Just passing this well written article along.Might be time to have a section on the
 
mental aspects of sports.

     How to Play Well When You Feel Uncomfortable
    By Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.

    Mental Game Expert Dr. CohnDoes your performance suffer when you're not "on," you feel uncomfortable, or don't have your "A" game that day? Do you struggle with staying determined and grinding out the competition if your game is off or the competition is too strong?

    At an extreme level, I work with perfectionists that have trouble staying composed when their games are not up to self-imposed standards. They not only want to win, but they want their performance to look good and feel good at the same time. If they don't perform close to perfection, they lose momentum, entertain doubts, and become easily frustrated.

    Athletes who are not perfectionists by nature also struggle with getting the job done when they don't feel right or are not spot on. For example, I know basketball players who miss shots early in the game and they stop shooting for fear of missing more shots. I don't think Michael Jordan would ever think this way... He keeps shooting and believes the next shot is going in!

    Likewise, I know golfers who struggle with finishing off the round when they don't have their "A" game. Confidence gets thrown out the window when the round does not go according to plan or at the first signs of marginal shots.

    I've also worked with a NASCAR driver that self-destructed when he or his team made one mistake early in the race. He was so distracted with thinking "what's wrong with us" that he could not adjust.

    What's common among all these scenarios? If an athlete or team is not willing to grind it out or make adjustments, they have little chance at winning or performing well.

    One of the top grinders I've seen in sports is Tiger Woods. He's exciting to watch because one moment he hits amazing shots no other player in golf can hit, but the next moment he might have to scramble his way out of a jam by hitting a recovering shot from an adjacent fairway.

        "Well, if you look at most events you play, you don't ever hit the ball great for four straight days. You're always going to have one off day, and even some of my best rounds that I've gone 25-under par were, four rounds, I had one off day. But off day score wise can still be a pretty good score, but you don't feel quite right about your game, and you ask how I'm going to make up the score, and I did that, a little bit yesterday. I wasn't hitting the ball very good on my Back 9 and somehow made a score, and that's what you have to do."
        ~Tiger Woods, after winning by 3 shots at the 2009 Buick Open

   
    ______________________________________________________

    I believe one sign of a mentally tough athlete is the ability to improvise and make adjustments when you don't have your best game that day. You have to understand that it's impossible to play in the zone or near your peak every day. As my mentor Ken Ravizza says, you must learn to be comfortable with your game when you feel uncomfortable.

    Not every athlete has the mindset to play well when they feel uncomfortable or struggle. Negative emotions and doubt interfere with this mindset. How do you pull yourself up and get the most from your performance when you are uncomfortable? How do you feel comfortable when you don't have your "A" game? Here are four strategies to help you adjust:

    First, you have to prepare yourself mentally prior to competition. You must know that competition does not always go according to plan. You plan for the best scenario, but also prepare for the fact that you might need to improvise or adapt. I like my students to be prepared mentally so they can make any adjustments and cope with any adversity. If your long game is not spot on, be prepared to grind it out with a great short game.

    Second, you have to manage elevated (and sometimes perfectionist-like) expectations about performance. For example, it's not a good idea to expect to throw a no-hitter every game because no-hitters are very rare. Often, athletes will throw in the towel and check out when their performance is not up to their self-imposed expectations.

    Third, you have to enjoy being in the role of a grinder. Can you abandon your original game plan and just get the job done or win ugly? One of the best grinders I've seen on the PGA Tour is a player named Brad Faxon. Brad won many tournaments with a below average long game because his short game would take up the slack. And that's the role he enjoyed and was rewarded for.

    Fourth, don't get caught into the mental trap of over analyzing your mistakes. If you try to fix what's wrong in competition, this mindset does not allow you to adapt. You're too busy analyzing what's wrong with your game and you get distracted from getting the job done.