Peak Performance

In this installment I will talk about factors that will help you achieve peak performance and some factors that may be preventing you from reaching peak performance. When talking about athletic peak performance you tend to think of athletes like Lebron James, Usain Bolt, Shawn White, Serena & Venus Williams. These athletes are considered the best at their sport. But anyone who plays or follows sports closely knows that peak performance is not limited to those who are at the top. Every sport has participants who achieve remarkable accomplishments while finishing behind the leaders. Likewise, every team has members who are invaluable to the success of the team but are not recognized as the star. Here are a couple strategies that can help you achieve peak performance in your sport and on your team.

• Have a positive pregame mindset before competition.

As an athlete sometimes we hold ourselves to very high expectations. For example, I have spoken to the Harvard baseball coach who has problems with one of his starting pitchers. He said the pitcher expects to throw a no hitter every time he steps onto the mound. So what happens when the pitcher gives up his first hit? The pitcher would get upset and frustrated that he gave up the no hitter and would feel that he had failed. The coach says it often takes him a couple innings to regain control of his emotions and get back into a rhythm. But by the time he regains control the damage has already been done.
What can we do as athletes to get ourselves into a positive mindset? The first step is becoming aware of our mindset and thoughts before we play. We have to identify these expectations and factors that may cause us to get upset during competition. To achieve peak performance you cannot let a minor setback ruin your whole performance. Throw out the idea of being a perfectionist! If you carry these high expectations into your competition you set yourself up for feeling like you are failing. This leaves yourself very little room for success.

• Let go of errors before emotions snowball out of control.

I was watching Phil Mickelson lead the final round of the 2010 Masters. He had trouble all week hitting the fairways off the tee. In the last round he again put a drive into the woods and had a very difficult recovery shot under the pressure of The Masters Championship gallery. He stepped up to his ball and hit a shot through the trees and onto the green. He then made the putt for birdie, kept the lead and eventually won the Green Jacket. The announcer who was following him went on to say that this is what separates Phil from all the other golfers in the world. When Phil hits a bad shot he regains control of his emotions and it allows him to focus on hitting a great next shot.
Having control of your emotions is when you stay even keeled and poised when you are challenged with adversity. Even top athletes like Phil and Tiger Woods get frustrated and upset when they make errors. But they are able to regain control quickly and get back on track. Recovering quickly from mistakes separates champion athletes from those who crack when adversity strikes.

Every athlete has the capability of achieving peak performance, not just the top athletes. I hope you can use these simple strategies and examples on your way to peak performance and success throughout this season.