Athlete Tip: Telling Yourself "This Is Too Hard" Is Killing Your Performance

Athletes: Your brain finds evidence for whatever you tell it. Take the quiz to find your competitor style, then watch your personalized playlist → https://www.videoask.com/fnbmhduxy

The words you say to yourself during practice aren't just thoughts. They're instructions your brain follows - and "this is too hard" is sending your brain straight to the exit.

👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a Certified Mental Performance Coach and former 4x state championship volleyball coach with 14 years of experience. I help girl athletes ages 11-18 build unshakeable confidence and develop the mental skills that create a competitive advantage. At The Elite Competitor, we believe your mental game is what separates good athletes from great ones.

In this episode, I'm breaking down:
✅ Why "this is too hard" quietly tanks your performance
✅ The science behind why your brain builds a case against you
✅ The 3-word swap that keeps your brain working FOR you
✅ How athlete Laura used mental tools to win a championship

This is the mental rep most athletes skip. The ones who don't? They're the ones who get better faster.

🕓 Key Moments:
00:00 Intro & Community Shoutout
01:02 The Problem: "This Is Too Hard"
01:36 Coach Brie's Story
02:30 The Science: Reticular Activating System
04:12 The Swap: "I'm Figuring It Out"
05:45 Your Challenge & Call to Action

💬 Athletes - comment below: try this at your next practice then let me know how it goes 👇

💡 MENTAL TRAINING RESOURCES FOR ATHLETES:
🔗 Free Training: trainhergame.com
🔗 The Elite Mental Game Program: elitecompetitor.com/emg
🔗 Instagram: @raising.elite.competitors
🔗 FREE Training for Sports Moms: https://trainhergame.com/mom
📺 YouTube Playlist for Athletes: https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
🙌 What's Your Competitor Style Quiz (for athletes!): https://www.videoask.com/fnbmhduxy
📩 Questions? Email us: [e-mail]

🔔 Subscribe for more mental training tips for girl athletes.

P.S. If you're curious about the science behind this - here's what the research shows:
⚡️ Athletes who use positive self-talk improve performance by up to 23% compared to athletes using negative self-talk (Hatzigeorgiadis et al., Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2011)
⚡️ Athletes with a growth mindset are 34% more likely to persist through challenging tasks than those with a fixed mindset (Dweck, Stanford University)
⚡️ 80-85% of elite athletes use intentional self-talk as a performance strategy - yet most young athletes are never taught how (Association for Applied Sport Psychology)

The Raising Elite Competitors channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping girl athletes and their sports moms strengthen the mental game so she can perform her best when it matters most.

#girlathlete #athletemindset #mentaltraining