2   Motivation

Successful athletes:

• Are self-motivated to achieve desired results and peak performance.
• Are able to persist through difficult tasks and difficult times.
• Appreciate that many of the benefits of sport come from participation, not from the outcome.

3   Goals and Commitment

Successful athletes:

• Set long- and short-term goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-oriented (SMART).
• Are highly committed to attaining their goals and executing the rigorous demands of their training programs.
• Monitor their current performance levels and make adjustments to their training as necessary.

4   People Skills

Successful athletes:

• Communicate their thoughts, feelings, and needs to others appropriately.
• Listen to coaches, teammates, officials, families, and friends appropriately.
• Effectively deal with conflict, difficult opponents, and other people who are negative or oppositional.

5   Self-Talk

Successful athletes:

• Are aware of the self-talk they give themselves in training, before competition, and during competition.
• Maintain their self-confidence during difficult times with positive self-talk.
• Talk to themselves with dignity and respect, as if talking to a friend.
• Use self-talk to regulate thoughts, feelings, and behaviors during competition, and immediately reframe negative thoughts into positive thoughts.

6   Mental Imagery

Successful athletes:

• Prepare themselves in training by imagining themselves performing well in competition.
• Create and use mental images that are personal, detailed, specific, and realistic.
• Use imagery during competition to prepare for action and recover from errors and poor performances.

7   Dealing Effectively with Anxiety

Successful athletes:

• Accept anxiety as part of sport.
• Realize that some degree of anxiety can help them perform well and achieve peak performance.
• Know how to regulate and reduce anxiety when it becomes too strong or inappropriate, without losing their intensity or focus.

8   Dealing Effectively with Emotions

Successful athletes:

• Understand that strong emotions such as excitement, anger, and disappointment are part of the sport experience.
• Are able to regulate and channel these emotions to improve, rather than interfere with, peak performance.

9   Concentration/Focus

Successful athletes:

• Know what is important to pay attention to during each performance situation.
• Know how to maintain concentration and resist distractions, whether externally or internally generated.
• Are able to quickly and effectively regain their focus when concentration is lost during competition.
• Stay in the moment and are not distracted by past or future situations.

Note: To help athletes develop and maintain concentration and focus, AMP’s Peak Performance Training uses the Peak Achievement Trainer, a patented neurovideofeedback training program.