Exciting opportunities. An unpainted script. A new start. 

Whether it be this transition into the winter sport season or any other time of the year, the dawning of a new season brings a plethora of excitement, anticipation…and nerves, particularly for tryout week. 

Whether a team or organization is cut or no-cut, the first week of practice means that athletes  will receive a decision at the end of the week based on performance and evaluation of coaches. 

All athletes strive to be their best during tryout week, yet internal expectations, the pressure of being watched/judged, and fear of the worst often prevent them to. 

It doesn’t matter whether an athlete is a returning star or a bubble player trying to make the roster, harnessing the mental side of sport can help an athlete be the best version of themselves during one of the most critical times of the season. 

The challenges of tryout week will always be there, but here’s how to best handle them. 

Identify the Reality, Name it and Tame it

Different athletes experience different pressure when it comes to tryouts. For a seasoned player it may be ‘what line will I play on?’ while for another athlete it may be ‘I just want to make the team.’ Regardless of the situation, the worries often stem from a common denominator. 

“When you think of tryouts, there’s this element of evaluation that is heightened,” Premier’s Dr. Matt Mikesell says. “While that is the job of the coach, there’s often an anchor or bias of what am I doing wrong? instead of what am I doing right? for the athlete.”

Mikesell emphasizes that it’s important for athletes to acknowledge and recognize that. After that? Changing the mindset from viewing things as a threat to instead, a challenge. 

“There’s fear of people’s opinion and that can feel really threatening and then we focus on everything that we’re doing wrong,” Mikesell says.”To view it as a challenge (instead of a threat), think of things that you bring to the table and challenges that you’ve overcome in the past. Rooting it in what you’ve done well and bringing that to life is so valuable because we block that information out more often than not in tryout week and it becomes so negative.”

When Coach is Watching

It’s no secret that tryouts week means more coaches’ eyes on athletes..and that can lead to a lot of nerves. 

Arms become heavier, feet become slower, and a simple free throw may seem like aiming for a needle in a haystack. 

It’s because the what if’s kick in. 

“(When you start feeling nervous when coaches are watching), come back to what is important in the moment,” Mikesell says. “Think about where your attention is at. If it’s about being judged by coach, then it’s in the future and we’re playing the what if game. You have to bring your attention back to the present because that’s the only way you’re going to perform well.”

It’s okay to be nervous, and even more important to acknowledge it. When those nerves kick in, we often go from cruise control that results from thousands of previous reps to manual autopilot, focusing on mechanics that prevent us from playing freely. To get back to cruise control, Mikesell recommends using tactical breathing and focusing on sensations rather than mechanics. 

“It could be building in a deep breath, maybe focusing on how we want the movement to feel,” Mikesell says. “Instead of thinking I want my arm to be here or my release point to be here, it could be ‘I want to feel smooth.”

The Results: Out of Our Control

Tryouts present an opportunity for athletes to showcase themselves to the best of their ability. Yet at the end of the day, the final decision of varsity vs. JV, etc. often is out of an athlete’s control. Acknowledging that is important for the athlete, followed by focusing on capitalizing on things within one’s control. 

“If you’re a basketball player and your jump shot is really struggling, perhaps focus on controlling your efforts on rebounds,” Mikesell says. “By allowing yourself to say that hey there really are things in my control that I can do, that takes some of the pressure off of hitting every single jump shot.” 

At the end of the day, it’s important to recognize that pressure and nerves are a normal part of tryout week and experiencing them isn’t a sign of weakness. Yet when the going gets tough, gratitude can be a great way to center oneself and remind us why we’re there. 

We know that when we’re grateful, anxiety and struggles drop,” Mikesell says.”It’s really hard to be scared about something that we’re happy and excited about.”

It’s no secret that athletes diagnosed with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can still reach the top of the athletic pyramid in today’s world.  Just look at the successes of Olympians and outspoken mental health advocates Simone Biles and Michael Phelps. 

In fact, there’s a strong correlation between athletics and ADHD…yet many athletes with ADHD don’t actually know that they have it.

