How to Stay Focused When Progress is Slow?
Keep in mind that progress can be slow in coming at times. Practice is all about developing the confidence and trust in your ability with the new skill before you take it to the competitive arena. If progress is going as slow as you say it is, rather than focus on what you are trying to make happen – try and determine what is getting in the way to your progress.
_________________________________________________________________________
Keep in mind that progress can be slow in coming at times. Practice is all about developing the confidence and trust in your ability with the new skill before you take it to the competitive arena. I understand your frustration with not seeing the improvements when you want to see them. When progress is slow you can choose to reframe your thought process and focus on the progress in other areas. It’s important to rule out what is not helping you reach your practice goals in the first place. If progress is going as slow as you say it is, rather than focus on what you are trying to make happen – try and determine what is getting in the way to your progress. With help from your coach, break down your practice and determine what you might be doing technically that is not getting the results you want. The bottom line is to have patience with the process and set manageable performance objectives that are written down, achievable yet not too easy, and measurable.
Many athletes struggle with performance and skills development because they fail to have a step-by-step plan, and most importantly they fail to measure their progress. Maintaining a bad attitude will not help you get the most out of your practice plan or help you reach your performance objectives. Remaining mad will only serve to drain needed physical and mental energy away from you practice plan. Avoid pointing fingers at yourself or others – or discount your ability as an athlete.
A better approach is to implement a step-by-step plan with 2-3 performance objectives (mini goals), and 2-3 mental game goals to help keep your performance in the present. One way to get a plan like this in motion is to complete a FREE mini assessment document entitled “Identified When Mental Game Training is suggested”. The results of this short survey will help you determine what mental game challenges might be getting in the way of your performance improvement plans. Drop me an email and let me know if this is something you might wish to do, or simply click on the “FREE Mini Assessment” link on this page and you can get started right away.
John R. Ellsworth, M.A., Sport Psychology Consultant & Mental Game Coach – 800-608-1120
