Mind Over Sports

If you’re a coach, how often have you heard one of your players apologize to you for having had a “bad game.” But there’s no such thing as just having a bad game. There’s always a reason. Girlfriend or boyfriend problems. Financial problems. Family problems. Teammate problems. But whatever the problem, if it’s not confronted and shared openly with teammates prior to game-time, very often in a “players only team meeting,” the problem will show up on the football field in the form of dropped passes and fumbles, or it will show up on the basketball court in the form of missed shots and turn-overs. But the opposite is also true. When an athlete is happy and his/her life is in harmony, he/she will perform close to his/her skill level on a consistent basis. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs is a good example.