Lacrosse
Is Your Head Stopping You From Becoming a Peak Performer?
Do you have the ability to focus on what’s important and let go of everything else?
Becoming a champion on the field requires any athlete to “pay your physical dues.” There is no shortcut to reaching your goals. You have to work hard to build the proper conditioning, muscle strength, speed and passing and shooting skills required to play at a high level. But if you really want to take your game as far as possible, then you can’t just stop here with the physical like a lot of lacrosse players do. To become a consistent, peak performer, you must also work on the mental side of your game.
Once you step onto the field for an important try-out, showcase or game, the difference between playing well or poorly lies completely between your ears! When the game is on the line and the competitive pressure is turned up high, playing to your potential is all about how well you can “execute mentally.” The foundation of this is being able to stay calm and composed under pressure? If you go into a game too nervous, you’ll come out of it bitterly disappointed. Staying relaxed under big game pressure is one of THE secrets to being able to play your game the way you are capable of playing.
In order to stay cool and calm in the clutch, you need to be able to focus properly, both before and during the game!
- Concentration is a learned skill and the key to mental toughness
- To play your best, you need to learn to focus on what you’re DOING, not on what you’re THINKING.
- On the field, you need to focus on “seeing, reading & reacting:” Seeing the play as it develops, instinctively reading it and then just reacting without thinking!
- Keep your focus in the NOW, on the ball and on one play at a time.
- Leave your mistakes behind you and work on them after the game.
- When your focus drifts back to a mistake, immediately bring yourself back to the action in the present.
- Keep your focus on what YOU are doing and NOT on others and what you think about them.
As a lacrosse player, you must make a commitment to work hard on your concentration skills as well as other parts of your mental game. You’d never leave your physical conditioning, passing, shooting, or checking to chance! So why leave this critical mental part of your game to chance?
With a little work, these mental skills as well as a few important others can be systematically trained to the point where you develop the reputation as a mentally tough lacrosse player. Let us help you.
Dr. G has worked with high school and college lacrosse teams across the country. As the former Sports Performance Consultant to the University of Connecticut, Dr. G worked closely with the Huskies’ women’s team, helping them bust slumps and play to their potential. He is the author of the revolutionary new book, This Is Your Brain On Sports: Beating Blocks, Slumps and Performance Anxiety for Good! Check out his popular Mental Toughness Training Package.
Resources
OVERCOMING PERFORMANCE FEARS AND BLOCKS Are you struggling with a seemingly mysterious performance problem? Have you or your athlete suddenly lost BASIC abilities? FINALLY understand where this FRUSTRATING problem comes from and what you can do about it!
THE MENTAL SIDE OF ATHLETIC INJURIES The mental pain caused by your injury and the temporary or permanent loss of your sport can be far more devastating than the strained or torn ligaments, pulled muscles, ripped cartilage or broken bones. Unless this type of pain is directly addressed and “treated”, your overall recovery will be slow and incomplete.
