You are getting ready to compete, your eyes scan around to profile your competitors. Your mind starts to race with questions as you analyze the competition. Who is taller and shorter than you? Is the champion from the last competition there? Can you beat them if they are? What if they are stronger and faster than you? That just means you are going to lose anyway, so why try?

Your heart has given up before the competition even started. Your body and mind are not ready. Instead of focusing on your game, you are distracted by your competitors.

Focusing on your competitors is one of the most dangerous distractions. Instead of getting psyched up, you get psyched out.

Danger of Focusing on Competitors

Focusing on your competitors instead of yourself can negatively impact your performance physically and mentally.

Mentally, your mind switches from muscle memory to self-doubt and fear. Can you beat them? Is it even possible? You start to feel overwhelmed as negative thoughts fill you with anxiety.  You focus on what you cannot control instead of what you can. As a result, your mind is not in the game, and your performance suffers.

Physically, your body tenses up as you start to feel anxious. Your breathing quickens, and your heart races. This uses up energy that could be better spent on competing. You might also start to feel dizzy or lightheaded from the lack of oxygen. Blood flows towards your core instead of your extremities, leading to sluggishness and slower response time.

Combined, these factors stop you from playing your best. Your technique is off, you feel tired, and you make mistakes. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy where your focus on your competitors creates the very outcome you were afraid of.

Combined, these factors stop you from playing your best. Your technique is off, you feel tired, and you make mistakes. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy where your focus on your competitors creates the very outcome you were afraid of. Even if you win, you feel awful because the win feels undeserved. Many athletes think that winning is the only thing that matters, but if you focus on your competitors and win, the victory is hollow. The win is empty because you didn’t get a chance to push your own limits and grow.

Focus on Yourself Instead of Your Competitors

When you focus on yourself, it does not mean that you ignore your competitors. It means that you focus on what is within your control. You focus on your game plan, your strength, and your technique. You know your capabilities, and you trust in your training.

You focus on the process instead of the outcome. Win or lose, you know that you gave it your all. And most importantly, you focus on the present moment. You are in the zone, and everything else fades away. Time seems to slow down, and you are completely focused on the task at hand.

This is the power of focus. When you play the game for yourself, you are playing with the mindset of a champion. And you need that mindset to become a champion. It is a reinforcement of your confidence and belief in yourself. You know that you can do it because you have done it before in training. The focus allows you to tap into your potential and play at your best.

You will be at peace with yourself no matter the outcome because you know you played like a champion.

Psych Yourself Up With a Mental Toughness Training

Coach Pomai has worked with countless athletes who felt they lost their game. One moment they were passionate athletes, but then, somewhere along the way, they lost their stride. Many of these athletes were not focusing on themselves. Instead, they were distracted by their competitors. The result was that these athletes were not even fully present for their own matches. Their skill was stunted from the beginning. 

Over time, these athletes were able to get back into the game. They learned to focus on themselves during competition to show up their best. From lost, distracted, and confused, these athletes returned as champions. If you or your child wish to build competitive mental toughness in sports, click the button below to schedule a complimentary strategy call with Coach Pomai.