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Creating Mental Toughness
Confidence under pressure has little to do with physical skills of a sport….any sport.
Competition confidence lives in mental toughness. Believing you can make the play and then
having the assertiveness to step up and say “watch this” and actually do it.
Hard physical work alone is not going to eliminate timidity, dwelling on negativity, and
surrendering to doubt. Confidence lives in emotion, not physical skills.
Confidence comes from direct experiences and learned skills, not genetic traits.
The plan in these pages is to increase your ability to talk and think about your competitive self,
and then to equip you with usable mental skills that override negative emotions.
Just like physical practice is necessary to improve physical skills, you must practice mentally to
become confident and mentally tough.
Knight, S. (2010). Winning State 2: The athletes guide to competing with confidence. International, Portland: OR
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Big Dog v Little Dog
Our Little Dog Self: Our little dog self is mentally unprepared for competition and
gets overwhelmed by distractions and formidable opponents. Under pressure, our
Little Dog self-fears the spotlight, can’t think, becomes emotionally disoriented,
and melts under the lights.
Our Big Dog Self: Our Big Dog self is mentally well prepared for competition and
can easily switch from friendly and agreeable to challenging and assertive. Under
pressure, our Big Dog self has the skills to welcome the spotlight, think
objectively, draw on success, and boldly execute.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort,
but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Martin Luther King Jr
Knight, S. (2010). Winning State 2: The athletes guide to competing with confidence. International, Portland: OR
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Switching: Competitive mindset.
Rational vs Emotional: Athletes should compete between -1 to +1
-3 terrified
-2 Panic
:
3 Doubt Demons
-1 Tweaked
0 normal +1 Assertive
+2 Angry
+3 Fuming
Inadequacy, Past Failure, Embarrassment: beware of transition time
(pre-game)
Switching to
Friendly mode
Modest
Agreeable
Giving
Focused Seriousness
Competition mode
Bold
Assertive
Taking: Dog Bone analogy
Knight, S. (2010). Winning State 2: The athletes guide to competing with confidence. International,
Portland: OR
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Narrow: Conquer the stadium
Under pressure, when your mind is racing 300 miles an hour, vigorously block out distractions
by narrowing your focus to what’s important: the dynamics of the game, your mechanics, your
confidence triggers, and nothing else.
Pre-Competition Skills and Routines:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Plan: Game day or before: before leaving and packing make a written list of
everything. See Appendix A to print off and use. Check everything you will need;
equipment, clothes, fuel, fluids, accessories.
a. Little dogs: Your mother is not your list. Do it yourself
Fuel: Eat the right kind of foods that will give you fuel: fresh fruits, grains, nuts, and
good fats.
a. Candy, burgers, hot dogs, chips, plastic cheese do not give you fuel for a game.
Rest: Be sure to take mental rests before game and at half-time. Briefly close eyes
and controlled breathing helps.
Breathe:
a. Inhale through your Nose for 3-5 sec
b. Hold 2 sec
c. Exhale through your Mouth out 3-5 sec.
Rehearse: You can rehearse in your mind anyplace; bus, car, lying down, etc. Go
over mentally what will happen on the field.
The Battle Zone
I.
II.
III.
IV.
The Locker Room: This is the place to transition from friendly to competitive and
throw the switch “on.”
The Bench: Don’t’ engage the chaos around you
a. Rest: mentally recover; refocus
b. Refuel: rehydrate
c. Let your big dog out: Breath
The field: Fields are fields: Mentally transfer you emotions and feel at “home.”
a. Find something that is familiar to you.
The Hot Zone: This is anywhere you battle to make great plays. Prepare for the
battle and anticipate the 3 demons surfacing.
a. Rehearse these situations over and over in your mind. Everyone is staring at me,
I am one on one battling, I’ve practiced enough, I have the skill sets, I succeed. I
have not succumbed to the 3 demons.
Knight, S. (2010). Winning State 2: The athletes guide to competing with confidence. International,
Portland: OR
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Fuel: Power your Performance
Ignore your tongue---choose high octane food. Little dogs eat for pleasure, while
Big Dogs self-fuel for optimal performance.
