Maintaining a positive mindset in sports

Having a positive mindset is crucial for every athlete to have in any sport. Teammates feed off each other’s energy, and if one player has a pessimistic attitude, it can bring down the whole team. As for individual sports such as wrestling or golf, it can be even more difficult because they’re dependent on only themselves. There’s only one mind they can rely on.

In basketball, a player has four other teammates on the court, with eight to 10 more peers on the bench cheering the squad on. There are many ways to feel pressure on the court; bad calls from the referees, the opposing team talking smack, or simply just having a bad game.

“I try not to think about what is going wrong and just keep playing, trying to have fun and manifest in my head what’s going to happen in the next few minutes of the game,” DBHS junior guard Jairron Speights said.

It’s crucial to stay generally tranquil or determined to fully analyze the game and develop strategies. Some individual sports can impede this habit, ultimately breaking apart the instinctive systems of winning. There are no teammates to help build the player up. The only person they can thank for their win or blame for their loss is themselves.

“I go out there with anger with my goal being to destroy my opponent,” DBHS junior wrestler Donovan Campbell said.

Sports such as football and soccer have eleven players on the field at a time. An athlete would have 10 teammates on the field playing their roles to help the team succeed and win. The responsibilities are split to lessen the burden of worrying about everything at once. Football has the most players on a team, the Deerfield Beach High’s team has around 50 players, similar to NFL teams’ formula stack of 53.

“We all have to stick together as a family on and off the field,” DBHS senior linebacker Ty’rion Ervin said.

It is imperative for a player to not get in their own head during a game. If teammates notice it happening, they will go to that individual and determine the best choice for victory. Whether it be switching them out or waking them up. This is essential to keep the team morale at the highest level.

Written by Nolan Debrocq | Graphic Designed by Nolan Debrocq

Published January 18, 2023 | ePathfinder | Sports