Practicing Poorly Before a Game? Here’s How Athletes Should Handle It Mentally

What should you do if you have a big game, competition, or tryout coming up—but your recent practices haven’t gone well?

This is something I see athletes struggle with all the time. When practices go poorly leading up to a performance, confidence drops. Doubt increases. Athletes begin to question whether they can perform well.

In this episode, I explain how athletes can mentally prepare for competition even when recent training sessions haven’t gone well.

I discuss why many athletes base their confidence on their most recent performance, how that can hurt you mentally going into a game, and what you can do instead to compete with more trust, freedom, and present-moment focus.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why bad practices before a game can damage confidence
• How athletes accidentally use the wrong point of reference before competing
• How to mentally reset before a competition or tryout
• How visualization can rebuild belief in your ability
• Why true confidence is about playing freely, not guaranteeing success

If you’re an athlete who struggles with confidence, performance anxiety, or performing worse in games than in practice, these strategies can help you compete with more composure and trust in your abilities.

I work with athletes from around the world through my 12-week 1-on-1 mental performance coaching program, where I help athletes build confidence, improve focus, and perform better under pressure.

Learn more about mental performance coaching here:
https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching/

🧠 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: If you’re an athlete who struggles with fear, anxiety, overthinking, or confidence in games—or a parent of an athlete going through that—I work 1-on-1 with athletes to help them perform freely and confidently.

You can schedule a free introductory call using the link below, and we’ll talk through what’s going on and whether working together would be a good fit.

Schedule a free introductory call: https://www.successstartswithin.com/get-coaching/

🥇Team Mental Performance Coaching Program: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-coaching-for-teams/

👉 Confident Competitor Academy: Go from playing with fear & anxiety to playing with confidence in just 6 weeks!

👉 Mentally Tough Kid Course

📖 Mind Games Book: https://a.co/d/gXZfORN

📖 Athlete Mental Training Book: https://a.co/d/bfojamY

Free Training: Top 5 Mental Mistakes Athletes Make

*This podca...