It is very important to have a good start to your game. Most athletes understand this. However, many athletes can be left frustrated with inconsistent starts to their game not knowing what they need to do differently in order to make their performance both good and consistent. How you start a game comes down to how you prepare for it. Many athletes I have worked with aren’t always aware of how behaviors and actions they are taking prior to a game directly impacts their performance.
So first step is to gain awareness of the actions, routines, or self talk you do that help your performance and the things you do that do not help your performance. I often hear from athletes when I ask them this question they say they did nothing different between a good game and a not so good game. When athletes tell me they did nothing different, majority of the time I find athletes are not aware of the things they are doing. And when they feel it is luck or by chance when they have a good or bad performance I know some work needs to be done around understanding the connection between behaviors and performance.
Performance is impacted directly and indirectly by the things you do in and around your performance. Things you do days before a game can impact how you perform in the game, especially at the start. Many athletes have no problem playing good once they get going and get mentally and physically into the game. However, you need to start strong because if you don’t it can wind up hurting you. Perhaps the other team scores a goal or two and you end up not being able to recover. So become aware of what you do before games as well as the days leading up to games to start and find patterns of things you do that help you and things that contribute to not having good starts to games.
How you start the game comes down to you and how prepared you are. If things aren’t working it is time to change something. Sometimes that is small in nature, but don’t keep doing the same thing over and over again if it is not working. Any questions please feel free to reach out to me here.
About: Kate Allgood is trained in the field of applied sport psychology. She holds two Masters degrees in psychology where she graduated with distinction. She has spent the past 14 years working one on one with high school, college, Olympic, and professional athletes to help them with their mindset, mental performance and mental skills training. Kate has also been a consultant for professional teams, including the Anaheim Ducks primary minor league affiliate the San Diego Gulls, to help the team and players develop their mental game. It is important to note that while Kate has graduate school training in applied sport psychology and general psychology, she does not diagnose or treat clinical disorders, and is not a licensed psychologist.
**The information provided is not to dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique, either directly or indirectly, as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems, without the advice of a physician. The information provided is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for high performance. If you know or suspect you have a health problem, it is recommended you seek your physician's advice.