| Are You Confident?
It is rare when you play well without self-confidence. It is a mindset. Self-confidence is defined as the strength of your belief about how well you can play. Confidence develops from physical practice, playing well in the past, trusting your technique, and knowing you are physically talented. First, know how you gain confidence, then work on those areas in your game that directly improve your confidence.
Can You Become Immersed Into the Task?
The ability to fully focus on the task is a prerequisite to peak performance in any sport. Most of us can concentrate well, but do you know what to focus on and how to refocus when distracted? Total focus means absorbing yourself into the process of execution to the point that distractions are minimal. It also means playing one play at a time and not getting ahead of yourself. Decide what the relevant performance cues in your sport are and then focus all your attention on those cues.
Can You Let Go of Mistakes?
To play in the zone you must be able to put errors, bad calls, or blown plays behind you fast. You don't want to carry "the monkey on your back" while you play. Make sure you have a plan for releasing bad plays or blown assignments. You are human and mistakes or bad luck can hurt your attitude if you let them.
Does It Feel Automatic?
The feeling of an automatic and effortless performance is another mindset associated with the zone. With a lot of practice you develop a strong memory pattern of skills, which then makes your performance feel effortless. It feels like you are on autopilot - you don't have to think, you just react to the environment. This frees you to focus on game strategy or anticipate your opponent.
Do You Stay in Control?
When playing in the zone, athletes feel very much in control of themselves and their performance. To enter the zone, you need to be in control of your emotions. You have to tread the line between feeling excited and "up," but not cross over into anxiety and fear. Excitement helps you play better, but fear and anxiety stifle your game. Use the pressure of competition to help focus better on the task in front of you.
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