Fractured bone, sprained ankle, severe back pain; all injuries athletes have to play through everyday. But, have you ever thought about what could be happening in an athlete’s mind?
Surprisingly, athletes are struggling with playing through mental adversity often more than playing with physical injuries.
Whether it’s getting a bad grade on a math test or the loss of a loved one, athletes all around the world have to figure out ways to navigate their thoughts.
“The first game of the season was a mental problem for me, since I was the only freshman out there,” Sam Boudreau said. “I felt like I needed to prove that I belong there.”
There are many different ways players can be affected by these mental struggles.
“Four hours before the game against Bryan, my fish Bubbles passed away. I put too much food in his bowl,” Junior Trey Richardson said. “I was missing him hard so I wasn’t sure if I was going to play at my best.”
With these challenges come solutions that need to be made to be able to play at their full potential. Athletes have many unique strategies to empty their heads before a game, these include things like meditating or listening to their favorite artist.
“What really helped me was blasting Drake,” Richardson said.
Other than music, players can have different methods to lock in for an upcoming game..
“The thing is, I never really lacked the confidence to get out there, it was really just overcoming the pressure,” Boudreau said. “The minute I started to just shoot around pre-game, it made me feel better about myself.”
With different athletes having to overcome different obstacles, they can inform players of similar challenges and how they were able to work their way around them.
“You really just have to be confident and keep a strong open minded mindset,” Boudreau said.
Every athlete has a distinctive challenge to work through, and every challenge could use a different piece of advice.
“I recommend reading the instructions on bottles and to take care of your pets,” Richardson said.
Now, when you see someone playing through a physical injury, look around and think about what all the players on the court might be playing through too.