Why You Overthink in Competition (And Why Trying to Stop Thinking Doesn’t Work)

Overthinking is one of the most common experiences athletes describe, especially in competition. It often shows up in subtle ways at first. You hesitate slightly before making a decision, second-guess a play you would normally trust, or become more aware of how you’re performing while it’s happening. What felt natural in practice starts to feel more effortful, and your mind becomes more active in moments where it usually wouldn’t be.

Because of that, the instinct is often to try to stop it. Athletes are told to “just play,” “clear your mind,” or “stop thinking so much.” While that advice makes sense on the surface, it usually doesn’t work in the moment. In many cases, trying to stop thinking actually makes the experience more noticeable and more frustrating.

Overthinking Is Not the Root Problem

It’s easy to treat overthinking as the issue itself, but in most cases, it’s a response rather than a cause. Overthinking tends to show up when your system becomes less stable under pressure. As the intensity of the moment increases, your awareness of what’s happening also increases. You become more aware of your performance, the outcome, and what each moment might mean.

That awareness shifts your attention. Instead of staying fully connected to the play, part of your focus moves inward. You start monitoring your decisions, evaluating your execution, or trying to control what happens next. Thinking increases because your system is trying to manage uncertainty and reduce mistakes.

From that perspective, overthinking isn’t random. It’s your system attempting to respond to pressure in the only way it knows how.

What Actually Changes in Competition

The difference between practice and competition is not just external — it’s internal. In practice, your attention is more naturally directed outward. You are reacting to what’s in front of you, and your decisions happen without much conscious effort.

Because of that, performance feels more fluid.

In competition, the added pressure changes how your attention behaves. As your awareness of the situation increases, your attention begins to split. Part of it stays on the task, but another part turns inward toward yourself. That inward attention is where overthinking starts to build.

When attention shifts this way, a few things tend to happen:

• Decisions feel slower or less automatic

• Movements become more deliberate

• You become more aware of mistakes or the possibility of making one

• Your timing feels slightly off

None of this means your ability has changed. It means your attention is no longer fully available to support it.

Why Trying to “Stop Thinking” Makes It Worse

When athletes notice overthinking, the natural reaction is to try to eliminate it. You might tell yourself to stop thinking, force yourself to focus, or try to push thoughts away. The challenge is that this creates another layer of attention directed inward.

Now, instead of just thinking, you are also monitoring your thinking. That added effort can make your system feel even more tense and less fluid. The more you try to control your thoughts, the more noticeable they become.

This is why overthinking can feel like it spirals. The response to it often reinforces the same pattern that created it.

What Actually Helps Reduce Overthinking

If overthinking is a response to instability and attention shifting inward, then the solution isn’t to fight the thinking directly. It’s to change the conditions that allow it to take over.

That starts with developing a more stable internal system under pressure. When your system is more stable, your attention is less likely to drift inward in the first place.

This involves a few key skills:

• Regulation: Being able to settle your system when intensity rises, rather than becoming more reactive to it

• Attention: Noticing when your focus shifts inward and guiding it back to the play or task

• Awareness: Recognizing what’s happening without immediately trying to fix or judge it

These are not quick fixes. They are trainable skills that influence how your system responds in real time.

The Goal Isn’t to Have a Quiet Mind

One of the biggest misconceptions is that high-level performance requires a completely quiet mind. In reality, thoughts will still be present. The difference is that they don’t take over the moment.

The goal is not to eliminate thinking. It’s to reduce how much your attention gets pulled away from what matters. When your attention stays connected to the play, your decisions remain more natural, and your performance becomes more consistent.

A More Useful Way to Understand Overthinking

If you find yourself overthinking in competition, it doesn’t mean you lack confidence or mental toughness. It means your system is responding to pressure by shifting attention inward. That shift is what changes how your performance feels.

When you learn how to stabilize your system and guide your attention more effectively, overthinking tends to reduce on its own. Not because you forced it away, but because it no longer has the same conditions to take over.

Closing Thought

Most athletes don’t need to think less. They need a more stable way to stay connected to what’s in front of them when it matters.

Because when attention stays in the right place, performance becomes less about managing your thoughts and more about allowing your ability to come through.

If this is something you’ve been experiencing, this is the direction my work takes — helping athletes develop the internal skills that allow their performance to stay available under pressure, rather than trying to force or control their thoughts.

You can learn more about working together or explore The Athlete Within App to see how that training is structured.

Kate

About: Kate Allgood is educated in the field of applied sport psychology. She holds two Masters degrees in psychology where she graduated with distinction. After a very successful hockey career, 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.

FAQ Section

Why do I overthink in games but not in practice?

In practice, your system is typically more stable, and your attention stays more naturally on the task. In competition, increased pressure and awareness of the moment can shift your attention inward toward evaluating your performance. That inward focus is what often leads to overthinking, even though your ability hasn’t changed.

How do I stop overthinking during a game?

Trying to stop overthinking directly usually doesn’t work, because it keeps your attention focused on your thoughts. A more effective approach is learning how to bring your attention back to the play and stabilize your system under pressure. When your attention is directed outward again, thinking tends to reduce naturally.

Is overthinking a sign of low confidence?

Not necessarily. Overthinking is more often a response to pressure and uncertainty than a lack of confidence. Even confident athletes can overthink when their attention shifts inward and they begin monitoring or evaluating their performance more closely.

Why does overthinking make my performance worse?

Overthinking can slow down decision-making and make movements feel less natural. Instead of reacting to what’s happening, you become more deliberate and controlled in a way that interferes with timing and flow. This makes your performance feel less fluid, even though your skill level hasn’t changed.

Can you completely eliminate overthinking in sports?

No, and that’s not the goal. Thoughts will still be present during competition. The goal is to prevent those thoughts from pulling your attention away from the moment. When your attention stays connected to the play, thinking becomes less disruptive.

What actually helps reduce overthinking long term?

Reducing overthinking comes from developing internal skills that improve how your system responds under pressure. This includes:

• learning how to regulate your state when intensity rises

• improving your ability to direct and redirect attention

• building awareness without immediately reacting or judging

Over time, these skills make it easier to stay connected to performance, even in higher-pressure situations.