The Champion's Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive

by James A. Afremow

Anthony Robles of Arizona State University won the 2010–11 NCAA Division I individual wrestling championship in the 125-pound class. Despite being born with only one leg, he rejected any notion of being held back from realizing his athletic dreams. He received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 2011 ESPY Awards. During his acceptance speech, Robles recited a poem he wrote called “Unstoppable.” The poem ends with powerful self-affirmation about fearlessness and perserverance.

Abby Wambach is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. She says, “You cannot win at everything you attempt in life. You have to be willing to fail and fall flat on your face in order to get glory.” This willingness requires that you worry less about what other people might think if you fail and that you take smart risks and play your own game.

Give yourself permission to fall forward. Some athletes fear failing in the big competitions. They might fear that others will think less of them if this happens, or they just don’t want to let themselves down. As a capable athlete, all you can do is train correctly and bring your best game to competition. What others may think of you is only their opinion and does not have to be your concern. Don’t be too discouraged after delivering an unsuccessful performance. Transform losses into new beginnings or growing pains rather than thinking of them as end points.

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising each time we fall,”

Dan O’Brien used failure to vault himself to greater heights. He was the heavy favorite to claim gold at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, but he failed to qualify during the U.S. Olympic trials after scoring zero points in the pole vault. He used this experience as a stepping-stone rather than as a stumbling block. He would go on to break the world record for decathlon points and then capture Olympic gold in 1996 in Atlanta. ...

his successful tenure with the New York Giants, coach Bill Parcells posted a sign in the locker room reflecting his no-nonsense approach: “Blame nobody, expect nothing, do something.”

Specifically, the initials DWI were written on a whiteboard and the team was told that when things get difficult, “Deal with It.” This straightforward message, which the SEALs live by, became the Diamondbacks team slogan. This is a stance that you can adopt. Deal with whatever you are facing—because you can.

There’s a martial arts expression for when you arrive at the dojo: “Leave the outside, outside.” Why? This is because an athlete distracted will soon be an athlete defeated. Free

KISS principle—Keep It Simple and Straightforward.

Basketball coaching legend John Wooden had many famous quotes as part of his Pyramid of Success. One of my favorite Woodenisms is “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” For example, a point guard in basketball or a quarterback in football should play quick and fast while staying cool, calm, and collected.

During the 1927 Wimbledon semifinal, Henri Cochet of France was on the brink of elimination in his match against American Bill Tilden, the two-time men’s singles Wimbledon champion. Cochet had dropped the first two sets and was down 1–5 in the third set. However, Cochet refused to lose; incredibly, he rallied to a five-set victory and earned a spot in the Wimbledon finals.

There is beauty in being ugly but effective (UBE) or having a good bad day (GBD) while you are not at your finest. Keep your head in the game and grind it out.

Always be athletic on the field of play. Do not take on the additional role of being your own coach, parent, spectator, or shrink. Stay in athlete mode by focusing all of your energy on execution, not self-analysis. Don’t write the review of your performance until after it is over. Let the final score take care of itself while you take care of yourself. If you often worry about what spectators are thinking, pretty soon you will join them on the sidelines!

“Know what your job is and do your job.”

He confessed to using doubts about him that were publicly expressed by his competitors as fire in his stomach for training. Phelps revealed, “If people want to talk, I encourage it, because I love it. It motivates me more than anything.” What fires you with motivation?

Former NFL Baltimore Ravens superstar linebacker Ray Lewis says that he would get pumped up to the inspirational song “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins before every game.

It is always better to go with what you’ve got; no excuses (psychological crutches) are needed. Even when you are not feeling your best or circumstances aren’t ideal, you can still succeed. Just tell yourself, “I can still play well and concentrate on what I need to do.” Postcompetition excuses, such as blaming others, are designed to deflect personal responsibility and save face following an unwanted outcome. Instead, think, “I did not play my best, and I will work hard to make the necessary positive corrections.” In other words, take full responsibility for your play—both wins and losses.

