{"id":761,"date":"2020-06-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-30T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/reports\/how-to-tackle-a-recession-of-confidence-in-athletes-returning-to-play-after-sports-shutdown\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:12:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:12:15","slug":"how-to-tackle-a-recession-of-confidence-in-athletes-returning-to-play-after-sports-shutdown","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/how-to-tackle-a-recession-of-confidence-in-athletes-returning-to-play-after-sports-shutdown\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Tackle a Recession of Confidence in Athletes Returning to Play After Sport\u2019s Shutdown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n Jun 30, 2020 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

How to Tackle a Recession of Confidence in Athletes Returning to Play After Sport\u2019s Shutdown<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Category<\/div>\n Human Performance<\/a> <\/div>\n
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https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/how-to-tackle-a-recession-of-confidence-in-athletes-returning-to-play-after-sports-shutdown\/<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
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How does an athlete return to a sporting experience that could feel very different from what has been experienced since childhood?<\/p>\n \n \n \n

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A Leaders Performance Institute article brought to you in association with<\/p>\n

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As we all emerge to an uncertain \u2018new normal\u2019\u00a0and feel our way to what is the safest and most productive way to live life, the first step for athletes returning to a sporting experience is to admit, on a visceral level, that things are very different.<\/h4>\n
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By John Burns<\/h6>\n

At least in the short term, there won\u2019t be any 12th<\/sup>\u00a0man on the American football field, there won\u2019t be any fans shouting a lingering \u2018GOALLLLLL\u2019\u00a0on the soccer fields, and there won\u2019t be any seventh inning stretch at the baseball stadiums to carry players through to the ninth inning. The sounds of silence in stadia without fans will likely only amplify the thoughts and feelings within each players head, as the fundamentals of each sport remain unchanged.<\/p>\n

At the ReThink Group, we believe in the importance of using ALL thoughts and feelings as information. This is even more important throughout the many phases of this pandemic, especially for athletes returning to a sport that will feel very different than the one they have experienced since childhood. We have found that when an athlete tries to override or change a feeling, it only serves to turn up the ‘volume’ of the feeling.<\/p>\n

Traditional thinking around mental skills says that you can\u2019t use negative emotions. Obviously we don\u2019t agree with that. Now is not the time to follow traditional advice that tells athletes to put any uncomfortable feelings behind them, ‘suck it up’, or just be positive.<\/p>\n

In trying to push out or override the uncomfortable feelings, they will only become more intense and block forward momentum. I\u2019d encourage athletes to be open to all of their thoughts and feelings. In doing so they will be able to better deal with the unique and unprecedented situations they will face. They will be totally and completely in the moment. Essentially, athletes with an \u2018all in\u2019\u00a0mindset who embrace the following three ideas should thrive in their return to sport, no matter how different the total experience is:<\/p>\n