Sport can serve as an incredible vehicle for humans with ADHD, and getting tested and receiving a diagnosis is the first step towards creating a blueprint for success in sport and life. 

The Correlation

The strong correlation between ADHD and sport may sound puzzling, but in reality it makes perfect sense. 

“We estimate that 4-6% of the general population have ADHD while in the athletic population it’s closer to 10-15%,” Premier’s head of ADHD testing Janet Finlayson says.  “There are reasons why individuals with ADHD are drawn to sport.  Things like the level of excitement that sport provides, rapid change, and an outlet for energy are all huge things.”

No two cases of ADHD are the same, yet some of the common behaviors for individuals with the condition include excess energy, desire for constant movement, and a tendency to hyperfocus on one task at hand. 

“The term attention deficit disorder should really be changed to attention regulation,” Finlayson says. “It’s not that people with ADHD can’t ever pay attention, it’s that they have a difficult time regulating. Sometimes they can pay too much attention to one thing at the expense of other things.”

That hyperfocus can actually help athletes with ADHD excel in some sports. 

“If you’re a pitcher or hitter in baseball where there’s one thing to focus on, or playing a sport like hockey or soccer where there’s constant movement, that intensity of focus can give an athlete a competitive edge,” Finlayson says. 

Because of the ability to focus or the craving for an energy outlet, many individuals with ADHD are naturally drawn to sport…and often steered toward sport by their parents. 

“If a child is over-active or needs an outlet for that energy and excitement, youth athletics is one of the first places that parents will typically turn to,” Finlayson says. 

Whether it’s focusing on one objective or the constant movement, sport provides a controlled and constructive environment for athletes with ADHD (both diagnosed and not) to channel their energy.

“It really is a nice outlet,” Finlayson says.  “In sports they get rewarded for that behavior, and in school they are disciplined for it.  It’s a way for them to be themselves and embrace that and use it to their advantage.” 

Why Getting Tested Is Important

Many athletes who have already been diagnosed with ADHD have been given tools and skills to help them thrive in sport, school, work, and life.  Yet for those who haven’t or for parents who think their child might have ADHD, getting tested can be the first step towards creating a healthy blueprint for success. 

In a world of self-diagnosis, it’s important to remember that ADHD isn’t a one-size-fits all and there are different forms of the condition that need to be addressed in different ways. 

“I tell people that getting tested will, number one, determine what type of ADHD you or your child has,” Finlayson says.  “One person may have Hyperactive Impulsive ADHD, while another may have Inattentive ADHD, while another person may have a combination.  In addition, there’s auditory and visual attention.  Sometimes people with ADHD may have deficits in both, or maybe just one.”

Different diagnoses require different forms of attention and getting tested is the first step of getting to the core of an individual’s personal diagnosis. 

For youth athletes, getting a diagnosis earlier in life can help them avoid future struggles with things such as anxiety and depression. 

“The longer you go without getting tested and diagnosed, the more likely you are to develop things like anxiety and depression that complement the ADHD,” Finlayson says.  “The correlation translates more later in life whereas if you can get it diagnosed and treated earlier, you can get ahead of the game.” 

At the end of the day, getting tested won’t just help an undiagnosed athlete develop tools to grow in sport, but lifelong skills to help them manage their ADHD in all other assets of life. 

“Essentially we want people to perform better in school, perform better in sport, and do better in life,” Finlayson says. “Getting tested and getting some answers around that is the best way to do that.”

What Premier Offers for ADHD Resources and Testing

• A free five minute ADHD screener for both adults and youth (ages 14 and above).  Need not be an athlete to use. 
• A free 15-minute phone consultation to decide if ADHD testing is the right decision for you or your child.  Schedule a consultation today.
• Licensed ADHD testing for both adults and children. Premier welcomes both athletes and non-athletes for ADHD testing.

Sport Psychology can help an athlete transcend from good to great in both sport and life for a lifetime, but it doesn’t take a lifetime for an athlete to use the skills learned from sport psychology to improve. 