Game day:
Think of it as how it burns:
Paper = fast burning carbs = fruits (apples, oranges, bannanas)
Twigs = slow burning carbs = croissants, donuts, breads muffins
Logs = Long-Burning “Good” Fats = peanut butter, cream cheese, nuts.
Stay away from protein (meats) before games= wet logs on a fire---they
don’t burn quickly
A Couple of hours before a game should have all three of the fuels
mentioned above
Nuts and fruits should be consumed at half time and while on the bench
with water to keep blood sugar in a normal range.
Hydrate with water, not sport drinks (Gatorade, Power Aide, G2, etc.)
Stay away from FAST FOODS: Toxic to your system and will not give you the
right fuel.
Knight, S. (2010). Winning State 2: The athletes guide to competing with confidence. International, Portland: OR
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Override: Manage your Primal Competitive
Response
Fight
Flee
Freeze
“It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight; it’s about the size of the fight in the dog.” Dwight
D Eisenhower
We earn respect by constantly battling for position, by fighting back, by never giving up, by
being mentally tough, by giving it everything we’ve got.
Mental toughness is not just about emotional control; it also includes wrestling with selfevaluation. It is about seeing our doubts, fears, and weaknesses, admit them, and then
overcome them.
Little dogs do not want to analyze: They shake and tremble in fear of what might surface. Big
dogs get into a zone and welcome the chance to improve.
As competitors you must answer the question?
Why can you believe?
What we believe becomes who we are. Do you believe you can dribble, make the shot, or do
you clutter your mind with negative garbage?
Do you fight, flee, or freeze? Do you allow the Doubt Demon to enter?
Knight, S. (2010). Winning State 2: The athletes guide to competing with confidence. International, Portland: OR
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Versus
Talking to Yourself:
Answer the question of “why can you believe” with tangible, positive descriptors such as
“I’m not afraid of the spotlight, I am a great attacker, and I can make this play, so watch
this.
Welcome it but refuse to give in to it:
Doubt and intimidation will surface many times at the worst possible times.
Acknowledge it but replace it with positive descriptors. Laugh at it and say “Oh yeah,
watch this!”
Override it:
A mentally tough Big Dog competitor does not care if his adversary is ten feet tall and
stronger than steel. Rather, they will step up under any circumstances and execute.
Knight, S. (2010). Winning State 2: The athletes guide to competing with confidence. International, Portland: OR
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Replace: Draw on Success
Minds are like open parachutes, they only work when they’re open---Sir James Dewar
Our Big Dog mind is open, self-determined, reflective, objective, rational, and interested in
learning. Our Big Dog does not make excuses, does learn from mistakes, and adapts and
overcomes
Little Dog (I can’t) Versus Big Dog (I can)
That was the worst game of my life. I totally
suck
Everyone was staring…my legs felt like rubber
It was too windy…if only the weather wasn’t
so bad
It was no use…that team always beats us
I really performed well today….I kicked butt
What a crowd… I had a job to do
Wind, rain, cold….who cares…it doesn’t affect
me
We could have beat that team barefoot..
The key here is to overcome the Demons of Inadequacy (makes you feel small), Demons of
Embarrassment (attacks you with fears of being laughed at), and Demons of Past Failures
(reminds you of all your worst performances).
Knight, S. (2010). Winning State 2: The athletes guide to competing with confidence. International,
Portland: OR
9
Replacement Mental Skill: overcoming the doubt
1. RECALL: Think of a time you were successful. A time you felt really good about things
(scoring a goal, achieving good grades, running, etc.). Provide as much details as
possible. Where were you? What time of year? Who was there? Why did you succeed?
Why were you confident? Why weren’t you intimidated?
2. FEEL: How did it make you feel? If you mind wonders it is ok, re-focus and bring it back.
What kind of emotions did you experience? Were you smiling? Who was there to
support you?
