Building Confidence: Control The Controllables
So many things in sports are out of the control of the performer that the word “uncontrollable” has became a noun.
Gaining self-control is crucial to developing your mental game. The key is learning the difference between things beyond your control and things within your control. The pressure we put on ourselves often comes from worrying about things that can we do nothing about. Once we learn, or we teach our players to learn, how to separate the controllable factors from those outside factors, we become greatly relieved of pressures, both internal and external. This relief will help propel us to improved performance.
ONE Softball has asked high performers–both players and coaches–about some of the things that they feel are critical to their success. One of the answers that come up consistently is that they understand the things that are within their control and work to maximize the impact of those things, while not worrying about those factors outside of their control. It’s the recognition of which bucket various factors go in–controllable or not–that allows these champions to work hard on the right things.
Download the Controllables Worksheet and complete the exercise, or do it with your team. This simple set of questions will go a long way toward simplifying things.
Once a player can see and feel the small number of things that they can control, the pressure to worry about so many items is minimized. The feeling of relief and ownership, of control, leads to increased confidence.
Prepare your mind to allow your body to do great things. Champions focus their thoughts and energy on things they can control.
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ONE Softball Staff
The ONE Softball editorial staff has decades of success in coaching and business. Coming from diverse backgrounds and experiences, the founders share one common goal: to help the softball community come together. We are excited to provide crucial resources for players, parents and coaches to succeed at every level.