GET MENTAL: Control the Controllables

Tryouts are often met with fear regarding outcome (“Will I make the team?”), politics (“This coach hates me.”) and performance (“Can I play my best in front of this crowd?”). How can you better manage the pressure of tryouts and earn that spot on the team? The answer is surprisingly simple: Control the controllables.

Learning to control the controllables is not only a skill that helps you perform well in tryouts, it helps you perform well in all aspects of life. It’s a basic tenet of my mental training.

The Common Mistake Athletes Make:

Focusing only on making the team (outcome). This creates anxiety and worry, which manifests in your body as tension, hesitation and overly conservative play.

Coaches see you thinking rather than dominating.

OK, let’s see if you know what’s controllable.

Why is this important information for you?

Because it gives clues on how to prepare and perform during tryouts, games, camps and clinics.

Wasting time on things are not controllable is just that — a waste of time.

Control the Controllables

Being fit, practicing drills, showing up recovered and well-fueled gives you an advantage over those who aren’t. Being mentally prepared (knowing you have done “the work”) and focused on your personal strengths will create better performance, increasing the odds of making the team.

This is what mental toughness is all about.

“” Erika Carlson, Sports Psychologist/Owner of Excellence in Sports Performance 

Image courtesy Damian Hughes; LiquidThinker