Relax. Eyes. Body.
Relax. Eyes. Body. Those are the three things that every athlete needs to master when they are in the middle of the action. The first step is to relax. When in the middle of the game, especially in a pressure situation, our brains fight/flight/or freeze mode is activated. For some athletes, that means that they get anxious and move too fast. For some athletes, that means that they freeze and don't react fast enough. For some athletes, that means panic and swing (or kick) away. It takes 10 seconds for the body to process that adrenaline rush that causes us to react, but we don't have 10 seconds in the middle of the moment. Be aware of what mode you dive into under pressure, and work hard to stay centered and focused on the task. One of my kid's default mode is to fight. She gets anxious and rushes the process. My keywords for her are 'relax' or 'breathe.' she needs to take a moment, even in the middle of the action, and center herself so that she can make the...