In fact, many athletes notice a difference after just a few sessions. 

The before-and-after portraits of sport psychology success stories can conjure the perception that these mental skills apply only to performances years down the road.  Quite the opposite is true.  While athletes have goals in the near and distant term, sport psychology sessions target tangible skills that athletes are encouraged to rehearse quickly, often as soon as the next practice, to improve performance.  The accumulation of these skills can indeed take time, but the objective of each session, and each skill, is to elevate performance and mental wellness in the here and now.

Charting the Course

Athletes enter sport psychologist for a variety of reasons.  The same can be said for the parents who so often refer them.  And while some come into sport psychology knowing exactly what they need, many more just know that there’s a problem that needs addressing or an opportunity that needs seizing…quickly.  

“Many parents won’t come to me with those specifics, but they can see that there’s something going on with their child,“ Premier’s Dr. Erin Ayala says.  “It could be Johnny’s having a tough time getting over a loss, or my daughter just isn’t having fun anymore and it seems that there’s been a drop in her confidence.”

Premier’s team works to quickly identify the root of the problem or opportunity. And while things such as confidence, dealing with pressure, and focus all are things that do take time to master, sport psychology can provide athletes with instant tools to notice results by as soon as the next day. 

What it Looks Like

Premier’s team sees individuals of all kinds walk through its doors each day, with a wide variety of stories and needs.  For high school athletes, two of those things are often growing confidence and dealing with negative self-talk and self criticism. 

“A lot of athletes have the misconception that they have to feel confident in order to compete confidently,” Ayala says. “That is false. We know that actions and behaviors lead to feelings of confidence.”

That being said, Ayala works to quickly instill confidence in high school athletes by asking them a brief set of questions that prompts action. 

If you had the confidence that you wish you had, how would you act differently and how would you behave differently? What would the confident version of you look like?

“Not just in sport, but in the classroom, in social situations, in dating,” Ayala says. “Usually the answer has something to do with better communication, being willing to speak up.”

That concept translates to sport. We know that look of an athlete who is playing scared who doesn’t want the ball.  Knowing that a confident athlete would want to control her own destiny, Ayala will then work with the athlete to name a few behaviors that exemplify feelings of confidence that can be implemented into the athlete’s next practice or competition. 

“It’s surprisingly effective and is a gamechanger for some in a matter of 24 hours,” Ayala says. 

The same can be said for different tricks and tools used to manage negative self-talk and self-criticism.  When negative self talk arises, we often respond to it in a negative way because we think it is there because something is wrong. 

Yet according to Ayala, beating yourself up when negative thoughts arise is like listening to a bad radio station while trying to turn on a good one.  Lots of noise.

“Instead of trying to avoid those negative thoughts, we should be letting those thoughts in so we can accept them for what they are, acknowledge them, and let them go so there’s room for a new thought,” Ayala says. 

Ayala encourages athletes to acknowledge that not all thoughts need to be taken as the end all be all.  We can let some of them pass us by.  

“It’s like the parent giving you unsolicited advice for a sport that they’ve never played,” Ayala describes.  “Are you going to say thanks for the advice, mom? Probably, but are you going to actually take it as real sport advice?  Probably not.  So why do you take your own thoughts seriously when you know they aren’t true?”

Ayala likens fighting negative thoughts to playing tug of war with a monster of your own creation.

“Instead of tugging on that rope and wasting all that energy, just drop the rope instead. The monster may still  be there, but you’re not wasting any energy on it.” 

Simple tips and tricks like these can help break barriers immediately. 

Why it Matters 

The on-the-field results that come from sport psychology are certainly wins in themselves. Yet perhaps contribution that sport psychology provides for athletes is the values-based approach that all sessions emphasize…the ability to get the most out of sport and life, regardless of results. 

“The skills that your child will learn will benefit them in other parts of life, including, but not limited to, relationships, friendships, family, any other extracurricular,” Ayala says. “Whether it be focus, motivation, confidence, or other values, we know that sport psychology is our way in to work with athletes to give them great skills that can help them in all domains of life.”