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The Mental Game

     I have always been very competitive starting as a child trying to keep up with my older brother in skiing, baseball, or soccer.  That competitiveness served me well in the 22 years of being a street cop since there are no time outs while you’re arresting a suspect who is doing everything in his power to prevent just that.   I have always been interested in the mental game of sports from a Christian perspective and now that I’m retired I got to thinking about  what are the components of the mental game? Here are just a few.

 Self-confidence –

       “For god has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” II Timothy 1:7

      Self-confidence is the faith and the bold certainty that you have in yourself and your coolness under stress. How does a person get self-confidence?  Practice. Practice is the foundation where confidence is built.  Each time an action or maneuver is practiced correctly, it slowly contributes to the building of self-confidence. So it’s important to look at how we are practicing or training.  Are you giving it your best effort, 100% or are you knocking off early because it’s cold, it’s hot, you’re tired or any other excuse that you can come up with?  How are you practicing each task or maneuver, sloppily or as perfectly as you can?  No, you’re not perfect but you can arm your mind with sound information and your body with complete muscle memory. Slow down to go faster.  The best way to train for that complete muscle memory is slow repetition and doing it as correctly possible. Your muscles will remember that motion when they need to function at performance speed.

 Positive self-talk -

      “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 3:4.

      Self-talk is how you talk to yourself before, during, and after your performance. Friends, family, and coaches can give you 100% positive affirmation or feedback but ultimately it is up to you and how you think of yourself that will make any difference.  Positive self-talk is easy to do after you kicked the winning goal, but it’s hard to do after missing the goal. Constantly criticizing yourself for something you did or didn’t do will erode any confidence you have.  If you say to yourself, “You choked again,” “You are worthless” or “You can’t do anything right,” that’s negative judgmental talk. Be more positive by saying things like “you rated your horse too soon before first barrel, next time wait just a stride longer and you’ll carry more speed around the barrel and into second.”  Positive self-talk will also help the “butterflies” fly in the same direction.  Those “butterflies” are a signal that it’s time to let your natural abilities show. 

 Mental Imagery -

     “…fix you thoughts on what is true and honorable and right.  Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8

      Mental imagery or visualization is seeing and feeling each maneuver before actually doing it. In your mind’s eye, see and feel yourself performing with perfect fluid motion, and with confidence. Visualize each task, and each maneuver being performed at 100%. Fill you mind with positive thoughts and visualizations, not letting your mind wander into negative pictures of yourself. Taking deep slow breaths can help calm you before a competition so you can be relaxed enough to visualize.

 Control –

      “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

      In sports there are situations you can control and others you cannot.  How many hours do you worry over things you can’t control? So ask yourself, “What do I have control over?” You have control over your thoughts and your reaction to different situations.   Sometimes we try to control people and situations out of fear - fear of the unknown, fear of the past, fear of failure and fear of ________.   Jesus doesn’t want us to sit and watch life go by. He wants us live each and every moment extraordinarily. Problems never go away. It’s your response to them that weakens you or strengthens you.  Take the things that are out of your control and turn them into a positive reaction. Let’s say that you don’t get to the field with enough time to fully warm up. Tell yourself, “No problem; I’ll take the time that I have and calmly warm up the best I can.”  Someone tells you that they saw you miss three goals in the last game. No problem, you visualize yourself kicking the perfect goal. Turn difficulties into challenges and replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Let the results happen.

 Motivation & Attitude –

      “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.” Romans 12:17

       Whatever your reasons for playing sports, the end goal should always bring glory to God in some way.  For some they are motivated because their sport is rewarding, fun and challenging.  For some it’s the lure of a reward like money or the bragging rights of just winning. Ask Jesus to balance your motivation so you’ll have fun but be able to push yourself when the going gets tough.

     Attitudes are feelings and emotions towards persons, objects or situations. Do you display good sportsmanship before, during and after the game?  Good sportsmanship isn’t being soft and wimpy but competing with passion and a fierce desire to win.  It’s also treating your opponent with respect and letting them know you appreciate their competition.  Sportsmanship doesn’t keep a record of when and how many times you’ve been fouled or wronged.  You can be a great witness for Christ by how you react to a cheap shot or a bad call by the referee.   Do you get mad and return cheap shot the instigating player or do you keep to your game plan?  Do you become upset and stop your play to yell and scream at the referee depriving your team of a player even if it’s for a short period of time?  How you handle situations like these has a direct bearing on your performance because if you lose your temper, you are no longer focused on your game.  The bottom line is that your opponent is not your enemy.  Your value does not come from whom you outperform but how you use your talents and capabilities God gave you. Athletes who understand this can play aggressively yet at the end of the game, hold the opposing team’s hands and thank God in prayer.

 In the Zone –

      “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” Romans 11:33

      The zone is a temporary state in which the athlete feels a heightened sense of awareness, focus and confidence. There isn’t one sure fire way to achieve “the zone” as each athlete is motivated differently.  An important principle is to stay in the moment.  Athletes who have competed in the zone say that they felt immersed in the present without a thought of past failures or the future’s outcome. Have faith, let it happen and enjoy the moment. 

 Giving thanks-

      “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say again, rejoice.” Philippians 4:4

      Before your performance remember to have fun.  Thank the Lord for giving you the ability and opportunity to compete.  Ask Him to be with all of the competitors, and to keep everyone safe.  You’ve put a lot of hard work into this moment so let your performance be a witness for the Lord.

 Conclusion –

      “…and let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus….”  Hebrews 12:1-2

       All of these ideas listed here are basic to achieving your athletic goals and dreams.  Not only can they help you in your sport but also in your everyday life.  Think about it. In your career and your relationships you can use any or all of them to some degree. There will be days that will go your way and others that won’t but make Jesus Christ your partner in everything you do and say, and you’ll be fulfilled. 

      “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, buy have eternal life.” John 3:16