The main reason we don't translate scrims wins to matches is Pressure. Pressure is created from Fear. Fear is taking us over, making us shake, sweat, play unfocused & perform inconsistently. The fear can be >> Fear of letting people down (others, myself) Fear of what others think of me (teammates, parents, org, fans) Fear of feeling ashamed for not making those shots All combinations of your fears, expectations & worries.
Now,
You are at the SAME risk of fearing all of those - in scrims, just as much as you are in matches. The only thing that changes is YOUR FOCUS on it. You go from playing in the moment to FOCUSING ON THE OUTCOME. YOUR FOCUS on the Outcome creates the Pressure. Immediately come the thoughts: I'll fail, we'll lose, they're better, people are watching, if I don't make this shot xyz, I'm disappointing them, and so on and so on.
Where is your focus? Where is your attention? Where are spending your time & energy? On the outcome. On the far unknown future. On things you cannot control.
A second ago in matches you had all of those moments, just without the pressure. What changed? Your FOCUS. This unhelpful focus is draining your energy & your confidence, preventing you from - in the moment - spending the time you could have spent on doing what you need TO DO to get the outcome you actually want. Instead it creates more overthinking, less flow & more precious time spent unproductively.
The beauty is that focus is a choice.
Yes.
Your energy, your confidence, your nerves, your focus - are all within your control.
So,
Recognize deeply that pressure isn't real. It's made up when we focus on our fears, If I had you play all your games all practice long in front of 1000 people, by day 4 you'll forget they're even there.
So figure out what you're afraid of specifically - look it in the eyes.
However you were playing before, was that working for you 100%? No? Then time to change things up.
Tip #1 - Shift Your Focus
Now that you have a pressure decrease, work on shifting your focus to something strong enough that will attract your focus more than the pressure. The new focus should fuel you - feeling empowered from mastering your energy, being present with each moment you make or playing for your team, as long as it means most to you. That is mental conditioning.
Tip #2 - Realize Your Confidence Is Just Blocked
Alongside that, build your confidence up. Know your confidence is your belief in your ability to figure things out. You are confident, it's just blocked. Remember how your A game looks like & catch the early thoughts that crack your confidence & replace them.
"Confidence is your belief in your ability to figure things out" – Z & K
Tip #3 - Make it personal
Feel free to include personal details and examples. The more relatable you or your website is, the more you connect with your readers.
Tip #4 - Flow
Learn flow deeply - how to relax into it rather than overthink out of it. You had your body & mind play for hours on end, they know how to play, trust them.
Tip #5 - Gradually Increase Pressure
Then, slowly increase pressure to build your body's capacity to relax under it. Before you know it, you'll be playing so on point under pressure, nothing can bring you down.