Competitive Reflections

Answer the following questions, considering your personal competitive history. Then analyze
your answers to develop or refine a precompetition plan and a competition focus plan. Analyzing
your answers helps you increase your self-awareness of how your thoughts and feelings
influence your performance and how you can use mental skills in your sport. Be as honest as
possible when answering. If something is unclear, please ask your instructor.
Adapted from T. Orlick, Psyching for Sport (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1986), 17-18.

1. Think of your all-time best performance and respond to the following questions with that
event in mind.

a. How did you feel just before the event? Circle or highlight a number from 0 to 10.

No activation to Highly activated

(mentally and physically flat) (mentally and physically charged)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Not at all worried or scared to Extremely worried or scared

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

b. What were you saying to yourself or thinking shortly before the start of the event?

I was reminding myself that I would do well, and kept positive thoughts

c. How were you focused during the event (i.e., what were you aware of or paying attention
to while actively engaged in the competition)?

Paid close attention to my teammates attitudes, and kept a smile on my face to reinforce
positive vibes.

2. Now think of your worst competitive performance and respond to the following questions
with that event in mind.

a. How did you feel just before the event? Circle or highlight a number from 0 to 10.

No activation to Highly activated

(mentally and physically flat) (mentally and physically charged)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Not at all worried or scared to Extremely worried or scared

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

From R.S. Weinberg and D. Gould, 2019, Foundations of Sport 1

and Exercise Psychology Web Study Guide, 7E (Champaign, IL:
Human Kinetics).
 b. What were you saying to yourself or thinking shortly before the start of the event?

I was thing negative thoughts do to one of my teammates being late

c. How were you focused during the event (i.e., what were you aware of or paying attention
to while actively engaged in the competition)?

I was more worried about the outcome before we had even started and was beating myself
mentally.

Review your responses to the previous six questions before responding to the following.

3. What were the major differences between your thinking (or feeling) prior to your best and
worst performances?

At my best I was positive in nature and when things turned when I became thinking negative
thoughts

4. What were the major differences in your focus of attention between your best and worst
performances?

I was definitely more focused in my best performance

5. How would you prefer to feel just before an important competition? Circle or highlight a
number from 0 to 10.

No activation to Highly activated

(mentally and physically flat) (mentally and physically charged)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Not at all worried or scared to Extremely worried or scared

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6. How would you prefer to focus your attention during an important competition?

I think it is important that I channel my focus to doing my job and not to what other people are
doing to best help the team.

From R.S. Weinberg and D. Gould, 2019, Foundations of Sport 2

and Exercise Psychology Web Study Guide, 7E (Champaign, IL:
Human Kinetics).
7. Is there anything you would change about the way you approach a competition?

I believe I approach the game very well and would not change anything right now.

8. Is there anything you would change about the way you approach practice and training?

I feel like I should loosen up a bit and not put so much pressure on my self to preform and to
just relax.

9. Is there anything you would change about the way your coach approaches you (a) during
practice and (b) during competition?

I liked the way I was coached, and that the expectations were set high for me.

From R.S. Weinberg and D. Gould, 2019, Foundations of Sport 3

and Exercise Psychology Web Study Guide, 7E (Champaign, IL:
Human Kinetics).