McKayla Maroney was a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. women’s gymnastics team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Maroney, the reigning world vault champion, was expected to win Olympic gold in her individual event, and led after the first attempt. However, she slid to second place in the standings after she lost her footing during the landing on her second try. She remarked, “I didn’t deserve to win gold if I landed on my butt.” Although in this statement she comes across

Having a champion’s mind-set—by avoiding blame, staying focused on a solution, and showing a good sense of humor—will alleviate your fear because you’ll know you can handle any hardship or inconvenience that comes your way. Most of the time, when the unexpected happens, all you’ll need to do is make minor adjustments and ignore whatever isn’t essential to performing your best. Focus on your intended target,

U.S. military units: “Improvise, adapt, and overcome.”

What do you tell yourself immediately after you’ve made a good play or delivered a solid performance? Your affirmative self-talk needs to include “That’s me. I will keep doing what I’m doing, and I will keep playing the way I’m playing.”

Now, what do you tell yourself immediately after you’ve had a not-so-good play or performance? Affirmative (never negative) self-talk needs to include “That’s not like me. That was just a blip. Now I’ll adjust and turn this around.”

Michael Jordan burst onto the basketball scene when he hit the game-winning shot as the University of North Carolina defeated Georgetown to win the 1982 NCAA basketball championship. He said, “I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot; when you think about the consequences, you always think of a negative result.”

Rather than trying to perform without fear, strive to perform with confidence. Affirmative self-talk needs to take the shape of phrases like “I can do this!” rather than “Don’t blow it”; “Stay on target!” instead of “Block out distractions”; or “Hang tough!” in lieu of “Don’t quit now.”

For example, consider Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Discussing his mind-set while under pressure, Wilson said, “I love it when the game is on the line, when everyone else is nervous and I’m excited.” Along the same lines, UFC veteran fighter Vitor Belfort explained, “I just do my best so there is no pressure.” When you are feeling tense and uptight from pressure, try reframing the situation. This is a technique for helping people see their situation in a better light, from a winning perspective.

Accept that you are prepared, free yourself to perform, and let it fly. This attitude will help you be more artistic and fluid in your performance, and this is imperative at key moments or in close games. “Train it and trust it,” advises famed sports psychologist Bob Rotella. Here are the three steps of the train-it-and-trust-it process. 1. The first step is to train your talent in practice. 2. The second step is to trust your talent in competition. 3. The third step is to keep repeating the first two steps.

Such people are driven by curiosity and enjoyment as much as outer success. Paradoxically, athletes who appreciate the process rather than obsess about outcome often find that they attract better outcomes. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is a prime example of someone with a mastery approach. He says, “I have this rage to master my craft.” Wilson channels his competitive nature and passion for football into his daily pursuits, whether studying film or practicing his footwork, in order to excel on game day.

Steve Young said, “The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before.” In other words, always try to win against your own standard of excellence and keep raising the bar on your own level of play.

Additionally, use great performances by others as extra inspiration for your own improvement. Challenge your teammates or other top competitors in order to push yourself to higher and higher levels. Compete against your teammates in practice, but then support them during games. It is always better to develop productive rivalries with all your teammates and competitors rather than to harbor negative jealousies.

“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming,” asserted basketball coaching legend John Wooden.

Hockey Hall of Famer Gordie Howe, a four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Detroit Red Wings, said, “You find that you have peace of mind and can enjoy yourself, get more sleep, and rest when you know that it was a 100 percent effort that you gave—win or lose.”

Jim Craig, goalie for the American team that won the men’s ice hockey gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, stayed strong in self-belief throughout the games. Here’s how Craig explained the importance of self-belief and making a commitment to prove the doubters wrong in his outstanding book Gold Medal Strategies: Business Lessons from America’s Miracle Team: Realize that the world is full of experts who have been proven wrong. If you want to find someone to doubt you, or locate a cynic, the search won’t take long nor be difficult. Believe in yourself—even if you are the only one who believes in you.

