When you're in practice, you've got the skills of a winning champion! You have the right moves, the right mindset and practice with passion. But in competition, it’s almost like you're a different person. You make cautious choices, are worried about how you will perform, and are intimidated by your competitors. In the end, the finish says it all. You have the physical skills to take you far, but it’s your mental skills, (or mindset) that are holding you back from reaching your winning potential. Great athletes have both physical and mental skills necessary to earn championship performances. Get the mental advantage to take your performance to the next level...

If you let your mind wonder and start to question

what you can do, the competition is already over.

You just have to get in there and do the job.

Jason Bausch

Professional Road Cyclist

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“ Boost Your Confidence

Great athletes understand that thoughts, attitudes and beliefs directly

impact their performances. You can harness the same winning mindset by

boosting your confidence.

For many athletes, it is much easier to accept that they may need to refine

their physical skills than to admit that there may be internal demons that

influence performance. They work harder and harder hoping that with

enough practice, determination and persistence that they will eventually

resolve whatever problems may persist. But, the underlying issue is not in

the physical skills; rather it lies buried in the beliefs, attitudes and

thoughts that each athlete has about his or her abilities.

Fears about what others think about you, performing better in practice

than in competition; letting competitors psych you out; or performances

which protect your current score, position or rank are all symptoms that

confidence may be to blame for your problematic performances.

You can harness the power of your mind and reap the rewards of a

champion performance by adapting the thoughts that impact performance

outcome.

John Ellsworth, MA

Sports Psychology Consultant

For the past 10 years, John has been consulting with athletes, coaches, teams and

parents across North America to help build strong, mentally tough, competitive minds

by strengthening confidence, refining focus and improving composure.

To receive free sports psychology tips, listen to interviews with athletes and access

articles to improve your performance, please visit: www.protexsports.com

www.protexsports.com (408) 235-1500

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CONFIDENCE

Remove negative self-labels.

Let go of poor past performances.

Replace unhealthy beliefs with healthy

ones.

Perform in the present moment.

Focus on the process instead of on

outcomes.

To learn more about improving your

competitive confidence visit --

www.protexsports.com.

Five Strategies to Boost Confidence and Improve Performance