When it comes to competition, nothing can take you out of your peak performance or flow-state faster than a mistake. Whether you miss an easy putt in golf or fail to stick to the landing in a gymnastics tumbling routine, mistakes can cripple your performance. Many athletes fixate on their mistakes when competing, shattering their concentration in sports. Instead of moving forward, they try to fix their errors during the competition. At this point, their head is out of the game, and their performance spirals downward. These athletes get increasingly more tense and anxious. 

And the worst part is that they missed the opportunity to turn the game around because they were hyper-focused on their mistake instead of their performance in competition. Nerves start to amp up, leading to more errors. The athlete spirals out of control, as they give in to their nerves. 

Mistakes are opportunities to learn and grow. Mistakes happen regardless of experience and expertise. Learning from them is a core part of the athlete mentality. 

What should you do when you make a mistake? To understand what steps you need to take, you first need to know what happens to the brain when you make a mistake. 

Fixating On Mistakes Creates a Shift in Your Brain

You made a mistake. Now your brain is distracted. If you focus on the error, you allow your mind to chase the distraction. However, if you move past the error, you can return to your peak performance or flow-state. Leave the mistake behind and continue to perform.  The time to address the mistake is later, after the competition is over.

Easier said than done, right?

When the mistake happens, there is a momentary shift in your focus. There are two parts of the brain, the front brain, and the hindbrain. The front brain is your thinking brain. This is where your thoughts occur. When you pay attention to your negative thoughts, your body will become more tense. When you are tense, your muscles cannot react as quickly. 

Your muscle memory is stored in your hindbrain. Muscle memory is created through repeated practice of your technical skills. Your muscle memory is what allows you to perform, act and react instantaneously and automatically during competitions. 

When you make a mistake, your focus shifts from the hindbrain to the front brain. Instead of relying on your muscle memory, your mind focuses on the error. As the saying goes, “Where your attention goes, your focus follows.” 

However, the competition doesn’t stop the moment the mistake happens. You have to get your head back into the game immediately, or you won’t be able to perform at your best. The only problem is, at that moment, you are still stuck in the front brain.

How do you get back into the hindbrain? You must use a mistake ritual to shift back into your flow state. 

What is a Mistake Ritual

A mistake ritual is an action you perform the moment the mistake occurs. The activity can vary between sports and your role in the sport. For example, fast-paced sports such as basketball and swimming have less time for a break. Therefore, the mistake rituals in these sports would be much shorter than in a sport with longer pauses.

A mistake ritual has three purposes. 

1. Mistake rituals help shift the athlete’s focus away from the mistake. This helps them calm down physically and mentally. 
2. It helps the athlete let go of the mistake. Letting go helps prevent negative self-talk. 
3. The mistake ritual brings the athlete’s focus back to the present action and back into their flow state. 

So what does a mistake ritual look like?

Let’s say a goalie in a soccer match makes a mistake leading to the opposing team scoring a goal. The goalie could pick up a few blades of grass, look at them, and take a deep breath before tossing the grass away. Think of this ritual as a symbolic gesture of throwing the mistake away. Once you throw it, it is gone. Your mind has only the game to focus on. 

For a continuous sport such as basketball, players could say a specific word as their mistake ritual. For example, they could use a cue word like erase, cancel or reset. Once the cue word is said, the athlete is immediately focused on the game. The cue word acts as an instantaneous trigger. The command has negated the mistake and the athlete is giving their full attention to the game. 

Another mistake ritual example would be a mistake wastebasket. This type of ritual works best with sports with longer breaks. When the mistake occurs, designate the error to a wastebasket. Imagine you are tossing it into the trash can. 

When you are training, practice incorporating your mistake rituals. You want this to be automatic, so you do not lose any time being distracted by your mistakes. You can address your errors after the competition. So choose a mistake ritual that works best for you. 

Addressing Your Mistakes After Competition

Mistakes are an opportunity to grow and learn. However, during a competition, they can be a huge distraction. That is why you must wait until after you finish competing to address them. Dealing with mistakes shifts you into the front brain. And as mentioned before, you do not want that to happen during the match. 

You are in a safer environment when you address your mistakes after the competition. You can analyze what went wrong and incorporate that lesson into your training. As you train, you can build upon your technique, so the mistake doesn’t happen again. 

Start Implementing Mistake Rituals in Your Training

Part of the athlete mentality is maintaining your focus even when the competition gets tough. Making a mistake is part of being human. They are bound to happen and that is why it is so important to prepare ahead of time for them. With a mistake ritual such as a cue word or a mistake wastebasket, you can immediately shift your focus from the front brain back to the hind brain. 

Incorporate a mistake ritual in your training today. As you reinforce this technique, it will start to become second nature. Once you enter a competition, you will be prepared. If a mistake happens, your mind will automatically use your mistake ritual. Instead of feeling anxious about the mistake, you will be back in the game with no time lost. 

If you or your child wants to strengthen your athlete mentality, click the button below to schedule a complimentary strategy call with Coach Pomai.