7 mental tricks US Olympic athletes use to perform under pressure
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When you're competing against the best athletes in the world, everyone's in great shape, having spent years crafting the perfect physique to perform at the top of their game.
But physical prowess will only get you so far. Many Olympians will tell you that success is also a product of their mindset and of their ability to not get intimidated by their opponents and crumble under pressure.
Everyone uses a different strategy. Business Insider combed through recent interviews with members of Team USA and highlighted the psychological tactics they find most effective.
The best part? Anyone can use modified versions of these tricks, whether they're trying to stay calm during a tough meeting or pumping themselves up before giving a presentation.
Read on for insight into the minds of legends.
Patrick Smith/Getty ImagesAllyson Felix tunes out distractions.
The 30-year-old track-and-field star told Sports Illustrated:
"When I am walking out to the blocks, I'm just extremely focused. I'll see all the cameras flashing and I'll just be, like, unaware of it all. I don't hear any noise around me. I'm completely just dialed in to what I have to do."
AP Photo/Orlin Wagner
Michael Phelps visualizes a plan for every scenario.
2016 marks Phelps' fifth Olympics. In 2012, he and his longtime coach, Bob Bowman, spoke to The Washington Post about Phelps' mental preparation.
"He will see exactly the perfect race. And he will see it like he's sitting in the stands, and he'll see it like he's in the water," Bowman said. "And then he will go through scenarios: What if things don't go well?"
"If my suit ripped or if my goggles broke, you know, what would I do?" Phelps said.
"So he has all of this in his database, so that when he swims the race he's already programmed his nervous system to do one of those," Bowman said. "And he'll just pick the one that happens to come up."
Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Lexi Thompson calms herself with happy thoughts.
Thompson, 21, was the youngest golfer to play in the US Women's Open at age 12. In an interview with ESPN, she said she's been working with a life coach who has helped her boost her mental game while performing:
"When [my life coach and I] get together, he'll hook me up to a monitor to measure my relaxation. If I think about something that gets me hyped, my heartbeat shoots up. When it starts to spike, he has me take a deep breath and think about something that makes me happy.
"I'll think positive thoughts like 'You're blessed' or 'You're talented,' and instantly see changes in my heartbeat.
"I put this breathing technique into my routine out on the golf course. Before I hit a shot, I'll visualize the shot I want to hit to get rid of all negative thoughts. I have to maintain a positive mindset because golf is 80 percent mental."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider