In episode 88 of Demystifying Mental Toughness, I had the pleasure of talking to a former professional basketball player, serial author, and entrepreneur Dre Baldwin. Dre has written 27 books, one of which is called 'Playing As Well As You Practice'. Today we dig into this topic as it's a common challenge many highly driven and motivated athletes, young and old, amateur and professional can struggle with from time to time. Being able to compete "fearlessly" in a tournament or match, to have an aggressive mindset, when things aren't going quite right, or when you're out of form is a skill that can be learned as you'll discover. Enjoy tuning in!

Key Takeaways include:

• It's important to know what it feels like to be able to use your skills in a live uncontrolled situation.
• Getting yourself mentally ready so that you go into tough situations and are able to respond instinctively is vital.
• It's important to get your butt kicked every now and then so that you know what it feels like and you know that you can survive it.
• To get over performance anxiety, preparation is key.
• Look to make your practice and training very difficult, as Michael Jordan said 'he was always trying to make his practice harder than the game.'
• Any thinking is overthinking when you are performing.

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Helpful Podcast Episodes

Podcast Ep 009: Andy Paisley – Play Better Golf Under Pressure

Podcast Ep 039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes

Podcast Ep 055 John Fletcher, Natalie Henderson, James Maurice - How to Develop Mental Strength in Young Athletes

Podcast Ep 064: Edu Rubio - How to Support Young Footballers

Other Useful Resources

Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance

Blog – 3 Tips for Playing with Confidence under Pressure

Blog - Supporting Children to Transfer their Skills from Training to Competition