Your Mind: Coping with a Hi-Pressure Situation
March 26, 2007
Its been a long exhausting game, you’ve played your heart out through regulation, overtime and sudden death. Now, you’re up for your penalty kick and the game is set at 3-2 but if you make your shot you’ll tie up the match and go into sudden death shots. If you miss the season is over. What are you gonna do?
Well, the answer is simple really - you are going to make the shot! That’s right you’re gonna make it. Why would you consider not making it? I know the thought enters your mind and when it does how you handle the thought can make all the difference in your performance of this highly critical task.
Think about it, if you keep running through your head that you will miss the shot and kill the season you will. The more positive you can be in your thoughts the better. When the negative thoughts enter, clear your mind and force successful thoughts, imagine your perfect shot, see the ball take flight and slam into the back of the net. Imagine the look on the keepers face after you score. The point here is to think of every little thing you can that are reactions of your success. If you don’t and think negatively, chances are you will get a negative result.
Much can be said for positive thought when coping with stressful situations. Just as you practice performing certain skills, the more you practice in your mind achieving positive results the better. Take the advice of one the most successful coaches Anson Dorrance:
"Mental skills must first be practiced in non-stressful situations before you can depend on them to work for you in the high stress of the big game. If it is possible for one person in the world to do something then it is possible for you."
Expecting that you will achieve your goal rather than expecting that you will fail makes a tremendous difference with the end result. However, its your choice right? Choose to laugh at the pressure or succum to it.
And you know what? If you don’t succeed use the opportunity to learn. Unfortunately, everyone fails sometime but how you choose to deal with the experience is another lesson in itself. With the World Cup on the line, who do you see thinking positive in this video below (2006 World Cup Final):
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