Sport Psychology During a Tournament

Dedicated to all the wonderful teammates, coaches, and rivals.

Written by: Arjun Patel, PT, MPT, MCPA, Clinic Director: Blue Space Clinic Physiotherapy

Please note that post/document is for information purposes only. If you have any questions or need medical advice please see a healthcare professional.

It’s essential to arm yourself with practical strategies to enhance your performance on the field. Here’s how you can implement immediate tactics to tackle the pressures of a tournament. The take home message here is: be mindful of your expectations, your role, and communicating with your team!

Goal Setting- a practical exercise

Take a moment to reflect on what you did in that last game.

What popped up in your head when this question was asked?

Did you show up as who you wanted to be in that last game? Were there moments when your performance or actions did not reflect who you wanted to be? Were these factors internal or external?

Take a moment to think about your intentions for the next game. Set specific goals. These can be performance related, for example, I want to be in better positions to receive passes; or, gameplay related, such as, I want to be a player who responds in a collected and respectful manner when bad ref calls are being made.

Rather than fixating solely on winning, break down your objectives into smaller, more manageable tasks. Talk to your teammates and coaches.

Peer Pressure

“We need to win this next game”

“I don’t want to let my team down”

Addressing Expectations:

Another reason you can feel pressure is internal and external expectations of your performance and behaviour. If there is a discrepancy between where you are and where you want to be, take a moment and go through the goal setting exercise we talked about earlier in this article.

Instead of dwelling on the outcome of the tournament, channel your energy into the process of preparation and execution. Seek guidance from more experienced teammates and coaches.