How to Build a Confident Athletic Mindset Under Pressure

Athletic Pressure in Sports

“Pressure is a Privilege” is on a plague at the players’ entrance to Arthur Ashe Stadium at the U.S. Open. It is a partial quote from tennis legend Billie Jean King. The full quote reads, Pressure is a privilege – It only comes to those who earn it.” Quotes can be powerful motivators. More useful is to work with that quote and translate it into operable actions. Accepting/embracing pressure is a vital component in sport performance. “It only comes to those who earn it,” is the action piece.

Training for pressure takes place well before an athlete walks into competition. Learning the tools is an ongoing empowering process. Some athletes have an innate ability in this area. Many athletes rely on athletic prowess until they bump up against an impasse in their level of success often siting that they do well in practice but struggle to replicate the same skill level around the pressure of game day. 

Below are a few examples of top performers sharing their experience of feeling pressure regarding performance. They have crafted solutions to manage the expectations and pressure that come from high levels of competition.

Allyson Felix: Track & Field, seven time Olympic Gold Medalist has spoken about pressure associated with Olympic competition and the importance of preparation, perspective and mental well being. “Rehearse the performance before the moment arrives.” 

Chlóe Kim: Snowboarding, Olympic Gold Medalist has discussed the mental burden of expectations after becoming an Olympic Champion at a young age and the importance of taking breaks and protecting her mental space. “I am more than just a professional snowboarder and an athlete.” 

Novak Djokovic: 24 time Grand Slam singles player champion. He has spent his career learning to cope with expectations and pressure. He has developed mechanisms that mitigate pressure from becoming a distraction. “If you are aiming to be at the top of the game you better start learning how to deal with pressure and how to cope with those moments — on the court but also off the court.” “All that buzz and all that noise is the thing that, I can’t say I don’t see it or I don’t hear it, of course it’s there, but I’ve learned, I’ve developed the mechanism how to deal with it in such a way that it will not impose destruction to me” 

Russell Wilson: Super Bowl Champion, 14 year career in NFL.“When pressure hits, you have to be careful about the story you start telling yourself. Is this too big? What if I make a mistake? What if we lose? I try to get back to what I call neutral thinking. Instead of judging what’s happening, I focus on what I can do right now. What’s the situation? What’s my responsibility? What’s the next decision I need to make?”

What is the take away from this small sampling of athletes? Pressure isn’t the opponent. The goal isn’t to become pressure proof. Managing mental pressure is trainable. It is a performance condition that athletes’ recognize and seriously train for. When creating a mental skills template for an athlete understanding the unique needs, experiences, pressures that the individual carries is important. Mental skills are not a one size fits all formula. The skills expand as an athlete’s career grows. 

Incorporating mental skills training into an overall athletic program is a powerful step towards assisting an athlete for performance confidence. Just as an athlete focuses on training their bodies and technical skills, mental skills are the link to manage pressure and respond effectively in moments that count. 

Train the mind, trust the preparation and perform wth confidence