Taken From an article in Vol. 9, issue 1, of the: National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal, by Suzie Tuffey Riewald
“I always stress condition with my basketball players. I
don’t mean physical condition only. You cannot attain and
maintain physical condition unless you are morally and
mentally conditioned.”
—John Wooden, college basketball coach
…
let us take a look at these mental
characteristics related to successful athletic performance,
as summarized by Krane and Williams (1):
• High self-confi dence
• Arousal management
• Feeling “in control”
• Total concentration
• Focus on the task at hand
• Productive perfectionism
• Positive attitude and thoughts about performance
• Strong determination and commitment
• Detailed planning for competition that includes setting
goals, imagery and practicing coping skills
Read slowly and repeatedly through the list. Which characteristics
describe you? Which characteristics should
you work to develop and/or improve? Make use of this
research and hone your mental as well as your physical
skills.
References
1. Krane V., and Williams J. Psychological characteristics of
peak performance. J. Williams (Ed.), Applied sport psychology:
Personal growth to peak performance (pp. 169 – 188),
New York, NY: McGraw Hill. 2010.
