If you struggle to play your best during competition, this could be a sign you are stuck in a training mindset.
In this article, I’m going to uncover what it means to be stuck in a training mindset, and then walk you through how you can adopt a performance mindset for games.
What it Means to Be Stuck in a Training Mindset
A training mindset is one where you are focused on improving and fine-tuning your mechanics.
Sounds like a pretty good mindset, right?
Absolutely…if utilized at the correct time.
Being stuck in a training mindset means you are competing with a training mindset, instead of letting go and competing with a performance mindset.
A training mindset is all about working to improve. Whereas a performance mindset is about letting go and allowing yourself to perform.
One has more to do with control and the other has more to do with letting go and trusting.
Both are important, but you must be careful about when each type of mindset is utilized. If you get stuck in a training mindset during competition, you will find yourself overthinking and underperforming.
To gain a better understanding of the impact a training mindset has, let’s examine both the positives and negatives of this frame of mind.
Importance of a Training Mindset
A training mindset is all about growth. Your focus is on how you can improve and get better.
Improving is a key element of you becoming the best player you can be. There is little chance of you reaching your athletic goals if you aren’t focused on improving.
That’s why a training mindset is important: it helps you improve and grow as a player.
But it must be applied to practices and training sessions. That is where you give yourself the opportunity to work on the small aspects of your game and develop muscle memory.
In order to build mechanics, much more thought must be present. You have to think about the way your body should be working and what you need to do next.
This type of thinking is powerful in training, but detrimental during competition.
Dangers of a Training Mindset During Games
Overthinking is dangerous during competition.
Many of the athletes I work with in one-on-one mental performance coaching underperform due to overthinking.
But why is it that athletes overthink?
One of the main reasons is having a training mindset during games.
During games, your goal should be to let go and trust your muscle memory. This becomes impossible if you’re thinking about your mechanics too much and trying to over-control your play.
Yes, you want to improve from game to game. But you never know how good you currently are and what you actually need to work on if you don’t allow yourself to play freely.
Focusing too much on your technique and trying to improve during the actual game keeps you out of the flow of the game and inhibits free and natural play.
How to Adopt a Performance Mindset
If you try to overthink and you worry too much about your mechanics during games, you will play stiff and you keep yourself from playing up to your potential.
To perform at your peak, you must learn how to adopt a performance mindset. The state of mind where you’re able to perform, instead of trying to improve mid game.
The way to adopt a performance mindset involves two parts: how you prepare, and learning how to focus and think during the game.
The Importance of Preparation
A training mindset and performance mindset work together. They are not two separate entities, but rather two pieces of a whole, with the whole being your mental approach to reaching your peak.
You need a training mindset in order to improve. There is little chance of trusting muscle memory if you haven’t put the work in to develop muscle memory.
Therefore, the first step in developing a performance mindset is actually making sure you have a good training mindset when the time is right.
Are you preparing enough during the week? Are you focusing on strengthening your mechanics and fine-tuning areas of your game that are currently weak?
For example, if you’re a basketball player and you want to be able to let go and trust your shot, you must work on your shot throughout the week.
You would want to put up a certain number of shots per day. Working until your shot becomes pure muscle memory and you trust in your mechanics.
Then, due to the amount of preparation you’ve put in, you’ll be able to let go and trust your shot come game time.
If you want a good performance mindset, you must be fully prepared for the game. Because a performing mindset is all about letting go and trusting. So you must have something to trust.
Developing the Right Mindset for the Game
It’s now game day. You’ve done all your preparation for the week and you’re now ready to play.
But what should you focus on? What do you need to think about in order to have a performance mindset and not get caught overthinking your mechanics and trying to over-control the outcome?
Well, there are two ideas we want to focus on: letting go and being present.
Both play into one another and are key to competing with a performance mindset and not getting stuck in a training mindset.
So what is it you’re wanting to let go of?
Put simply, the outcome.
One of the most dangerous ways to think as an athlete is thinking about the results of a game before you’ve finished the game. This is known as outcome-oriented thinking and is a major cause of anxiety and fear in sports.
When you think about the outcome, it’s natural to worry about what it will be, fear a negative one, and try to control the result of the game.
All of which do nothing but hold you back.
To develop a strong performance mindset, you must let go of the need to control the outcome.
Yes, you want to achieve a certain outcome, but you understand that thinking about it and worrying about it won’t actually make it happen.
Focusing on the process that leads to the result is the way you achieve the outcome you want within a game. We are wanting to shift our attention from the outcome onto the process of the game.
This can only happen if you first let go of the worry you have about the outcome.
The second part is being present.
Once you’ve let go of the outcome, you want to turn your attention onto the process of your game. The process will involve what’s happening in the present moment.
Peak performance happens in the present moment. But so often during games our minds drift into the past or future. Especially if you’re stuck in a training mindset.
Instead, you want to keep your mind in the here and now. Since it is in the present moment where your performance is taking place.
If you can let go of the outcome of the game and not stress about it and instead turn your attention onto the process of your game and be present when you compete, you will play with a strong performance mindset.
A mindset that will lead to peak performance.
Final Thoughts
A training mindset is key to you getting the best out of yourself during practice. However, it is harmful if you’re stuck in a training mindset during games.
This means, instead of letting go, trusting muscle memory, and allowing yourself to play your best, you’re too caught up trying to perfect your mechanics and improve mid game.
Instead of getting caught in a training mindset during games, you want to work on developing a strong performance mindset.
To do so, first be sure you are preparing enough throughout the week. Then, let go of the need to control the outcome and turn your attention to the present moment.
After all, the present moment is where the performance is taking place.
If you’re interested in learning more about one-on-one mental coaching, please fill out the form below, or you can click here to schedule a free introductory coaching call.
Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of success in all that you do.
