ABOUT THIS EPISODE
The calls aren't going your way. School was rough, or you just aren't feeling it today. Then it's time to step on the court. What you do with those emotions decides how you play.
Welcome to Day 22 of 75 on the Mental Performance Playbook. Every day until January 1, 2027, we're dropping one whiteboard mental training session built for student athletes, parents, and coaches to use right away.
Today's session is Use the Emotion. I heard a line on a college football broadcast that sums it up: play with emotion, don't play emotional. Emotions can drive you further than almost anything, but making emotional decisions in the moment usually hurts you.
The mental exercise that makes this possible is the alter ego. It separates your sport self from your everyday self, like Clark Kent and Superman or Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Your alter ego takes whatever emotion you bring into the day and spins it into fuel for practice or the game. It also lets you set the rest of the day aside so you can lock in.
Your alter ego can be built a few ways. It might come from a sport style or an athlete you look up to. It might be an animal, like a gorilla that owns the post. It might be a superhero or even a vigilante. Then you load it up with your resets, your pregame routines, and your recovery, so it's the alter ego handling the pressure and not the everyday you.
This works for some of our more quiet, even-keeled athletes too. An alter ego can help them become a more vocal leader and get noticed at the next level.
Parents and coaches, watch for the switch. The kid who's nice off the court can still be someone else on it.
Your challenge today is simple. At your next practice, notice whether you're playing with emotion or playing emotional, then start sketching your alter ego.
If this helped, share it with an athlete, parent, or coach who needs it. Subscribe so you don't miss tomorrow's session, leave a five-star review, and drop a comment on what you want us to cover next.
New mental exercises drop every day on YouTube at @gaberummeltah, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Free resources and training links are below.
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Keywords
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