The Athlete's Porch | The Power of Self Talk

Self talk might be the most powerful coach an athlete has.In this episode of The Athlete’s Porch, Jon Karcich breaks down the science and psychology behind self talk and why elite athletes train the voice inside their head.From Tom Brady and Kobe Bryant to Tiger Woods, Steph Curry, Rafael Nadal, and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, the best competitors use simple cues and internal dialogue to control their focus and performance.Jon explains the concept of “ironic rebound” — why telling yourself “don’t mess up” can actually increase mistakes — and how elite athletes replace negative internal dialogue with simple performance cues.You’ll also hear insights from sports psychology research and legendary mental performance coach Jim Loehr, who worked with champions like Pete Sampras and many professional and Olympic athletes.In this episode Jon answers three key questions athletes ask all the time:• Why athletes should stop saying “don’t”• What elite athletes actually say to themselves during competition• What to say to yourself after failureBecause your mechanics usually aren’t the first thing that break during a slump…Your self talk is.