Usain Bolt is arguably the fastest man to ever put on a pair of sneakers. He has dominated the world of track in field over the past few years with his explosive speed and unwavering confidence. Even with all this success, hard work ethic and mental toughness, costly mistakes can jump up and bite the best of them.

No one is above the law when it comes to focusing on the task at hand. There is no substitute for being locked in and focused on what you are trying to achieve. It doesn’t matter how good of an athlete you are or how confident you feel. One of the keys to competitive success is to be able to focus on that one shot at a time, that one play right in front of you or that immediate task staring you right in the face. It may sound like the oldest cliche in the world but sometimes old rules seem to stand the test of time.

Make sure to be consistent with your focus going in to an event no matter how confident you may feel. When distractions become a road block to your success during competition its time to rededicate yourself to task at hand. You are selling yourself short if you allow your focus to wander to things like winning a game or making a putt. Focusing on the outcome of what you’re doing instead of the process of executing the task in front of you will only bring mistakes that could’ve been avoided with the right type of focus.

Sports Psychology/Mental Training from Mental Apex

Webb Simpson finally gets his first PGA Tour victory at the 2011 Wyndham Championship after posting three second place finishes this year. Coming in to this tournament Webb was 12th on the FedEx points list, 15th in Greens In Regulation and 4th in scoring average. It was only a matter of time before Simpson would figure to break though.

What seemed to finally get Simpson over the top and claim his first tour victory? One element that really stands out was the execution of his routine. This is an area Webb had admittedly felt was a struggle for him late in tournaments. Under pressure, he would back off many shots which ultimately broke his rhythm of play. His rhythm and routine has been traditionally great for three rounds. Now he just had to do a better job of getting in to his shots when the pressure was more intense.

The experience from previous tournaments and being in contention helped tremendously. He learned more and more what he was doing wrong and how his routine was affected. In the end, Simpson became a better competitor by solving this rhythm problem.

Figure out your routine and what works for you. It should be something simple and executed with consistency. A good routine will allow you to focus on your task of execution instead of the outcome of what’s in front of you. The more you practice your routine and become familiar with it, the better prepared you will be for competition.

Knowing your routine, the steps and most importantly the rhythm of your execution will pay big dividends for you during a competitive round. You’ll know right away that pressure is getting to you as soon as your rhythm changes.

Usually one or two things will happen. You’ll get too fast or you’ll get to slow. If getting fast is your problem then anxiety has gotten the best of you. When that anxiety takes over things tend to happen much faster thus a quicker routine which can lead to a faster swing tempo. Take your time and relax. Use a breathing technique to slow down heart rate. Walk slower to your next shot. Smooth out your practice swings to establish a better flow before going to hit the ball.

On the other hand, if you get too slow then most likely you are trying to over execute and get too perfect to pull off a shot. Being too perfect can be a killer when it comes to having good rhythm. Things like over analyzing shots, double and triple checking to make sure you are lined up to your target and resetting multiple times to pull off one shot. These actions will cause you to loose your instincts and feel. It will take you much longer than normal to pull off a shot.

Trust all of your hard work and practice you’ve put in. Also, stay committed to your natural rhythm you have consistently worked on and executed. Doing this will allow you to handle pressure with confidence and help you become a much better competitor.

Sports Psychology/Mental Training from Mental Apex

Webb Simpson finally gets his first PGA Tour victory at the 2011 Wyndham Championship after posting three second place finishes this year. Coming in to this tournament Webb was 12th on the FedEx points list, 15th in Greens In Regulation and 4th in scoring average. It was only a matter of time before Simpson would figure to break though.

What seemed to finally get Simpson over the top and claim his first tour victory? One element that really stands out was the execution of his routine. This is an area Webb had admittedly felt was a struggle for him late in tournaments. Under pressure, he would back off many shots which ultimately broke his rhythm of play. His rhythm and routine has been traditionally great for three rounds. Now he just had to do a better job of getting in to his shots when the pressure was more intense.

The experience from previous tournaments and being in contention helped tremendously. He learned more and more what he was doing wrong and how his routine was affected. In the end, Simpson became a better competitor by solving this rhythm problem.

Figure out your routine and what works for you. It should be something simple and executed with consistency. A good routine will allow you to focus on your task of execution instead of the outcome of what’s in front of you. The more you practice your routine and become familiar with it, the better prepared you will be for competition.

Knowing your routine, the steps and most importantly the rhythm of your execution will pay big dividends for you during a competitive round. You’ll know right away that pressure is getting to you as soon as your rhythm changes.

Usually one or two things will happen. You’ll get too fast or you’ll get to slow. If getting fast is your problem then anxiety has gotten the best of you. When that anxiety takes over things tend to happen much faster thus a quicker routine which can lead to a faster swing tempo. Take your time and relax. Use a breathing technique to slow down heart rate. Walk slower to your next shot. Smooth out your practice swings to establish a better flow before going to hit the ball.

On the other hand, if you get too slow then most likely you are trying to over execute and get too perfect to pull off a shot. Being too perfect can be a killer when it comes to having good rhythm. Things like over analyzing shots, double and triple checking to make sure you are lined up to your target and resetting multiple times to pull off one shot. These actions will cause you to loose your instincts and feel. It will take you much longer than normal to pull off a shot.

Trust all of your hard work and practice you’ve put in. Also, stay committed to your natural rhythm you have consistently worked on and executed. Doing this will allow you to handle pressure with confidence and help you become a much better competitor.

Sports Psychology/Mental Training from Mental Apex

Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey sits on a 3 shot lead going in to the third round at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC. Gainey is known for his unorthodox swing mechanics where he uses a 10 finger baseball grip and jerky follow through motion. He’s also known for wearing golf gloves on both hands at all times, even while putting. Lets face it, some of the things that Gainey does is just different, weird and down right ugly. But if you look deeper than just the surface you can gain a lot from “Two Gloves” and became a much better competitor.

First of all, take a good look at his grit and determination. It hasn’t been an easy road getting to the PGA Tour for Tommy Gainey. Prior to becoming a professional golfer, he worked on an assembly line in South Carolina, wrapping insulation around hot water heaters. Gainey turned professional in 1998 and for 10 years he played mini tours, worked hard and never gave up on his dreams. He finally made it on tour in 2008.

But the struggles didn’t stop there. He lost his PGA Tour card after 2 years and played on the Nationwide Tour in 2010. That year on the Nationwide Tour he won two events and finished fourth on the money list to regain his PGA Tour card proving to himself that all the hard work was well worth it.

The second quality that stands out with Gainey is his ability to not care about what people think when it comes to himself or his game. This is an extremely important characteristic to posses for upcoming golfers. Many players worry too much about if their swing is perfect or looks a certain way. They also concern themselves too much about how they look if a mistake is made during competition. The sooner a golfer can say “who cares” when it comes to what others think they will be able to make tremendous strides in their game.

Here’s a news flash! There is no one way to swing a club. Oh yeah… and everyone makes mistakes. No one golfer is immune to that, trust me. Not caring about how others perceive you will allow you to be a lot more comfortable in your own skin. This will lead to much higher levels of confidence. With higher confidence comes a dominant mentality that will produce a great deal of success!

Sports Psychology/Mental Training from Mental Apex