Mental Attitudes In Sports

“Champions aren 't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision.” -Muhammad Ali. This quote shows that even the greatest athletes in the world know the importance of a good mindset. One of the problems with athletes is that they focus 100 percent of their time only training their body while completely neglecting the mental component of sports (How Much of Your Sport is Mental?). Many coaches tell players that they shouldn’t think too much during the game but ultimately this leads to the player focusing too much on not thinking that they think too much. This leads to the question, what are they components of a mentally prepared athlete and how does this effect how they perform …show more content…
One of the most important mental attitudes that is necessary to have is a positive attitude. Through this positive attitude lens, all successful athletes view their sport as an opportunity to compete not only against strong opponents, but also against themselves as well as an opportunity to learn from their successes and failures. This positive attitude is what makes it possible for athletes to bounce back from a devastating loss. Another mental attitude that is necessary to have is the ability to set goals and be committed. As stated in the previous paragraph, successful athletes set long term as well as short term goals that are not only realistic but drive them to be the best that they can be. The goal oriented athlete is also aware of how they are currently performing and are able to develop very detailed plans on the best way to achieve their goals. In addition to just setting these goals they are also highly committed to completing each one, which means that they have to work there hardest to see them through. Another mental attitude that an athlete needs is being able to effectively communicate with their teammates. All successful athletes realize that they are not the only one that matters, but are part of a bigger team that includes their teammates and their coaches. Having good communication skills not only includes the knowledge to appropriately communicate their thoughts, feelings, and needs to these people, but also the ability to effectively listen to others. They also have learned effective skills for dealing with team conflict, difficult opponents, and other teammates when they are being negative or oppositional. Another mental attitude that is necessary to have is a positive self-mental image. Most successful athletes do their best to prepare themselves mentally before a big game by imagining themselves performing their best. They create