You just had a bad game, now what?
How do you typically respond? Do you get upset and feel down on yourself for the rest of the day, or maybe even days afterwards?
I can remember back in college, having a bad game and then feeling depressed for the next couple of days. I can’t say I handled bad games in the best way.
It’s important to respond as well as possible to bad games, though, due to the impact it will have on your mental game and your ability to bounce back.
In this short article, I’m going to walk you through the strategy I use with the athletes I work with in one-on-one coaching to help them handle bad games. A strategy I wish I had applied when I was playing.
Trying Not to Think About the Bad Game
It’s important to not dwell on the bad game. You don’t want to replay all your mistakes in your mind. This will only make matters worse.
The more you think about what happened, the more upset you’ll get. This is where frustration and disappointment build, and if you’re not careful, confidence is killed.
But what about learning from your mistakes? Don’t you need to think about what happened in order to learn and improve? Otherwise, won’t you just make the same mistakes over and over again.
Yes, you absolutely need to learn from your bad game. However, be honest with yourself…are you really learning much when you think back to the game and get down on yourself?
A lot of the time, the anger and disappointment you feel will overshadow the lessons.
So yes, you do need to think about the game, but in a very careful way!
Why You Need to Think About a Bad Game
You don’t want to think about a bad game and beat yourself up. There is nothing productive about that. But you do need to think about a bad game as a way to learn and improve.
There are usually reasons behind poor performances. Yes, sometimes the reason is that it was just an off day. That is helpful to know, so you don’t go tearing apart your mechanics thinking something is off.
Other times the reason has to do with your attitude, something you did mechanically, or with distractions you faced.
And sometimes it’s just due to the simple fact, for whatever reason, you didn’t give full effort.
All of these reasons are important to uncover, as they give you a clear path toward improving.
It’s easy to say, “I played terribly today,” and leave it at that. But what are you really getting out of that? Are you taking anything tangible from the game that will help you improve for the next game?
Or are you just feeling sorry for yourself and allowing your frustrations and disappointments to take over?
After bad games you need to look back over what happened with one goal in mind: to improve!
Not to criticize or condemn.
This is a very difficult skill to attain, but one that all great athletes have. They know why they played poorly and what they can do to fix it. They get targeted and specific about the work they need to do. They don’t simply hope they will turn things around the next time they play.
To think in such a way requires an objective examination of your performance. Asking yourself the question, What can I improve upon from the game?
That question, however, does not need to be asked immediately after the bad game. And oftentimes, it’s best if you wait a day or so.
Delaying Your Post-Game Evaluation
In my one-on-one mental coaching program, I give athletes a journal that includes an evaluation system they can use for games. It involves them answering post-game questions to build confidence and to learn from what they did. Good game or bad game we want to learn and improve.
I do not always suggest they complete the journal page immediately after the game, however. We must be very careful as to the mental state you’re in when you evaluate your game.
There are two ways you can go about putting yourself in a better mental state to evaluate your game.
The first is postponing thinking about the game. This one helps tremendously if you have a bad game.
Wait until the next day, or even a day after that, to answer the questions. That way, you allow time to pass and the feelings of frustration to fade.
If you choose this option, I encourage you to do something after the bad game to make yourself feel better. This could involve watching a funny movie or show, hanging out with friends, or talking to your parents about anything other than the game.
The second option is to answer the questions the same day as the game, but be sure to focus on the positives of your performance first.
I know, this is incredibly difficult to do if you had a bad game. But I guarantee that, no matter how bad the game was, there are positives you can find if you look hard enough.
The reason you want to examine the positives first is because this will put you in a better mental state to then look at what you can learn (which will involve the mistakes you made).
Either option you choose is up to you. But remember, the number one goal after a bad game is to take what you can learn, work on it, and move on.
Mental Coaching to Manage Bad Games
Bad games are frustrating and can quickly snowball into bad weeks and seasons. Which is why it’s critical for you to learn what to do after bad games.
The system I described above is a great place to start.
But if you would like a more personalized approach to managing bad games and moving on with confidence, I offer a 12-week one-one-one coaching program.
If you are interested in learning more about the coaching I offer, click here to schedule a free introductory coaching call.
Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of success in all that you do.“
