Managing negative thoughts during the match

We all know how negative thoughts can impact our performance on the match field. Most athletes have no clue about how to deal with such thoughts. They find it almost impossible to bring their focus back to the present situation. But some professional athletes seem to thrive in pressure situations. How do they do it? Don't they get negative thoughts which distract them? Agreed, they have the experience of playing in similar situations many times before. But they seem mentally so strong.

 Athletes who do not have that experience under their belt can use simple mental steps to manage negative thoughts more effectively. This blog will talk about these three simple steps on how to manage negative thoughts during your match and how to remain focused in those pressure situations.

Step 1- Acceptance.

Resisting negative thoughts is our biggest mistake. We try to resist them. We try to fight the thought. But guess what- the harder we try to fight- the harder it hits back at us. It is like asking someone not to think about ice cream. Our mind will invariably think about it. When negative thoughts come to our mind, we often say to ourselves, “I am not supposed to be thinking this, I am supposed to be thinking this instead” and in this fight, we loose a lot of mental energy and focus. What follows is a drop in performance; this is what we call ‘pressure’. Sometimes thoughts can also be about the final result of the match (good or bad), reactions after the match etc. This happens when we are close to the finishing line or way behind the opponent we are facing. Such thoughts can be equally distracting. Such thoughts arriving in the mind is very natural. Even the world number 1 gets such thoughts. While playing, when I am nervous, I ask myself, “are you nervous?” I answer myself and express my feelings without any judgement.

Watch video on this topic above👆👆

So firstly stop blaming yourself for the thoughts you get and stop fighting them. Do not resist these thoughts. Accept and move to   the second step.

Step 2- Coming back to the present moment.

After acceptance, comes bringing the mind to the ‘NOW’. 2-3 deep breaths can help in taming the mind and bringing it under the leash. Many professional athletes use simple ‘rituals’ to remind themselves to come back to the present moment. For example in tennis and squash, athletes have learned to associate tapping the ball before serving as bringing their focus back to the present moment. Squash athletes also wipe their hands on the glass wall to get their focus to the present moment.  Tennis professionals also wipe their sweat after every rally. These are some techniques professional athletes use. What could be your ritual?

It is important to train yourself in this ritual during practice matches for it to become a habit.

Step 3- Replace with a self talk or an affirmation.

This is the most important and powerful step in dealing with negative thoughts and emotions. Once the mind is fully ‘present’, speak to yourself in the mind. Think about your next tactic of your match or say an affirmation statement like, “I am confident”, “I am strong”, “I am the best”, “I can do it”. This statement could be anything which charges you up. It should be a statement which sends a strong pulse in your brain.  It should make you the Popeye who has just had his spinach. My self-talk statement is, “I am not giving up, I am a fighter”. This statement truly reflects who I am as a person and resonates strongly within me. You could have not just one but two or even three affirmation statements. You could use any of them as per the situation.

Three steps in few seconds? Is it practical?

Many of you may ask- how can we follow these three steps in matter of just few seconds? Usually the time to reflect between two rallies or next ball etc. could be only a few seconds. If practiced regularly, it is not very difficult and not time consuming. Try practicing it in all your matches. Discuss with your coach or your parent how you went about following them. While playing with your friend or coach, speak of what you are thinking. People close to you won’t judge you. This will again drill the practice and one day it will become a sub conscious exercise. There will be a time, when you will do it after every rally and would not even be aware about it. Regular meditation when at home will help you understand your mind and this practice better.

The key here is to believe that this science works and follow the steps regularly after every point in each and every match you play. We need to make sure that at the end of the day, we do not loose out on our best performance because of negative emotions and thoughts.

Amit Gajria

WSF Certified Squash Coach

Mumbai, India.