As a sport psychologist, I often talk about the importance of building a robust understanding of your own performance. Too often, athletes focus only on results, times, scores, or outcomes, without a clear framework for what actually helps them perform at their best. By developing a detailed picture of performance, athletes, coaches, and performance directors can create an environment where growth, consistency, and resilience thrive.
Why Clarity Matters in Performance
When an athlete knows what their performance looks like, not just how it feels, they are more able to replicate success, adapt under pressure, and manage setbacks. Without this clarity, it’s easy to get lost in unhelpful comparisons, negative self-talk, or chasing results rather than processes.
Your Best Day
One powerful exercise is asking athletes: What do you look like on your best day?
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What are your body language and energy levels like?
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How do you approach decisions or pressure moments?
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What do teammates or coaches notice about you?
For example, a hockey player may say: “On my best day I’m vocal, I anticipate play early, and I commit fully to my tackles.” A rower might add: “I feel calm at the start line, focus on my rhythm, and push hard in the middle section.”
These descriptions build a blueprint of high performance that goes beyond outcomes.
Your Worst Day
Equally important is exploring the opposite: What do you look like on your worst day?
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Do you hesitate before decisions?
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Do your shoulders slump after mistakes?
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Do you avoid communicating with teammates?
Recognising these signs allows athletes and coaches to intervene earlier. If a sprinter knows that on their worst day they become tense in the blocks, both coach and athlete can plan strategies, breathing techniques, grounding routines, or a specific cue word, to reset.
Helpful vs. Unhelpful for Performance
A practical way to build clarity is by separating behaviours and mindsets into “helpful” and “unhelpful.”
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Helpful: clear communication, focusing on controllable actions, sticking to routines, staying adaptable.
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Unhelpful: ruminating on mistakes, comparing to others, relying on perfect conditions, or ignoring recovery.
For example, in netball, a helpful behaviour might be “re-setting after each play,” while an unhelpful one could be “dwelling on the umpire’s calls.”
Putting It into Practice
For organisations and coaches, this process is a powerful development tool:
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Individual athlete plans: Create profiles of best/worst days to guide training and match-day preparation.
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Team culture: Share collective “helpful vs. unhelpful” lists to create accountability and alignment.
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Performance reviews: Frame feedback around behaviours that are replicable, not just results.
Final Thoughts
Building an effective idea of your own performance is about clarity, self-awareness, and ownership. When athletes and organisations invest in this process, it leads to greater resilience, more consistent performances, and environments where people know what it takes to thrive.
If you’re a coach, performance director, or organisation looking to bring more clarity and consistency to your athletes’ performances, get in touch to explore how sport psychology support can strengthen your environment.
📩 Get in touch at empoweringexcellence@outlook.com
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