Are you afraid of winning? Many athletes are!  Over the years I’ve had the fortune to support golfers who can get the ball round in 4 under par yet fear going really low to 7 or 8 under par.  Cricketers who when batting get to 50 comfortably, even 60 and 70 then the wheels fall off when they desire to reach the 100 mark.  Footballers and rugby players can be guilty too, when they’re team is winning, they can take their foot off the pedal a little and before they know it their team has allowed their opponents back into the game.

Why does this happen?

There are a few reasons I notice:

• Athletes have thrown leads or good scores away in the past and have those experiences at the top of their mind when the heat is on.
• They focus too much on the scoreline or result.
• Rather than seeing the situation ahead of them as a challenge they view it as a threat.
• They struggle to see and feel themselves crushing their opponent or winning at any cost.
• They’re mind becomes overactive predicting future outcomes.

I’m going to refer to the last point now, as in nearly all of the cases I come across when the athlete doesn’t kick on from a good start, it is because they’re mind is preoccupied with the future.

The golfer will be thinking 3 or 4 holes ahead.  The cricketer of raising his or her bat when they complete their 100.  The footballer or rugby player might be praying for the final whistle.

It is very individual what then happens to some athletes where these things can occur:

• Tightening up.
• Playing it safe.
• Taking more risks.
• Speeding up or slowing down away from their natural tempo.
• Becoming more or less sociable.
• Taking their thoughts too seriously.
• Feeling uncomfortable in their body.

Often the implication is that the athlete’s performance levels drop and they begin to make some mistakes and then perhaps more mistakes.  Their focus and intensity levels then drop too and overthinking can well and truly kick in. 

How do we help this athlete who gets carried away with predicting the future?

I’m guessing if you have got this far reading the article that you’ll have heard the words “being present” or “staying in the moment.”  It sounds easy doesn’t it! Moving away from future thinking or perhaps thoughts about previous shots or efforts but the reality is it is much more difficult to do, especially when you are feeling the pressure and uncomfortable bodily responses.

Here are 3 tips to help you:

1. Notice your thoughts

There is an argument to suggest your brain is built for survival and that there are 2 ways that the mind works.  “Judgement mode” and “observational mode.”   When we’re thinking a lot, we’re often forming judgements about ourselves, our rivals, opponents, team-mates or coaches.  Or we may be judging or predicting what is a good score.  You’ll have guessed we’re talking about judgement mode here.   Are these helpful? Often not! Observational mode is very different and is grounded in Acceptance Commitment Training or Therapy (ACT) and mindfulness.  This is where we are able to take a step back and recognise that we are having some thoughts.  We don’t judge them, we don’t take them seriously, we simply accept we’re human and that we’re born to think.  To observe, we don’t have to meditate, all we have to do is imagine our thoughts are like clouds and drift along, and we let them come and go.