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The Daily Insight

How do you practice self talk in sport?

Author

Eleanor Gray

Updated on March 02, 2026

How do you practice self talk in sport?

Use positive self-talk during both training and during competition. Praise yourself for each successful tackle, header, pass or shot. APPLICATION: Positive self-talk is about blocking negative thoughts. For example, develop awareness of how well you perform and praise yourself accordingly.

How do you build athletes self confidence through self talk?

How to Develop a Self Talk Habit. Choose a mantra: To get started with creating more positive self-talk, choose one of two mantras you can use during your training. This could be a simple affirmation, such as “I feel strong,” or the mantra “Go, Go, Go,” or another simple, positive phrase you can repeat over and over.

How do you teach a positive self talk in sport?

Here are some ways to teach your young athlete how to practice positive self-talk.

  1. Choose Friends Wisely. We all know someone who is a perpetual pessimist.
  2. Practice Gratitude.
  3. Flip the Script.
  4. Make a List of Positive Affirmations Together.
  5. Make it a Family Activity.

What is self talk athletes?

Self-talk is defined as the verbalization or statements athletes repeat to themselves prior to or during skill execution (Begley, 2012). Performing these techniques can improve focus and slow the brain down, giving it the ability to devote more “power” to the specific task at hand.

What famous athletes use self-talk?

Or like Michael Jordan who uses “self-talk”. In fact, the success of mental trainers has now been highly established. As we see here, when Michael Jordan and then Kobe Bryant began working with the noted mental skills trainer George Mumford, their contemporaries noticed.

How do you talk to an athlete?

Develop their verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Ensure that they provide positive feedback during coaching sessions. Give all athletes in their training groups equal attention. Ensure that they not only talk to their athletes, but they also listen to them as well.

How can I have positive self-talk?

So, here’s how you can practice it daily.

  1. Don’t fall into negative self-talk traps.
  2. Treat yourself like you would a friend.
  3. Make self-care a priority.
  4. Limit your exposure to negativity.
  5. Practice gratitude.
  6. Change your vocabulary.
  7. Take a timeout.
  8. Post positive affirmations.

What is positive self-talk examples?

Here are some examples of positive self-talk:

  • I have the power to change my mind.
  • I have permission to change my mind.
  • Attempting to do this took courage and I’m proud of myself for trying.
  • I love myself for who I am.
  • Fear is only a feeling, it cannot hold me back.
  • I forgive myself for any past mistakes.

What are self-talk strategies?

“Self-talk strategies involve the use of cue words or small phrases aiming at enhancing performance through the activation of appropriate responses,” he says.

What is self-talk skills?

Self-talk is your internal dialogue. It’s influenced by your subconscious mind, and it reveals your thoughts, beliefs, questions, and ideas. Self-talk can be both negative and positive. It can be encouraging, and it can be distressing. Positive thinking and optimism can be effective stress management tools.

Do athletes have life coaches?

In the same way athletes have coaches for sport, many athletes are now seeing the benefit of bringing in experienced coaches to support them with their own personal adventure of life, so they can live life with greater peace, clarity and harmony.

What are the types of self-talk?

This type of thinking and self-talk generally falls into four categories:

  • Personalizing. You blame yourself for everything.
  • Magnifying. You focus on the negative aspects of a situation, ignoring any and all of the positive.
  • Catastrophizing.
  • Polarizing.