The 5 Parts of Your Competitive Self

posted on: December 1, 2013
author: Brian Lomax, Ed.D.

All great competitors have a keen sense of what their body state should be during competition so that they perform at top level.  This means that they are in touch with how their muscles feel, what they’re thinking, what they’re feeling, etc.  Their body state is in essence their body chemistry.  Competitive situations alter body chemistry and it’s critical to understand some of the levers that you can use to get yourself in the right state.

There are 5 Parts to what I call the Competitive Self that can help you manage and adjust your body state so that you’re performing at an optimal level under pressure.  These 5 Parts are inter-dependent and have some overlap, but also independent enough to be monitored separately.

1. Your Breathing – The rhythm and depth of your breath are key components of controlling your body chemistry.  Rhythmic breathing can enable your mind to reach a state of coherence that will allow it to focus better in the face of competition.  Deep breaths are not necessarily important on their own, but shallow breaths can make you more nervous and tense.  Use your breath to help you relax and lower your heart rate.

2. Your Body Language – What image are you reflecting to your opponent and yourself?  Make sure that it’s a confident and strong image that shows you’re going to be fighting till the end.  There should be no sign of weakness or negativity.  Body language is a strong influencer on the other 5 Parts in this formula.

3. Your Self Talk – Keep your self talk brief and focused on what you need to do.  When you’re in the zone, the mind is generally quiet so a lot of self talk can be detrimental to performance because you might be over-thinking.  The tone of your self talk should be positive, encouraging, supportive and confident.

4. Your Emotional State – While there is some literature that states that anger can lead to performing better, it’s a tough emotion to control in that way.  I think of it like riding a bucking bronco and you have to steer it in a particular direction.  It’s easier said than done.  Alternatively, your emotional state should be predominantly positive and unwaveringly optimistic.  You should feel excited about competing and enjoying the challenge.

5. Your Focus – Learn to narrow your focus down to the only parts of your performance that matter.  That means being in the moment and focusing on the very next point, play, shift, shot, etc.  Focusing on anything broader than that opens you up to distractions or things that don’t actually matter to your performance.

Being mentally tough and a great competitor is all about making the decisions that keep these 5 Parts of your Competitive Self aligned with the mission of performing your best and winning.  While getting angry may feel like the proper natural reaction given what we sometimes see on television, it is in my opinion a sign of mental weakness.  It disrupts the optimal aspects of the 5 Parts, most especially Focus.  When you get angry, you’re focused on the past and no matter how much you think about the past, it isn’t going to change.  This is a lesson that many sports coaches need to learn not only for themselves, but for the effect that their anger has on their players.  That kind of anger isn’t a sign of how tough you are.  It actually shows how little control you have over your own emotions and what a poor understanding you have of mental toughness.

In order to perform your best, monitor and be accountable for the 5 Parts of Your Competitive Self.  Remind yourself of these things before you practice/compete and then evaluate yourself afterward so you can learn from how you did.

photo credit: The U.S. Army via photopin cc