Stay in the game

Nothing is more important to your mental game than the ability to
stay grounded in the present moment.

Many athletes cannot do this easy-to-understand but hard-to-apply
concept. Many players become mentally trapped by their own
thoughts.

They focus on what just happened during the last play or shot
or on what may happen in the future.

The classic mental trap is when you begin to think ahead to the
end of the game or performance.

--Will my team get it done today?

--What score will I shoot today?

--Will coach be happy with my performance today?

Thinking ahead about the "what ifs" does not help you perform
well in the present. But many athletes have a hard time staying
grounded in the present.

Why? We live in a result-oriented society. Everyone remembers
winners - not losers or who finished second.

Regardless, you must train your mind to focus on the process
- or what I call execution - if you want to enter and stay in
the zone.

How do you stay in the present when you constantly are bombarded
with distractions in sports - your own mental chatter and outside
distractions?

My formula for staying in the present is simple. You have to
catch yourself when your focus wanders and act quickly. This
means you must be aware when your mind wanders away from what is
important.

I call this process "refocusing." This mental
strategy helps pull focus back to the present moment.

The mental strategy of refocusing should not take you longer than
2-4 seconds to complete in competition. The sooner you can
refocus - the better your concentration and thus performance!

Hope this helps...