starting

Question
its in the 8th week of my season now and I'm not starting. Its not that I am not as good as the person in front of me. I don't know could I have a Mental block in my way? In practice I seem to be doing alright in practice, but in the game my mind goes blank.

Answer
Hello Matt and thank you for asking this question.

I know it's really frustrating to have the skills in practice and have problems under pressure in competition.  This is probably a really good example of a mental block.  What happens is that we lose perspective during pressure situations and we forget that we know what we are doing, we have skills and abilities and that we do well during practice. ?br>
So, start focusing on everything you do RIGHT in practice. 燝ive yourself a figurative pat on the back every time you do something good on the field. 燚oing the "fist pump" and "YEAH" works really good because it helps you get lock that success together with confidence. 燭hen, when you are ready to play a game, it's like you have a power-up button. 燱hen you want that surge of confidence, do the "fist pump" and YEAH (you can do this in your imagination), and you WILL feel the confidence. 燭his is how our bodies and minds are wired to work together, and I've helped lots of athletes do this. 營t works!

Good luck and let me know how it goes.

David

David Kenward, The Mental Coach
Sacramento, California
http://www.thementalcoach.com