When the bad wolf (or Big Bad Wolf!) rears its ugly head during competition, stop it in its tracks. Self-talk (i.e., saying words or short phrases to oneself) should be positive: “I’ve just made a penalty. I’m getting anxious, I’m dwelling on it. Stop. Breathe. I’m pressing the reset button and deleting that memory from my mind. It’s over. I’m going to take a fresh, confident look at the next play in front of me.” In quick-reaction sports like basketball and soccer, simply shout to yourself, “Next play!”
