Journaling for Sports Performance Success!
By: Dr. Chris Stankovich
Although some athletes may think journaling is silly and a waste of time, successful athletes know that journaling can actually be a great help when it comes to tracking goals, monitoring athletic progress, and measuring skill levels against previous seasons. All of this, of course, leads to better mental toughness and improved sports performance! (Sports Success 360). Athletes van develop a human performance improvement plan by using their journal on a regular basis.Many professional and elite-level athletes keep a journal and use it on a daily basis. When I work with athletes, I suggest they get into the habit of making brief, daily entries that answer the following three questions: 1. What did I do well today? 2. What do I need to work on? 3. What other things are important for me to note today? So for a baseball player (as an example), a basic journal entry might look like this:What I did well today – got deep into the count when hitting, had good footwork around second base for double plays, and kept our team fired up when we rallied late in the gameWhat I need to work on – still a little shakey on my throws to 1st base, my mind wanders a little when we have long innings, and my back tightened up late in the game so I should spend more time stretching before the next game. Other things – I need to buy a new pair of cleats, I also need to help the team by offering to help organize the end-of-season family team picnic. As you can see from the example above, journaling can be very quick and to the point – yet still very effective. After only a few weeks you will be able to go back and see the progress you have made, leading to greater self-confidence and more regular peak athletic performances!
By: Dr. Chris Stankovich
Although some athletes may think journaling is silly and a waste of time, successful athletes know that journaling can actually be a great help when it comes to tracking goals, monitoring athletic progress, and measuring skill levels against previous seasons. All of this, of course, leads to better mental toughness and improved sports performance! (Sports Success 360). Athletes van develop a human performance improvement plan by using their journal on a regular basis.Many professional and elite-level athletes keep a journal and use it on a daily basis. When I work with athletes, I suggest they get into the habit of making brief, daily entries that answer the following three questions: 1. What did I do well today? 2. What do I need to work on? 3. What other things are important for me to note today? So for a baseball player (as an example), a basic journal entry might look like this:What I did well today – got deep into the count when hitting, had good footwork around second base for double plays, and kept our team fired up when we rallied late in the gameWhat I need to work on – still a little shakey on my throws to 1st base, my mind wanders a little when we have long innings, and my back tightened up late in the game so I should spend more time stretching before the next game. Other things – I need to buy a new pair of cleats, I also need to help the team by offering to help organize the end-of-season family team picnic. As you can see from the example above, journaling can be very quick and to the point – yet still very effective. After only a few weeks you will be able to go back and see the progress you have made, leading to greater self-confidence and more regular peak athletic performances!