You’ve heard it a million times…focus on what you can control. 

Those six words serve as a guiding light in both sport and life; after all, where we place our attention is the number one determinant of whether we will find success or not in sport. 

Yet it can sometimes be easier said than done to stay locked in on things within our control during competition…or even know what is within our control. 

Being cognizant of what is within your control lays the foundation for so many things in sport; letting go of losses and mistakes, moving on from unfortunate outcomes, mentally preparing for competition, and much more. 

More importantly, learning to hone in on the controllables in sport will equip you with the skills to combat adversity off the playing field in life for years to come. 

WITHIN OUR CONTROL

ATTITUDE
How we approach our attitude before, during, and after competition is critical to developing a strong growth mindset; a skillset that great athletes value and live out. Our attitude and thoughts are intertwined and naturally, a negative attitude will lead to negative thoughts and vice versa. 

It’s okay to be frustrated when things go wrong and important to acknowledge the feelings and thoughts that you may have. Yet our thoughts moving forward can greatly affect our attitude. 

A bad attitude is often rooted in a poor performance or negative outcome and thoughts such as “I can’t believe I lost!” or “I played so poorly” are often present. Simply working toward rephrasing those negative thoughts into opportunities can go a long way in shifting an athlete’s mindset or attitude. A few examples are provided below. 

FOCUS
As mentioned above, where we place our attention (our focus) is the number one determinant of success in sport. That being said, placing our focus on things within our control is absolutely critical to peak performance. Shifting focus to things within our control after miscues, mistakes, and outcomes out of our control is even more important. 

Let’s say you miss a free throw; as frustrating as it may be, there is nothing that you can do to change the outcome. However, you can control how you respond and move forward. When adversity hits or when you find yourself focusing on things outside of your control, remind yourself of the acronym W.I.N.; what’s important now. 

For example, after that missed free throw, W.I.N. could be hustling back down the court to play good defense or leaning on a specific breathing technique. 

EFFORT
We may not be able to control the outcomes of competition, but we can always control our effort. Strong effort naturally maximizes our chances of obtaining favorable outcomes but most importantly, instills strong habits and a valid feeling of satisfaction following competition. 

BREATHING
Sport often presents moments of stress, anxiousness, and adversity. One of the best ways to work through those moments is to practice breathing exercises. Breathing exercises help us calm down, refocus, and lock in on what’s important in the present moment. 

One of the most popular breathing exercises is box breathing. See below how to practice box breathing. 

PREPARATION
Outcomes are out of our control and some days you may just not have your “A game.” However, practicing excellent preparation prior to practice and competition gives us the best chance to receive favorable results and play to our potential. 

Preparation can include health habits such as getting a good night’s sleep, eating well, and hydrating. It can also include actions right before competition such as meditation and writing down goals. 

Consistency is everything when it comes to preparation; come up with and write down a preparation routine that spans the night before competition to the moments leading up to it and to yourself accountable. 

BEHAVIOR/SPORTSMANSHIP
Sport brings out emotion, and that can be an excellent thing. However, it’s always important to be cognizant of our behavior toward others, sportsmanship, and our own body language.

“Body language communicates a message to everyone around us” Premier’s Dr. Chrissy Holm Haider says. “Ask yourself, what message do you want to send to your teammates, coaches, and opponents?” 

It’s okay to feel emotions of stress and frustration. Yet as mentioned earlier, it’s important to turn the page and portray yourself in a way that you want to be perceived by those around you. 

OUT OF CONTROL

INJURY
Dealing with injuries can be very frustrating. Spending time dwelling on an injury is not going to help you get better because it is out of your control. The best thing to do is focus on what you can control. You can watch film, do rehab, support your teammates, etc. All of these things are within your control and will ensure you are prepared for when you can return from your injury. 

WEATHER
Bad weather can be a difficult obstacle when playing outdoor sports. Letting the weather dictate how you play/act is not going to be beneficial. Everyone has to play in the same conditions so instead of focusing on the weather, focus on what is within your control and how you can perform your best regardless of the climate.

OUTCOME
Nobody can control the outcome of the game before it happens. Worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet restricts you from being present. Being present and focusing on what you can control in the moment is what maximizes your focus/performance and will help get you to the outcome you want. 

COACHES
We’ve all seen a coach yell at their players from time to time. Being yelled at may make you upset and make it difficult to manage your emotions. However, it’s not beneficial allocating our focus towards the thoughts and behaviors of others. Instead, focus on how you would/will respond in situations when receiving feedback. 

We also cannot control a coach’s decision on playing time or minutes. Frustrated with a lack of playing time? Hone in on things within your control such as open communication, hard work, attitude, and goal-setting.

PARENTS
Most athletes want to make their parents proud. Yet you cannot control the actions or words of your parents or other parents. While we cannot control our parents, we can control practicing open communication about how we’re feeling, how we can ask our parents to best support us, and what our goals and aspirations are. 

FANS
We’ve all competed in front of fans or spectators who have distracted us. As frustrating as it may be, we cannot control what people in the stands are saying/yelling and allocating our focus toward them does no good. 

Like any other situation where you may become distracted, remember the W.I.N. when you notice yourself focusing on fans. 

