Short, direct answers to the questions student-athletes ask about training, school, recovery and pressure. Each answer is reviewed by Rhema Adelaja.
Confidence and Pressure
Keep it small. Write a few things you are grateful for on an index card, with one short mantra at the bottom. After training or a game, ask what you learned and what you were thankful for. Include sport and non-sport things. Refresh the card each month.
Confidence and Pressure
One mistake does not have to become the next. Ask four questions: what happened, what was in my control, what did I learn, and what is my next action. Then go back to your process goal. Be kind to yourself. Talk to yourself the way you would talk to a teammate.
Confidence and Pressure
Comparing yourself to a teammate puts your focus on a result that belongs partly to other people. Pressure is a focus problem, not a character problem. Move your focus to what is yours: your preparation, your actions and your response. Set process goals and return to them.
Confidence and Pressure
Pressure is a focus problem, not a character problem. When your focus sits on the result, such as being selected, the pressure grows. Move your focus to what is yours: your preparation, your actions and your response. Set process goals and return to them when your mind drifts.
Confidence and Pressure
Write your doubts down, answer each one with facts from your own training, then spend about 30 seconds picturing yourself doing your plan. Focus on the process, not the result.
Confidence and Pressure
Use a 60-second reset: a physical anchor, a short verbal cue, then a focus shift to the next play. Practise it in training so it runs on its own under pressure.
Answers are general information, not professional advice.