Three Reasons Why Mentally Tougher Athletes Perform Better under Pressure

Three Reasons Why Mentally Tougher Athletes Perform Better under Pressure

by Allistair McCaw

Three reasons why mentally tougher athletes perform better under pressure

When two athletes are almost similar in level, the one who prevails, is 99% of the time the one who can handle stress and pressure best (especially when fatigued).

Here three reasons why:

1. Mentally tougher athletes have a ‘no excuse’ mindset. They don’t blame conditions or external factors. Their self talk stays positive, whilst others just talk themselves out of it.
They are great problem solvers under adverse situations.

2. A mentally tougher athlete is someone who has placed their body and mind under tougher circumstances and conditions during training. They understand that practice time is about training the mindset skills, not just the technical or tactical skills. They want to be pushed mentally, not just physically.

3. A mentally tougher athlete has developed sound rituals and routines that help them recognize pressure situations and adapt to them better. They understand that the way they compete is directly related to the way they train.

More than anything, great athletes perform under pressure better because they love the opportunity and embrace it with excitement instead of fear.

As an athlete, Its how you handle pressure situations that ultimately defines how far you go.