3. PROJECT: Now think of how you would like to perform in the future event. You pass the
ball well. You see the ball going into the net. You see yourself on the field in front of the
crowd confident and your “switch” turned on.
4. SAVE / PLAY: Save the memory. Write it down. Visualize yourself saving it to a computer
DVD, or flash stick drive. Visualize yourself sticking it in an important place.
LIVE Competition Skills:
1. OVERRIDE: Access your memory stick. Override your butterflies. Laugh. Focus on
turning on the switch. Access your Big Dog.
2. BREATHE: Practice your deep rhythmic breathing. Control Air moving in and Out.
Pause your breathing.
3. Power UP: Turn on your switch and access the Big Dog. “Talk to yourself, don’t listen
to yourself… Martin Sudarma.
Try growling in a low tone. Grrrrrrr…..
4. BELIEVE: Tell yourself why you can.. I can make the shot. I can pass well.
Knight, S. (2010). Winning State 2: The athletes guide to competing with confidence. International,
Portland: OR
10
Believe: Let your Big Dog Out
Composure: Focused, confident, assertive. It is not about being calm. You will never feel totally
calm during a competition. This is battle
The Night Before:
Do: Do your best to relax and enjoy the moment. Get lost in casual activities that you normally
do. Do things that support your needs as a competitor.
Don’t: Don’t dwell on tomorrow; that drama will come soon enough. Don’t waste any of the
special excitement (energy) that comes with the thrill of the unknown.
The Morning of:
Do: Chill out! There’s nothing to do but eat fuel, organize your stuff, and to get ready to head
out. Keep occupied with non-soccer mental activities (concentrate on other things; school). Use
breathing technics if needed to calm yourself.
Don’t: Don’t get drawn into a freak out mode. Don’t allow emotions to control you. Don’t play
the ‘what if’ game. What if this or what if that, what may or may not happen. The answer is
obvious, ‘who knows.’
Knight, S. (2010). Winning State 2: The athletes guide to competing with confidence. International, Portland: OR
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Traveling:
Do: It’s time. Start the transition from casual to serious, but breathe, focus, and relax. Focus on
your great mechanics and all of your awesome plays
Don’t: Don’t give into nerves. You may want to leap out of your seat, but don’t release any of
that highly charged expectation energy, save it. Control your thinking, be a little selfish, and
purposefully chill.
The Bench:
Do: Switch to your other-self, your assertive, battle ready self. Override any Doubt Demon
drama by narrowing your focus to your Big Dog memories.
Don’t: Don’t fall victim to groundless worry and fear. Stay rational and positive. Diffuse any
negative thoughts that cross your mind. You’re in control, not your emotions (Talk to yourself,
don’t let emotions talk to you).
The Hot Zone:
Do: Engage your brain and thoughts in rational self-talk (of course I’m nervous) and then
replace those negative thoughts by recalling all your great plays (It’s just another play, I can do
this). Let the Big Dog out.
Don’t: Don’t let those weird feelings of being watched get to you; welcome them. Concentrate
on “that” play and nothing else. Don’t give into self-doubts. Replace with positive talk. Focus on
the game, not the surroundings. Let ‘er rip.
Knight, S. (2010). Winning State 2: The athletes guide to competing with confidence. International, Portland: OR
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Critical Final Minutes of play:
Do: You may be on the verge of winning. Believe!!!!! Stay in the moment. Smile inside.
Continue to focus on each play. Don’t allow doubts of messing up to enter into your thoughts.
Think about doing it and then do it.
Don’t: Don’t mentally wander into “what if” anything. Think rationally and shut the emotions
out. Narrow your focus. Keep the switch ‘on.’
Whether you think you can or you can’t, you are probably right…Henry Ford
Deliberate:
In all that you do, do it deliberately (purposeful, premeditated, conscious, intentional,
calculated, planned, thoughtful, careful, measured, methodical, focus, clarity …..)
Others may believe in you, but the only believing that matters is you believing in you, so
BELIEVE!!!!!
