Self-Talk: A Performance Skill

Before a competition, you may start to feel nervous and focus on the negative. You may say to yourself, “I am not good enough to be here. I don’t feel ready.” While there may be some truth to that due to a rushed warm-up, illness, or another unforeseen circumstance, another athlete might choose to focus on the positives. They might tell themselves, “I worked hard to be here. Stay focused. I can do this.” Which athlete do you think will perform better?

Self-talk is our internal dialogue that we commonly consume mindlessly. It is often different than how we talk with others. As athletes, it’s important for us to be mindful of how we talk to ourselves at practice, in competition, and in our daily lives. It can be a powerful tool to increase motivation, self-confidence, and our feeling of preparedness. However, it can also work against us and remind us of our flaws, shortcomings, and insecurities. Fortunately, we have some control over the volume of our self-talk and which voice we decide to listen to.

Negative Self-Talk

Negative self-talk is our inner critic coming to life in our mind. It reinforces irrational and pessimistic beliefs that create low self-esteem, anxiety, and self-doubt. When we use negative self-talk, we might be focusing on the negative aspects of a situation, blaming ourselves, catastrophizing, or polarizing a situation. While some athletes may view negative self-talk as motivating (“My inner critic makes me better by telling me everything I need to fix”), it is likely that this negative self-talk occurs before or after a poor performance. This negative self-talk then fuels anxiety, reduces motivation, and increases stress.

Positive Self-Talk

Positive self-talk is the opposite of negative self-talk. It is our inner champion fostering optimism, resilience, and peak performance. It often reduces stress, improves performance, and enhances coping skills. Positive affirmations can stem from “I can, I am, and I will,” which builds confidence and encourages us through difficult times.

Instructional Self-Talk

Instructional self-talk is the verbal direction we give ourselves while doing specific actions, techniques, or movements. This form of self-talk can be especially useful for technique-focused sports such as golf, gymnastics, or tennis. It can also be helpful for skill development, reducing errors, or when athletes struggle with positive self-talk.

Self-Talk and Performance

Self-talk affects performance by causing cognitive and emotional changes. It can impact mood, motivation, and anxiety as well as provide self-instruction, distraction, and reduction in thought. These changes can help athletes maintain motivation, reduce negative emotions, and focus on the task at hand.

That said, knowing when and how to use self-talk is important for an athlete’s performance. For instance, instructional self-talk has been found to be helpful for tasks that require precision. However, while instructional self-talk can enhance performance in novices, too much instructional self-talk in elite athletes can lead to choking.

With negative self-talk, it has been found that discouraging events can lead to negative self-talk statements, which, in turn, lead to poor performance. On the flip side, positive self-talk has been associated with better performance than negative self-talk and more motivating self-talk (e.g., “hang in there,” “come on”) has proven especially useful for tasks requiring power.

Interestingly, turning off self-talk can also help optimize performance. A reduction in self-talk is characteristic of optimal mental states for peak performance, getting into the flow state, and mindfulness. This may be due to the beneficial effects of mindfulness and not just reduced self-talk.

Using Self-Talk

So now you know of the power of instructional and positive self-talk. But how do you limit the negative voice that keeps reminding you of your shortcomings and insecurities? It is first helpful to become aware of your current self-talk statements. I recommend doing this by tracking your self-talk or even doing something physical when you catch yourself using negative self-talk (e.g., snapping a ponytail on your wrist). Once you become aware of your self-talk, you can work to change it.

Reframing Negative Self-Talk

We can neutralize negative self-talk by focusing on the facts and identifying action steps. First, athletes should work to understand the thoughts, feelings, and outcomes behind on their negative self-talk. Then, replace these negative or blameful thoughts with facts. Think about how long you’ve been doing your sport, how much preparation you have been putting in, and your strengths. Lastly, identify at least three strategies to get your head back into the game using mental tools and skills.

Thought Defusion

Sometimes we need to defuse ourselves from our negative thoughts. When you catch yourself thinking “I am not good enough,” separate yourself by saying, “I’m having the thought that I am not good enough.” Notice how this creates distance from yourself and the negative thought. You can also defuse your thoughts by physically acting like you are flushing a toilet and flushing the negative thoughts away. Other thought defusion techniques include putting your thoughts on clouds, filing your thoughts away, or clicking the “X” button on your negative thoughts.

Mindfulness

When we discuss self-talk, it can sound like negative self-talk is inherently bad and therefore should be eliminated or controlled. This makes athletes feel like they need to suppress problematic self-talk. Mindfulness reiterates that thoughts and emotions do not need to be eliminated or replaced. By practicing mindfulness regarding self-talk, athletes can achieve positive outcomes by simply accepting naturally occurring self-talk, having present-moment awareness of its associated thoughts, feelings, and outcomes, and then committing to action.

At Athlete Insight, we offer individual counseling to help athletes understand their self-talk, learn the differences in their self-talk, and use self-talk productively in sport. We help them explore how to reframe negative self-talk, defuse themselves from negative thoughts, and become more mindful.

With the right support, athletes can learn how to challenge critical self-talk and bring out their inner champion.