConfidentAthleteProgram.com

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Jeff Heggie

Success Coach

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