Mental Edge: What it is and how do you get it?

mental edge performance Jun 09, 2022

‍Mental edge is a term we hear everywhere, but what does it really mean?

 

Definition

A mental edge is a person’s ability to focus and remain poised under pressure. It’s the ability to find that extra gear when it’s needed most and use it again and again in a competition. Mental edge is also known as “the X-factor” or “that something factor.”

Mental edge encompasses different aspects of a person, including confidence, self-awareness, poise, mental toughness, resiliency, and so on. A person with a strong mental edge can handle whatever curveballs life throws at him or her, keeping their performance at peak levels. With the right mental training techniques, anyone can improve their mental edge. 

 

The fantasy of a Mental Edge

I have worked with countless tennis players so overwhelmed by their thoughts that they could not compete effectively. They saw everything that went wrong as a sign that it wasn’t their day and so often linked it to unrelated events and problems, grouping them together until they appeared as insurmountable mountains, rather than dealing with each problem individually. The grouping of problems together fosters feelings of being unlucky or helpless in the face of such mountains to climb, making it easy to turn this perceived disadvantage into an excuse to give up. They also nurture the notion that one day they would suddenly become mentally tough overnight, without having to work hard on self-awareness and changing their behaviour in response to challenging situations.

This fantasy that others were lucky or naturally tougher or somehow faced far fewer negative situations and problems or that one day their problems would disappear for them like it had for their peers, was something I challenged as disrespectful of the work and effort others had put in to develop and manage their minds. Once they realised and accepted that everyone had similar problems if they were truly ambitious, they settled down to do the work to rid themselves of their fantasies. Only then did their mental toughness journey begin and open the idea of having the ability to create a mental edge.

 

Here are the steps to develop your mental edge:

Step One: Get proactive

  • Get yourself mentally on the front foot.
  • Instead of thinking about all the things that other people are good at, foster a mindset that always looks at what your strengths can do to opponents in sport or what makes you so good at your job.

This is a proactive mindset that immediately sets you up to operate with a mental edge. Whenever you worry about what others will do that can hurt you, turn it around and focus on how you can win the day. 

 

Step two: Develop greater self-awareness 

Self-awareness is the ability to recognise one’s emotions and use them to achieve one’s goals.

It’s knowing how you’re feeling, what causes your emotions, where you’re having problems, and how those problems are related to your performance. This can be important for the psychological aspects of sports, such as confidence and self-esteem.

  • Meditation or quiet time thinking about the way you react is a powerful way to develop self-awareness. During meditation, you clear your thoughts and focus on your breathing. As you do this, you train yourself to become less reactive to stress in your day-to-day life. This will help you become more self-aware, which in turn will help you become more confident with better self-esteem.
  • Meditation is simple and can be done almost anywhere. Try meditating for just five minutes a day and see how it affects your self-awareness.
  • Another useful way to think is to go for walks alone and just mull over situations, thinking of new options you could use to change how you behaved or thought of yourself. Find your way, as the only right way is the one that helps you!

 

Step three: Practice self-confidence and self-esteem exercises

Confidence and self-esteem are two sides of the same coin:

You can’t have one without the other.

Building your confidence and self-esteem is an ongoing process, and you can work on both throughout your life, no matter what your age.

  • Start by writing the things that make you feel good about yourself, whether it’s your skills, your personality or your appearance.
  • Read these things every day to help keep your confidence and self-esteem high.
  • Try completing challenges that will help boost your confidence.

Start small and work your way up: having a large goal may make you feel overwhelmed and prevent you from completing it.

Challenges don’t have to be related to your sport or work; they could be anything from taking an online course to getting up earlier than usual.

 

Step four: Train your resilience muscle with exposure therapy

  • A resilient person can adapt to changes in their life and bounce back from challenges more quickly than others.
  • We can train our resilience muscle by exposing ourselves to stressful situations and then using coping skills to manage our response to them.
  • For example, if you get nervous before a game and find it difficult to shake off, try going to watch and talk to others who can perform under pressure and hear how they developed their skills.
  • Getting used to the environment and seeing the problem in front of you can help you get over it more quickly.
  • You can do this — for example, if you’re struggling to stay positive when you’re on a losing streak, you could write your thoughts and when you experience a win, compare them. 

 

Sign up to David’s weekly podcasts to listen here to a quick 5-minute podcast 

Steps to control your fear

 

 

 

 

Step five: Take control of your thoughts

Thoughts can both help and hinder your performance. Positive thoughts can boost confidence, help reduce anxiety, and increase the likelihood of success.

Negative thoughts can paralyse you, increase anxiety, decrease focus, and lead to poor performance.

We can take control of our thoughts by learning how to reframe them. Reframing means changing how you interpret a situation.

For example, if you think, “I’m going to choke and embarrass myself in front of all these people,” you’re likely to get nervous and perform poorly.

If you think, “I’m really excited to play and express my talents in front of all these people,” you’re much more likely to stay calm and perform well.

The key is staying proactive in thinking about your skills and not expecting to be perfect or think it will work every time.

It is about developing your skills to a point where you know you deliver with a mental edge in most situations. 

 

Conclusion

In sport especially, the mental edge is often the difference between winning and losing. It’s what enables athletes to push themselves harder and longer when it seems impossible to continue. It’s the difference between an athlete who gives up at the first sign of trouble and one who continues to push through to the finish line. Having a strong mental edge is crucial for athletes of all levels. It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out; strengthening your thought processes to believe that you have a mental edge will help you perform at your best in any situation. 

Because everyone is different, the way you implement the techniques suggested is the most powerful tool in your arsenal. When you take it upon yourself to experiment and find mantras, thought patterns, and ways to incorporate the techniques into your life in a way that works for you, then you create a crucial difference, the difference between being reactive and proactive.

The path to creating this mental edge is so varied, but with guidance and work, you can overcome most challenges you face with the confidence of someone who knows they have an edge.

Mindset College is an online programme that gives you all the tools to create a mental edge in every aspect of your game on and off the court. 

Written by

David Sammel

Mindset College