LUCK
Luck is a part of all sports at the levels…sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. You may play the best game or match of your life but lose because of a lucky shot or pass. As frustrating as it may be, there’s no way that you can control lucky outcomes that your opponent has…or that you may have. 

Coming to terms with this is important and a reminder that we cannot control outcomes; we can only control the steps we take to put ourselves in the best position to find success and fulfillment in sport. 

In a fast-paced and ever changing world of sport, more and more athletes are recognizing the importance of the mental side of sport. That means that an increased number of athletes, teams, and coaches are leaning on mental performance and sport psychology services. 

At Premier Sport Psychology, we’re honored to serve athletes each year ranging from youth to professionals and Olympians. The mental side of sport evolves the good to great and is the final frontier toward reaching peak performance. 

All athletes can benefit from sport psychology, and to showcase what sport psychology looks like, how athletes can benefit from it, and what the industry looks like,  we’ll be featuring Dr. Kirbi Kidd. one of our postdoctoral providers at Premier.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama Dr. Kirbi (also known as Dr. K) attended college at Mount Holyoke College where she graduated with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Sport Studies. Following her time at Mount Holyoke, Kirbi completed graduate school at Springfield College, earning her master’s degree in Doctorate Counseling Psychology and Athletic Counseling.

Kirbi is passionate about working with athletes of all ages, and has a strong background in collegiate athletics and is passionate about helping athletes find balance, their own narrative, and using their origin story to pave a successful path forward. 

Through a series of articles we’ll be showcasing the work that Dr. K does, how she approaches meeting clients where they are at, and insight into the profession of sport psychology. 

____________

What are you hoping to showcase through the Postdoc Corner?
I want to showcase my personality, why I’m practicing sport psychology, and what that looks like at Premier. It’s important to showcase the work that we do because it can help others, but is also fun and fulfilling. 

What got you interested in sport psychology?
Having those not so good moments in sport. I played basketball growing up and had a moment where I wasn’t playing much and wasn’t practicing. Because I was on the sidelines quite a bit I saw quite a few things. I saw poor coaching, anxiety, poor communication, and saw teammates work around that and do their own thing. At the same time I had to wrestle with the question of “why am I not playing?” So I saw all the dynamics. In that time with that team I decided to pursue sport psychology to pursue some of the answers that I was questioning in that time in my life.  

Sport is very human and a microcosm of life. What would you say to a younger version of yourself?
There are many ways to play the game. I didn’t know that then and being convinced that there’s only one way and when you aren’t meeting that way, you’re wrong. There are so many different ways to get up the court, to draw up a play, and  to approach the mental game. 

That leads into a piece of advice that I’d give to people interested in going into the profession. There’s no one way to do this. There’s no one way to get into this discipline (you can pursue different majors and programs), there’s no one way that’s perfect and absolute when it comes to carrying out your practice. There is one way not to do it…make it about you. 

What were you doing before Premier?
Before this I was wrapping up my doctorate in Counseling Psychology (PsyD) from Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. I ended that experience with my internship at Mississippi State University, where I had the opportunity to work with their athletic department doing both clinical and mental performance work.

You were trained in Counseling Psychology and are now working in mental performance and sport psychology. What has that experience been like?
Laughs…..The shift has been a humbling one, but an intentional one. It has taken me a while to drum up meetings with Premier’s clientele where they’re more apt to focus on performance, although we do have licensure to focus on and provide traditional clinical needs when appropriate. It’s been exposing and humbling to objectively notice that I am primed to call out the clinical (side of psychology) first and then lean into the performance coaching. However, in my experiences so far, the client often wants and needs performance coaching first. Oftentimes we’re working with adolescents who want more direction and instruction whereas my experience comes from college-aged adults who have a little bit more life under them that can point to their history. Some kiddos don’t have that in full just yet (all the history or language), and it’s ok. It’s also positioned me to partner with anyone and everyone and lean into versatility, feedback, and suggestions. 

What makes your position difficult?
Deciding to stay open to what each experience will bring. You may have an idea or expectation of what a situation may bring, but mindfully pausing to stay open, considerate, and ask questions will shift and help you better understand the expectation. It’s hard because it’s something that you consciously have to manage. It’s humbling because you often have to open your mind to new ideas and ways of thinking, doing, and applying that may be very different from previous experiences. 

Premier operates very differently from a college counseling center or athletics department. I’m used to working with Titanium (a favored college EMR system)  and tracking notes, sessions, signatures and now I’m working with three different EMR (Electronic Medical Records) systems. Could I choose to get frustrated by that? Absolutely. But do I embrace it and recognize that it’s a part of growth? YES! Being open to change and becoming uncomfortable is what will make you grow and become a better clinician and mental performance coach. 

What keeps you going every day?
Overall, what fills my cup is having a growth mindset and leaning into the transition from my clinical background to mental performance, and then fusing the two best. As I’m mindfully noting changes for me, and learning where I can stretch, I know that I’m growing and being able to point to that growth; and hearing from others about it is very fulfilling. We’re very community-based here and I’ve certainly felt that. Just as Premier serves athletes of all backgrounds, ages, and experiences, our team has so many different experiences, approaches, and perspectives that come together for the common goal of serving others.