Debunking sport psychology myths: Will therapy make you lose your competitive edge

One of my favorite things about talking with athletes is hearing the assumptions they've picked up about sport psychology. Some of those ideas have been around for decades. Others have spread through social media. Either way, many of them aren't particularly helpful.

Lidia Garcia and I recently sat down on The Mentally Fit Athlete to talk about some of the biggest myths we hear surrounding sport psychology. Some of these myths keep athletes from getting help. Others create unrealistic expectations about what sport psychology can actually do.

Let's look at a few of the most common ones.

Myth #1: Sport psychology is only for mentally weak athletes

This is probably the myth I hear most often.

Some athletes worry that if they work with a sport psychologist, it means they're mentally weak or not tough enough to handle competition.

I don't think that's a particularly helpful way to think about it.

Every athlete experiences self-doubt at some point. Every athlete gets nervous before certain competitions. Even the athletes who appear the most confident have moments when they question themselves. That's part of being human, not a sign that something is wrong.

Sometimes athletes are also hard on themselves for things that have very little to do with mental toughness. Maybe they missed practice because they were sick. Maybe they were mentally exhausted. Maybe they had a family obligation. Maybe they simply needed a day to recover.

When athletes judge themselves for those moments, I often find myself wondering: Is that really mental weakness, or is it just someone trying to balance sport with the rest of life?

Athletes don't stop being people just because they're competing.

Sport psychology isn't about fixing weak athletes. It's about helping athletes respond more effectively to the challenges that naturally come with competition.

Myth #2: Mental performance only matters during competition

Sometimes people say that sport is "80% mental and 20% physical." I don't think it's quite that simple.

When competition is months away, athletes are usually focused on training, developing skills, getting stronger, and enjoying the process. At that point, the physical side often takes center stage.

As competition gets closer, things begin to change.

Athletes start wondering whether they've prepared enough.

They replay mistakes.

They imagine what could go wrong.

The night before competition, there's usually very little left to improve physically. The training has already happened. You've practiced your skills. You've watched film. At that point, you're mostly left with your thoughts.

That's when the mental side often becomes much more important.

Learning to tolerate uncertainty, make room for nervousness, and perform anyway can become one of the biggest challenges leading into competition.

Myth #3: Therapy will make you lose your competitive edge

Every now and then I'll hear someone say they knew an athlete who went to therapy and then didn't perform as well afterward.

It's understandable why someone might connect those two events.

The problem is that athletic performance is influenced by so many different variables.

Competition changes.

Training changes.

Injuries happen.

Life circumstances change.

Sometimes athletes simply get older while the level of competition continues to improve.

It's very difficult to conclude that therapy caused a decline in performance.

I tend to think about mental health the same way I think about physical injuries.

If you strain a muscle, most athletes wouldn't avoid physical therapy because they're worried it will make them weaker. They'd address the injury so they could return to training.

Mental health often works in a similar way.

Addressing anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, or burnout doesn't replace mental skills training. In many cases, it allows athletes to devote more attention to performing instead of spending so much energy managing emotional distress.

Myth #4: Sport psychology guarantees better results

I wish that were true.

Unfortunately, there aren't many guarantees in sport.

Working with a sport psychologist doesn't guarantee a championship, a scholarship, or a personal best.

What it can do is improve the process.

It can help you recover more quickly from mistakes.

Stay focused on what matters.

Communicate more effectively.

Develop healthier ways of thinking about competition.

Learn mental skills that give you a better opportunity to perform closer to your abilities.

None of those things guarantee a particular outcome.

They simply improve the likelihood that you'll give yourself the best opportunity to perform well.

Myth #5: Mental skills are just common sense

This one comes up a lot.

People hear terms like breathing, visualization, mindfulness, or positive self-talk and think, "I already know how to do that."

Maybe.

But knowing about something isn't the same as being able to do it consistently when the pressure is highest.

Reading about visualization is a little like watching a video about strength training. You may understand the exercise, but that doesn't mean you've developed the skill.

Mental skills work the same way.

They improve through practice.

When the pressure increases, it's very easy for confidence to disappear, breathing to become shallow, and attention to narrow. That's exactly why athletes practice these skills before they need them.

Sport psychology isn't simply learning concepts.

It's practicing them until they're available when the moment gets difficult.

A Quick Word About Mindset

Growth mindset has become a popular phrase, and for good reason. Research suggests that believing your abilities can improve through effort helps athletes embrace challenges and bounce back from setbacks.

At the same time, I think it's helpful to avoid oversimplifying mindset.

Elite athletes often believe they're capable of extraordinary performances. They have confidence in their abilities. But they also understand that talent alone isn't enough. They still have to keep learning, practicing, and improving.

Like many things in psychology, it's usually a little more nuanced than choosing one mindset over another.

Even Elite Athletes Are Still Human

One of the themes that came up during our conversation was something I think athletes sometimes forget.

Elite athletes are still people.

They have self-doubt.

They wonder whether they're good enough.

They compare themselves to others.

Sometimes they think about quitting.

Many of them are also remarkably young. They're teenagers or in their early twenties while performing on some of the biggest stages in the world.

Being exceptionally talented at a sport doesn't make someone immune to anxiety, uncertainty, or emotional struggles.

In many ways, they're experiencing the same challenges the rest of us experience. They're just doing it in front of much larger audiences.

Final Thoughts

Many of the myths surrounding sport psychology come from trying to simplify something that's actually pretty complex.

Sport psychology isn't only for athletes who are struggling.

It isn't a guarantee of winning.

It isn't about eliminating anxiety.

And it isn't just common sense.

For me, one of the biggest goals of sport psychology is helping athletes perform closer to their abilities while enjoying their sport a little more along the way.

Sometimes that involves learning mental skills like visualization, communication, or attentional control.

Sometimes it involves working through anxiety, OCD, perfectionism, burnout, or another mental health concern that's getting in the way.

Either way, the goal isn't to become a different person.

It's to help you become more flexible, more resilient, and better able to perform under pressure while remembering that you're still a person outside of your sport.

Looking for a Sport Psychologist in Southern California?

Whether you're trying to manage performance anxiety, OCD, perfectionism, burnout, or simply want to perform with greater consistency, sport psychology can help.

I work with middle school, high school, collegiate, professional, and adult recreational athletes throughout California via secure telehealth.

If you're looking for sport psychology in your area, you can learn more here:

• Long Beach athletes: Learn about my services for athletes in Long Beach.

• Los Angeles athletes: Learn about sport psychology services for athletes throughout Los Angeles.

• South Bay athletes: Learn more about working with a sport psychologist serving the South Bay.

If you're wondering whether sport psychology is the right fit for your goals, feel free to schedule a free consultation. We can talk about what you're experiencing, answer your questions, and decide together whether working together makes sense.