Athletes face challenges almost every day in their sports, and while these challenges may differ depending on the person, there is one thing every athlete struggles with the most: their mindset.
Mindset plays a huge role in athletics. A good attitude and not dwelling on the little matters will help athletes to outperform their own physical abilities. Viewing challenges as opportunities for growth or more success will increase an athlete’s skill levels.
“If you play a game with a losing mindset, you will not believe in yourself or your team,” Alexis Levesque said.
Levesque plays competitive volleyball both for high school and for the club, and while she tries to maintain a positive mindset both on and off the court, she admits it can be challenging at certain times.
“Most the time when I make a mistake, I just try to brush it off and get ready for the next point because I know they are going to happen, and if I do something good, it usually helps,” Levesque said.
Between injuries, hardships and life outside of sports, athletes can have difficulty maintaining positive attitudes and controlled emotions. Once the mindset drops and starts to become toxic, so will the player. They are yelling at teammates or even just shutting down. While they may only mean to shut down or stay angered with themselves, it reflects onto their team.
Teammates with positive mindsets and attitudes are likelier to succeed and lead their team than those without. Learning to get over the mistakes and “rough spots quickly” is what makes a better athlete.
“I think it is hard sometimes to get out of a rut because things are always fluctuating and you just do not have as much control, but learning to overcome that mental battle helps more than getting in your head and shutting down,” Ashleigh Feld said.
Like Levesque, Feld plays competitive volleyball for both school and club. Feld’s positive mindset has helped her grow as an athlete and an individual. She agrees that a positive attitude always helps athletes play better and enlightens their environment.
While a positive mindset helps athletes perform better, it also recognizes when their body needs time to heal and recover. Athletes put so much pressure on their bodies that sometimes, they just shut down or create conflict.
All an injured athlete wants to do is get back in as soon as possible. Most athletes hide pain and injuries just to skip the process, making it ten times worse. Players need to recognize when their bodies need the rest.
Someone with a strong, positive mindset knows when it is time to rest and takes their time with the recovery process. As much of a battle as it may be, they always return better after giving themselves the time to heal.
Athletes who do not take the time to heal or skip the process only do more damage to their bodies.
While the injuries may not feel as bad yet, they will later catch up and cause even more significant harm.
This is where more career-ending injuries come into play. Taking that time to heal and strengthen the body is a substantial part of a healthier athletic mindset.
Maintaining a better mindset and understanding as an athlete is always tricky. There are times when players will still get in their heads, put too much pressure on themselves, or overthink, but getting out of this rut makes great athletes.