Knight, S. (2010). Winning State 2: The athletes guide to competing with confidence. International, Portland: OR
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Dream: Create Your Future
The things that failures don’t like to do are the very same things that you and I, including the
successful, naturally like to do. We have to realize right from the start that success is something
achieved by the minority, and is therefore unnatural and not to be achieved by following our
natural likes and dislikes, nor by being guided by our natural preferences and prejudices. Albert
Gray.
You either do or you don’t. Successful people find every way to “do” (training, goal setting,
dreaming, practicing, evaluating).
Dreams are full of emotions, feelings, and glory. Your dreams must be so big and real that you
can taste it. Goals help us achieve dreams.
Create a dream by answering the following questions: “If I won (accomplished, achieved)…., I
would get (or feel, or experience)…,” or “If I won….., I would be able to….”
Dr. Alan Goldberg: HAVE A BIG ENOUGH WHY Want to get the very most out of your
athletic ability? If so, then you have to develop what I call a big enough WHY. What’s this big
enough WHY? It’s nothing more than a personal goal or dream, something that is important to
you and that you really want to accomplish in your sport. Your WHY could be making the
varsity, running a 5:30 mile, getting a college scholarship or even playing in the pros. What’s so
important about having a big WHY? Your big enough WHY will provide a constant source of
motivation for you on a daily basis and it will insure that the quality of your training is the
highest. When you don’t feel like getting up early in the morning to train, thinking about that
important goal of yours will help get you out of bed. In the middle of a tough practice, a thought
about why you’re training hard will keep you going and prevent you from slowing down or
giving up. Having a big enough why will keep you focused and on track for success. Get one
today!
Knight, S. (2010). Winning State 2: The athletes guide to competing with confidence. International, Portland: OR
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Goals:
Goals help the Big Dog improve and reach dreams and milestones. Goals must read
accountability and measureable.
A good goal states: I will improve (do, practice, commit, etc.)…….. by doing (shooting 100 times,
running 15 minutes a day, etc.) by this this date.
For example: I will improve my shooting by practicing for 30 minutes shooting on net during the
soccer season.
Or: I will improve my 1 mile time by 30 seconds by running 1 mile 4 times a week during the
soccer season.
Smaller goals can be set to achieve bigger goals. After a goal is accomplished or time runs out
there should be a re-evaluation. Did it work? Why or Why not? Adjust and move forward. You
have not failed, but produced a result. Learn from the experience.
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Dr. Goldbergs’
MENTAL TOUGHNESS QUESTIONNAIRE
Just how mentally tough are you? Take a few moments to fill out this questionnaire that covers
several component skills of mental toughness. When you're finished, check your answers in the
evaluation section that follows to determine your mental strengths and weaknesses:
Answer T for True and F for False for each statement
1) I frequently worry about mistakes.
2) I get really down on myself during performance when I mess up.
3) It's easy for me to let go of my mistakes.
4) If I start out badly, it's hard for me to turn my performance around.
5) I get distracted by what the coach thinks whenever I screw up.
6) I bounce back quickly from setbacks, bad breaks and mistakes.
7) I do my best when there's more pressure on me.
8) I get too nervous to really perform to my potential.
9) I do better in practice than I do when it really counts the most.
10) I tend to get easily psyched out or intimidated.
11) I can keep myself calm and composed under pressure.
12) I don't want the ball/dread competing at "crunch time." (big game/race).
13) The coach's yelling knocks me off my game.
14) I tend to get easily distracted.
15) Certain opponents can get into my head and throw me off my game.
16) Lousy playing conditions (weather, field conditions, temperature, etc.) negatively affect me.
17) I have no trouble focusing on what's important and blocking everything else out.
18) I think too much about what could go wrong right before and during performance, (the "what
if's").
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19) One or two failures do not shake my confidence.
20) I tend to compare myself too much with teammates and opponents.
21) I'd rather compete against a better opponent and lose than go up against a weaker opponent
and win.
22) I am a confident and self-assured athlete.
23) I tend to be too negative.
24) I have trouble dealing with negative self-talk (thoughts).
25) I get more motivated after failures and setbacks.
