As an athlete, you want to have a good game all the time. You want to play consistently. You want to perform your best whenever you’re competing.
But what does it take for you to get to the point where you are performing up to your full potential? In this article, we are going to discuss what it takes for you to play your best. In other words—what do you need to do in order to play well?
Understanding How You Play Well
When you go into a game, you know that you want to play well. But sometimes when we get so caught up in thinking about how well we want to play, we forget about what we need to do in order to put ourselves in a position to succeed.
What I mean by understanding what you need to do to play well—or knowing how you play well—is getting clear on the process parts of your game that are important or critical to you playing your best.
Once you understand those, it gives you so much more confidence that you can go out there and play well on a consistent basis.
It’s no longer about hoping that you show up or hoping that you play well. You have a clear plan in place. You know where to place your attention and where to direct your energy.
When athletes get too caught up in the result, this can lead to a lot of different mental game challenges such as anxiety, fear, self-doubt, and perfectionism—all of which ultimately lead to underperforming.
But when athletes understand how they play well and get clear on that, now they have controllable process goals to focus on.
Two Key Parts: Preparation and Game-Time Process
We’re going to break this down into two key parts: preparation and what you need to do during the game.
Within each, we’ll also look at both the mental side and the physical side.
Preparation for the Game
What do you need to be doing throughout the week, the day before the game, and the day of the game to prepare for competition?
Do you need to make sure that every day you’re putting in extra work?
Are there certain things you need to do mentally like visualizing throughout the week or going through a self-talk routine to make sure your thoughts are confident and positive when you compete?
Do you want to be doing some mindfulness meditation throughout the week?
Do you need to be studying film or going to your personal coach who works on your technique, your shot, or your swing?
We could also include things like nutrition, sleep, recovery, and stretching—all of which go into playing well.
The goal with this preparation phase is to check all your boxes when it comes to putting yourself in a position to succeed.
No stone should be left unturned. You need to make sure you’re doing everything you can control to ensure that come game day, you are in a good mindset and physically ready to compete.
Create a Preparation Checklist
I encourage you to make a checklist of controllable goals or actions that you need to do throughout the week to play well on game day.
Break this down into mental actions and physical actions.
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Physical actions will be easier to think about—things like technique work, watching film, stretching, sleep, and recovery.
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Mental actions might include visualization, reading a self-talk list, meditation, thinking about past good games, reviewing your strengths, or setting your objectives for the upcoming game.
When athletes do everything they can to prepare, they go into competition with more confidence. So how you prepare is just as important—if not more—than what you do during the competition itself.
Game Day Focus: What It Takes to Play Well
On game day, there are things you need to do in order to play well.
We always want our attention on these controllable process parts of our game—not on the last mistake, the score, stats, or what others think. When you focus on what you can control, you give yourself the best chance to play freely and confidently.
It’s not about wanting to play well—it’s about doing what it takes to play well.
So, again, split this into the physical parts and the mental parts of your game.
Physical Parts of Your Game
These are the technical and process-related actions that help you succeed:
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For golfers, it might be going through your pre-shot process or focusing on a swing cue.
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For baseball players—especially pitchers—it could be sticking to your pre-pitch routine or focusing on your delivery or release point.
These are your controllable process parts—what you know help you execute.
Mental Parts of Your Game
On competition day, the mental side is often even more important than the physical side.
All the preparation you’ve put in has built muscle memory. You’ve worked hard on your skills. Now it’s time to be present and trust those skills.
Ask yourself: What kind of mentality do I need to have in order to play well?
I was talking with a high school basketball player recently, and he said that anytime he plays well, he’s always in a good attitude. So, for him, the top priority when he plays is having a good attitude—no matter how well or how poorly he’s playing.
He knows that’s the most important part because he always plays well when he has a good attitude and consistently underperforms when his attitude gets bad.
Maybe for you, it’s about always being energetic.
Maybe it’s about thinking well after mistakes and keeping your mindset positive.
Maybe it’s about staying present by focusing on your breathing.
These are all mental parts of your game that, if done well, position you to succeed.
Every athlete wants to play well—whether it’s a big game or a normal exhibition.
Creating a Game-Day Strategy
Your goal is always to play well. But what we have to train ourselves to do is focus on how we play well way more than just wanting to play well.
Wanting to play well is motivation.
Focusing on how you play well is execution.
Focus on how you execute both the physical and mental sides of your game in order to position yourself to play well. When that consumes your attention, you’ll find yourself playing well on a more consistent basis.
Just like you did with preparation, make a list of the controllable parts of your game—both physical and mental—that are important for you to focus on to play well.
Then simplify that list to one or two of the most important elements in each area.
For example, that basketball player focuses on keeping positive thoughts no matter what. Positive thoughts lead to a better attitude—especially after mistakes—and that becomes his true objective for competition.
Final Thoughts
Playing your best isn’t about luck or hoping everything clicks on game day. It’s about being intentional with your preparation and clear about what helps you perform well—both mentally and physically.
When you focus on controllable actions, you remove doubt and replace it with confidence.
Remember, wanting to play well is motivation, but knowing how you play well is execution. Stay focused on the process, trust your preparation, and you’ll consistently put yourself in the best position to succeed.
If you’re interested in learning more about my one-on-one mental coaching program, click here to schedule a free introductory coaching call, or fill out the form below.
I’ve also created two online mental training courses for athletes:
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Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of success in all that you do.
