2 Questions to Simplify Your Mental Game

As athletes, we often overcomplicate the mental side of performance. But the truth is, a strong mental game should feel simple.

Not easy — but simple.

Because the ultimate goal of mental training is to help you let go during competition. You want to play freely, trust your muscle memory, and get into a flow state.

To help you do that, here are two powerful questions you can ask yourself. These questions will simplify your mental game, clarify your thinking, and ultimately help you perform with more confidence and control.

Question #1: What Do I Need to Think About to Feel Confident?

Confidence is one of the most important mental skills an athlete can develop. Because when you feel confident, you trust yourself. And when you trust yourself, you let go and play.

Now, if you’re like most athletes (and like me), your confidence probably goes up when you’re playing well. And that’s great — until you hit a slump.

Then what?

That’s where your thinking becomes critical. The way you talk to yourself and view your game either increases or destroys your confidence.

This is because of something called the thought-feeling-action cycle. The thoughts you have affect how you feel. How you feel influences how you act — how you play.

So if your thoughts are things like:

• “I suck.”

• “I’ve been playing terribly lately.”

• “I don’t know if I have it today.”

You’ll naturally feel doubt, insecurity, and low energy — and your performance will suffer.

But the opposite is also true. If you work to shift your thinking — even when you’re not feeling your best — you can take back control of that cycle.

So start asking yourself:

“What do I need to think about to feel confident right now?”

Ask it before a game. Ask it during a game. Make it a habit.

This question helps you:

• Stay aware of the connection between your thoughts and confidence

• Redirect your attention to more helpful self-talk

Most players respond well to encouraging inner dialogue. Something like:

• “I know I’ve trained hard.”

• “Let’s just keep going and trust the reps.”

• “I’ve played well before — I can do it again.”

• “I’m going to prove to myself what I can do today.”

And for some athletes, confidence can even come from more competitive thinking:

• “I’m going to prove everyone wrong today.”

• “I’ll show my coach I deserve to be out here.”

Both styles are perfectly fine — as long as they help you feel more confident.

That’s why I’m not telling you exactly what to think — I want you to figure out what you need to think about to create that confident feeling.

Question #2: What Do I Need to Think About to Play Well?

This second question takes your focus one step further.

While the first helps you build confidence, this one helps you lock in on the right performance objectives.

Because it’s so easy to get caught up in:

• Wanting to play well

• What others expect of you

• The score

• The opponent

• The outcome

But none of that actually helps you play well.

So ask yourself:

“What do I need to think about in order to play well?”

This question helps you shrink your focus down to the simple, controllable things that matter most.

Here’s a great example from one of the tennis players I work with. He used to get distracted by the opponent, the score, and how good the other player was. But once we started using this question, everything changed.

Now, before each point, he asks himself:

• “Where is the opponent likely to serve?”

• “Where do I want to serve?”

• “What’s my strategy for this point?”

That’s it. He’s no longer thinking about what people think of him, where he’ll finish in the tournament, or how important the match is.

He’s focusing on what matters most in that moment — and it’s helping him play better.

Keep It Simple. Play Your Best.

If you’re just getting into the mental side of the game, this is a great place to start. You don’t need 20 different strategies or a list of affirmations on your arm sleeve.

Instead, just start with these two questions:

1. What do I need to think about to feel confident?

2. What do I need to think about to play well?

These questions will help you improve your self-talk, simplify your focus, and get closer to playing at your peak.

Want Help Strengthening Your Mental Game?

If you’re ready to take your mental training to the next level, I offer a 12-week one-on-one coaching program where we work together directly. You’ll find the link to learn more in the description below.

I’ve also created two online courses:

• The Confident Competitor Academy

• The Mentally Tough Kid

And if you’re more of a reader, check out my books:

• Mind Games
• Athlete Mental Training

Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of success in all that you do.