26) It's easy for me to consistently train at a high level of intensity.
27) I think about how today's practice will help me get to my goals.
28) I find myself just going through the motions a lot in practice.
29) I have clear goals that are important for me to achieve.
30) I am a highly motivated athlete.
SCORING:
Section 1, questions 1-6 deal with "Reboundability" or your skill at mentally bouncing back from
setbacks and mistakes. Mental toughness depends on your ability to quickly leave your mistakes
and failures behind you. Hanging onto your mistakes will get you into big trouble, performancewise. Athletes who dwell on their mistakes while the competition continues, end up making
more. Score 1 point for each of the following answers:
1) F
2) F
3) T
4) F
5) F
6) T
Section 2, questions 7-12 deal with the ability to handle pressure. Without the ability to stay calm
in the clutch, an athlete will always underachieve. Peak performance demands that you are
relaxed once the performance begins. While a little nervousness is critical for getting "up" for a
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game/match/race and performing at your best, ("good nervousness") too much nerves ("bad
nervousness") will tighten your muscles and send your performance down the tubes. Score 1
point for each of the following answers:
7) T
8) F
9) F
10) F
11) T
12) F
Section 3, questions 13-18 deal with your concentration ability. In every sport, your ability to
focus on what's important and block out everything else is one of the primary keys to
performance excellence. Poor concentration is the major reason why athletes choke and get stuck
in performance slumps. Getting psyched out or intimidated is a direct result of concentrating on
the wrong things. Score 1 point for each of the following answers:
13) F
14) F
15) F
16) F
17) T
18) F
Section 4, questions 19-24 deal with your level of confidence and the factors that affect
confidence. One characteristic of the mentally tough athlete is he/she possesses a confidence
level that seems to be unshaken by setbacks and failures. Under the pressure of competition, low
confidence will neutralize natural ability, hard work and talent. Similarly, high confidence will
enhance an athlete's training and God-given talents, lifting their performance to the next level.
Score 1 point for each of the following answers:
19) T
20) F
21) T
22) T
23) F
24) F
Section 5, questions 25-30 deal with motivation. Motivation is the fuel that will drive your
training to a successful completion and the accomplishment of your goals. Without adequate
motivation athletes get stuck having "permanent potential." Without motivation you won't put in
the work necessary to become a winner. Your motivation allows you to pick yourself up after a
setback and keep going. Score 1 point for each of the following answers:
25)T
26)T
27)T
28)F
29)T
30)T
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Interpretation:
A score of 6 in any one of the five sections indicates a special strength in that area. A 5 indicates
solid skill and 4 or less highlights that particular area as a mental weakness that needs to be
addressed. For example a "6" in "reboundability" indicates consistent ability to bounce back
quickly from mistakes, failures and losses. A score of "2" or "3" in section #2, handling
competitive pressure, indicates the need for arousal control/relaxation training. Low scores in
each section high light problem areas. These "mental weaknesses" should then form mental
training goals for you to help raise your overall performance to the next level. For example, a
low score in the concentration section means that some of your poor performance is a direct
result of your inability to control your focus of attention before and/or during competition. By
putting some time and energy into practicing concentration exercises you will become a better
overall athlete.
Overall Score:
A score of 26-30 indicates strength in overall mental toughness. Scores of 23-25 indicates
average to moderate skill in mental toughness. Scores of 22 or below mean that you need to start
putting more time into the mental training area.
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Appendix A: Planning
Gear:
o Cleats
o Shin guards
o Uniform
o Away
o Home
o Sweat bands
o Socks
o Shoes
o Ball
o Cold weather: under armour, hat, gloves
o Bag
Food:
o Fruit
o Nutmix
o Water
Personal
o Ipad / MP3
o Games
o
Directions to field
o
Contact info of coach and manager and teammates
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References
Goldberg, A. (2012) Athletes. How tough are you? Retrieved from
http://www.competitivedge.com/questionnaire_athletes.htm
Knight, S. (2010). Winning State 2: The athletes guide to competing with confidence.
International, Portland: OR