During competition, quickly forget mistakes. This is crucial in largely reactive sports such as boxing or basketball because dwelling on a mistake often leads to making another or even bigger mistake. Keep moving forward by breaking off the rearview mirror. To perform at a champion’s level, avoid making it a history lesson while you are in the ring or on the court.

Here is a popular sports psychology technique for symbolically letting go of mistakes in self-paced sports such as baseball and softball: Pick up a blade of grass (or pebble, etc.) after a mistake. Regard the blade of grass as if it were the actual mistake. Now throw the blade of grass (i.e., the

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Wilma Rudolph is a prime example of victory over adversity. Inspirationally, Rudolph overcame several serious childhood health problems, including a crippled left leg that required the use of metal braces at age 6, to become the fastest woman in the world. She struck gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 x 100-meter relay at the 1960 Rome Olympics to become the first American woman to win three events in track and field during a single Olympics. Rudolph said, “The triumph can’t be had without the struggle.”

Try your best to become better, whether it is through individual work, team practice, or studying film. Continue to go hard in training and act as if you are in the starting lineup rather than succumbing to defeatist thinking (e.g., “What’s the point?”). When you are sitting on the bench, stay upbeat and root for your teammates. Visualize yourself making plays on the court or field while you follow the action. Be mentally ready to go when your name is called.

Lisa Fernandez, three-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. softball team. Fernandez explained, “I make my weaknesses my strength, and my strengths stronger.” Working on the weaknesses in your game may not always be fun, but it’s the fastest path to improvement.

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia may be small at 5 foot 8, but he posts big numbers on the baseball field. Pedroia’s work ethic brings nonstop hustle to everything he does. This is how Pedroia, the 2008 American League MVP, described his off-season training approach in

his inspirational book Born to Play: My Life in the Game: I try to have fun working out, but I look at the off-season as a time to build up enough stamina to last eight months. I watch everything I eat, and I’m working out all the time. In the season, you’re maintaining the fitness for eight months. In the o...

The mental and physical skills needed, however, remain the same, regardless of a situation’s perceived magnitude. Think of practice as the championship and the championship as practice. Nothing extra special is required in a big-game scenario. Stick to your regular pregame routine as much as possible. Get settled right away and keep it happening as you always do.

“Always a student” is an attitude synonymous with having the growth mind-set that world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck defines in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Specifically,

Edwin Moses is a prime example of the growth mind-set. He was a steadfast student of his event throughout his phenomenal track career. Moses won gold medals in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics—he was unable to compete in 1980 because of the United States’ boycott of the Moscow Games. From 1977 to 1987, Moses won an astounding 107 consecutive finals and set the world record in his event four times. “I always had to keep improving my skills in order to remain competitive and keep winning,” said Moses. He further explained, “I think most of [success] is really mental, because I ran against a lot of individuals who were probably more physically talented. But I was able to outsmart them and outthink them and outprepare them.”

Serenity Prayer by American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr is a valuable tool to add to your mental game toolbox.

Do not allow “uncontrollables” to affect your mentality during game play.

Restore a proper perspective as necessary by reminding yourself, “This is just one performance, not my whole career,” or “It’s only a race (or game, or tryout), not my whole life.” The fate of the whole universe does not hinge on the outcome of your next round, match, or game.

when there was approximately 30 seconds before the command to load for the next shot, I prayed Ephesians 6:10–18.

If you are kind to others but cruel to yourself, practice the reverse of the Golden Rule: One should treat oneself as one would treat others!

When we’re learning something new, like a swing change in golf or the playbook in football, we may feel stressed, frustrated, and uncomfortable, but this does not mean that something is wrong or amiss. Our goal right now is to “get comfortable being uncomfortable,” as renowned sports psychologist Ken Ravizza suggests, rather than becoming pessimistic, negative, or hopeless, believing that feelings will never improve.

(GIGO). To perform at a champion’s level, transform GIGO into “gold in, gold out.” The quality of your work in practice (input) determines your performance in competition (output). Just remember that it’s not about how much practice time you put in; it’s about what you put into the practice time.