Athletes, let me ask you something. Have you ever hit a shot, you nail the routine, you've done something 100 times in practice, it's like your body just knows what to do. But the second that you get into an actual competition where it really matters, like you are in a game, all eyes are on you, you freeze, you crumble under the pressure. It's like you've never done that skill a day in your life before. This is what we are going to be talking about today. And it's not because you lost all of your talent overnight. It's because something really specific happens in your brain as soon as you feel the pressure starting to rise. Once you know what that is, you can actually do something about it Before I get into it, I want to share a quick message that Mackenzie had given us. She is one of the athletes inside of our program, The Elite Competitor Academy, and she was really feeling the pressure She had messaged us and said, "When I'm doing warm-up drills and game scenarios before a tournament, I feel like I'm playing well. But then as soon as I actually begin competing in the tournament, for whatever reason, I end up performing really differently and badly. This is a new problem that I've had the last few tournaments that I've done." This is such a common problem. Mackenzie messaged this in, and we gave her a few tips to help understand the pressure that she was feeling and really be able to manage it so that she was competing consistently, that Mackenzie that she was getting in practice was also the Mackenzie that was showing up in competition. And so we are going to talk about the tips that I gave her today. She ended up using those tips and she said, "I tried the tips that you gave me and they worked. I was able to compete like I practice, and I had some of the best results I've ever had before." This is exactly what we are talking about today. We are going to go into the tips that helped Mackenzie succeed and play like she practices, and closing the gap between what you can do and what actually happens when it matters If we have not yet met, my name is Coach Saylor, and I'm a mental performance coach for competitive girl athletes inside of our program, the Elite Competitor Academy. I work with girls every single day on the mental side of the game inside of our program. This is the piece that your coach probably isn't teaching you, but it is something that really matters, and it is going to set you apart from other athletes. The mental side is under-trained, but it is something that is going to give you that edge above your competition, and honestly, just becoming the better version of yourself So let's kind of pull back the curtain and talk about what is happening when you're losing your skills in the middle of a competition. You drill a skill enough times, you're not having to think about it. It moves into the automatic. Your body just runs it. It knows exactly how to execute the skill without having to supervise every single step along the way. And so you're not actually actively thinking about your skills anymore. You are able to just execute them. It's the same way when you're walking down a hallway, you're not thinking about every individual step that you are taking. That's what practice is building And then the pressure shows up, right? Like a real game, a real competition, people are watching, something is on the line, and your brain does something kind of sneaky to you. It starts to pull away from the automatic, and it starts to consciously supervise that skill again. It's the same thing if you were walking down that hallway, and before it was automatic, and now you stare down at your feet, and you think about how hard it is to actually walk and all of the steps that are needed, and really breaking it down of what it takes to put one foot in front of the other. And so this is a very well-researched phenomena, and it is a great explanation of what is happening with our brain when we are experiencing these pressure moments. It's not that you are losing your skills, it's just your brain starting to interrupt those automatic thought patterns that, you had before, and it's doing it in the wrong moment. So let's talk about what you can actually do about that now Tip number one is to name it when it actually happens. Name it to tame it. The second that you feel yourself starting to overthink a move, starting to overthink one of your skills that you would normally just do, that's not you playing worse, that is your brain switching from that automatic mode into that supervision mode. And so just recognizing in that moment is going to take some of its power away. It's because now you know it's not permanent, it's not about your talent. So that's tip number one, is I want you to just recognize when you are starting to slip into that supervision mode, and get curious about it. And if you're wanting to know more about this, and more about how your brain works under pressure specifically, and how it can work for you under pressure, we have a free quiz built exactly for that, and it's gonna tell you more about what your competitor style is, and how you can handle the pressure. The link for that competitor style quiz is in the description below. So you can go and take it after this video. All right, now onto tip number two. Tip number two is going to be being able to snap back and really anchor and then go forward with the next point. The first step of this is taking a really intentional deep breath. So you are gonna inhale fully and exhale fully, and after you do that, step number two is you are going to say a word to yourself, and this should be a word that is how you want to show up and compete. It could be aggressive, brave, fierce, locked in, confident, flow, fun, whatever comes to mind where you feel like you can play at your very best and that's how you are wanting to show up. And then the last part of this being able to snap back is using a quick signal, and so this signal is gonna be a physical action, a physical motion that helps ground you. Could be adjusting your hair tie. It could be kind of shaking your hands, could be clapping, snapping, tapping your fingers together. Maybe it's wiping your shoes off. Anything that you can do while in your sport that is a quick physical signal. And so then you are back into that next moment. So you took a deep breath, you said a word to yourself, and you did a signal And all of these steps together is going to pull your brain out of that supervision mode and back into the thing that you have already trained your body to do, where you have all of the reps and it can go back into automatically doing it tip number three, and this I think is one of the biggest game changers, is to start to build the bridge between practice and games on purpose. Your past success is fuel, all of your past experiences is fuel for your future success, for your future confidence. And so we need to keep it in this evidence bank and make it really deliberate. And so before a big moment, I want you to think back on all of your training, maybe even finding a specific rep or a specific training and practice where you were locked in and it felt easy and you were working so hard. And I want you to just let your brain remember that you've already built this, that you have already been in this moment before it has happened. Because we don't rise up in pressure moments. We actually fall to the level of our training. So we have to make sure we have a strong foundation, and I know how hard you're working, and so we need to remember those moments and remember the foundation that we have built So your brain needs to remember that it's been easy before, and you've already done it. You've already put in the work. And the same thing goes for practice. So you can actually flip it in practice too. So don't just, like, run through reps. Don't just go through the motions and, like, walk through drills. You need to be really intentional on how you practice. Adding in real pressure, making things game-like, making sure that you are setting goals that are a little bit of a stretch, but that you can still achieve. Doing it on purpose, making it count for something, having stats or outcomes attached. Having a teammate watching you, having a coach watch you, putting a consequence on something. That way, when pressure shows up in a game, you've already been in that moment before. You have already practiced in competition-like scenarios. It's not a new territory. It is just another day of you playing your sport So the last step is kind of twofold. You need to be able to release the pressure in games by remembering all of your past successes and past moments that have laid a strong foundation for you, and then also being able to raise the stakes and raise the pressure in those practice and training moments. Let's bring it all together of how to actually play like you've done it 100 times before Tip number one is to name the switch when it happens. Make sure that you are able to notice when you're going from that automatic into supervision, and vice versa. When you are able to move from supervision into that automatic mode. Again, it's not all of your skills leaving you, it is just your brain starting to supervise in the wrong moment. It's interrupting the wrong moment. Tip number two is to anchor and go. So use that snapback of taking a deep breath, saying a word to yourself, and then having a signal to get back into that present moment and remind your body and your brain what you are truly capable of That's gonna help you be really task-oriented and focus on that very next play. And then tip number three is to have the evidence of your past experiences, your past successes, and put real pressure into your practice reps on purpose so that pressure in a game stops feeling so foreign to you All right, athletes. Those are all the tips that are going to help you manage and release some of the pressure that you might be feeling, and the same tips that helped McKenzie reach her next level in softball. If this episode helped you out in some way, make sure that you're subscribing and following along. We are posting new athlete tips every month here. We want to be elevating your level of play. And before your next game, make sure that you go and take that competitor style quiz so that you know what type of competitor you are and how you can use that to your advantage in competition. It's free, it's only going to take you a few minutes, and knowing your competitor style is going to give you that mental edge. You've got this. Go show everybody what you are built for, and make sure to keep on training the mental game. The mental game is the game. Stay consistent, and we're excited to see you back another time