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Unlocking Peak Performance by Understanding an Athlete's Ideal Competitive Mindset
I was recently listening to an interview with Bobby Portis of the Milwaukee Bucks. He explained the mindset that he feels leads him to play his best.
Portis likes to be angry.
Really angry.
To ensure he is at the optimal level of anger he envisions the opponents hurting his children and familiy. He feels that unless he is angry to the point where he is willing to fight his opponent he will not play his best,
I have a few concerns about this from a performance psychology perspective. I am not sure there is research that supports rage and anger as performance enhancers. But to each their own.
It does help me understand how Portis ended up in a vicious fight in practice early in his career.
It's also fascinating from a coaching perspective.
I could never have played well in an emotional state that was based on anger and rage. I would have been far too emotional and every mistake would have set me off. Simply thinking about someone harming my family raised my heart rate and blood pressure while I wrote this. I cannot imagine trying to play like that every night.
This isn't about criticizing Portis's preparation. Who am I to say it's wrong if it works for him?
It's about recognizing that all of our players require a different set of conditions to play their best.
It is no secret that I am a fan of the work of Dr. Michael Gervais.
As someone who is working to become a better performance psychologist, Dr. Gervais has been instrumental in helping me hone my craft. His podcast gives me an opportunity to learn from one the leaders in my field let alone the people he interviews.
One of the first exercises he does when working with athletes is to get them to explore and explain their Ideal Competitive Mindset.
His goal is to help athletes understand how they feel physically and mentally when they are at their best. He asks them a series of questions to help them understand the conditions that led to peak performance.
I love this exercise.
It is great because it places the onus on the athlete to reflect on what leads them to be their best.
According to an interview on the Tim Ferriss podcast , Dr. Gervais asks a variation of the following questions:
- How does it feel inside your body when you are at your best?
- How does playing your sport feel?
- What do you focus on when you are playing your best?
- What type of messaging are you giving yourself in these moments? Both internally and externally
- How would you describe this experience to someone else?
- What would it be like if you could create this feeling every time you played?
Gervais has talked about how Kobe's Mamba Mentality was an example of an Ideal Competitive Mindset.
Like Bobby Portis, Kobe Bryant understood the conditions that led him to be his very best everytime he hit the floor. Whether it was training, pregame warmups or a playoff game. Kobe knew how to access the Mamba Mentality when he needed it. It is one of the reasons that he ended up as an all-time great. At the NBA level, the difference between being a journeyman and an all-star is often work ethic and mindset.
Kobe was elite in both these areas.
This is a practical exercise that you can use with your athletes allowing them to unpack their triggers for peak performance are. Just learning their triggers makes it more likely they will access peak performance. It also serves as a great starting point for your athletes to learn more about the mental skills that they require
Understanding their Ideal Competitive Mindset provides athletes a bullseye. A very specifc target they can aim for in training, pre-game and in competition. It is a powerful tool.
Coaches can also use this information. When we can understand each athlete's Ideal Competitive Mindset we can remind them of the state of mind they need to be in to play their best. It is also a great way to deepen relationships.
You can download a handout to use with your athletes here:
Ideal Competitive Mindset .pdf
It is also helpful to explore your Ideal Competitive Mindset as a coach. What mindset allows you to be for you to be at your best?
Here is a podcast where Dr. Gervais discusses how he uses the Ideal Competitive Mindset with athletes.
Thanks for reading the Competitive Advantage in 2024.
This is the end of the third year of the newsletter. Thanks for continuing to read. I hope the newsletter continues to be helpful.
If there is something you would like to learn more about please feel free to shoot me an email.
What were your big wins in 2024? What are you hoping for in 2025?
How can I help you on your coaching journey?
Let's work together.
I would love to help you or your team build a competitive advantage. Here are a few ways I can help:
- Join our community
- Consult with your team or coaching staff
- Teach mental skills to your team via Zoom
- Work 1 on 1 with coaches
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Shoot me an email I love to talk coaching and see how I can help you.
Coaching is hard, let's make it easier.
Send me an email at jasonpayne@evolutionmpc.com
Thanks for reading and have a great week.
