By Mia Oyama ’17
There is more to the game than physical play and all of the top athletes know that. The mental aspect of sports separates the top athletes from average ones.
People believe that in order to be successful in sports you need to have outstanding skills, however, that is not the only thing that makes an athlete.
In order to succeed, it is important to be strong physically and mentally. To be strong mentally, athletes need to be able to set a bar for themselves to train hard, handle pressure from spectators and be able to perform in the hardest situations. They have to obtain a good mentality to keep performing at a high level.
“The mental aspect of sports is half the battle,” senior Noah Struss said. “Many people lose matches and games prior to even stepping on the mat or the field. If people get in your head during a match it’s basically all over.”
The pressure that goes into sports is something that many people do not take into consideration. Great athletes are able to perform under immense amounts of pressure.
Helping teammates and meeting expectations of teammates, coaches and fans, is one way to set the bar high for performance. Athletes are also known to put pressure on themselves, by making sure they are doing their job, outcasting plays correctly and impressing the audience.
“There are certain expectations for every player on the team,” sophomore Hannah McCrone said. “If you don’t meet those expectations, you are disappointing your team and your coaches, so the pressure to do that makes you focus a lot more on something you wouldn’t care about.”
To prepare for games, it is vital to do more than practice skills, they need to prepare themselves for the pressure and criticism they will receive based on their performance. Athletes need to envision success in order to do well, not just practice. “The night before my match I always have to envision myself winning as well as think about what moves will work,” Struss said.
“Sports take a lot of mental toughness in order to keep playing when your team is losing or when you aren’t playing well,” junior Ryan Murphy said. “If I let people get in my head I forget about the game and end up only worrying about going against that player. Players and coaches may expect certain things from you during a game and if you mess up it can get in your head and make you play worse.”
High standards force athletes to push themselves to keep going in times where they want to give up. “People who don’t play sports may not realize how important sports really are to those who do,” McCrone said. “They might see sports as just a game instead of understanding the mental toughness you need to push through when your body is trying to give up.”
Athletes who are able to work under pressure and take negative criticism are athletes who will be the most successful.
