Train your head as well as your body

Ask athletes what separates a good day from a bad one and plenty will say it was mostly in their head. Then ask how much time they spend training their head. Usually the answer is none.

Sport psychology has an image problem. It sounds either fluffy ("just believe in yourself") or like something reserved for Olympians with a support team. In practice, the most useful mental skills are simple techniques anyone can learn: a breathing pattern that takes the edge off, a routine that gets you into the right headspace, a way of talking to yourself that helps rather than hurts.

Like physical skills, they get better with practice and tend to fall apart if you only try them on the big day. That's why every guide in this lane ends with something you can practise in training this week, before you need it in competition.

We start with the most common problem of all: nerves before a game, race or match, and why trying to calm down is often the wrong move.

One boundary worth stating clearly. Performance nerves are normal. Anxiety that affects your sleep, mood or daily life, or that stops you competing altogether, is something to talk to a professional about. Our guides point you there when it's relevant.

Mental skills work the same way physical ones do: little and often beats a big effort the night before a final. Here's a simple four-week plan that fits around normal training.

Week one: notice. After each session or match, write two lines. What was going on in your head at the hardest moment? What did your body feel like? You're not trying to change anything yet, just learning your own patterns.

Week two: breathe. Practise slow breathing for three minutes a day: in through the nose for four counts, out for six to eight. Do it once at home when you're calm and once during training, between drills or intervals. The aim is to make it automatic.

Week three: cue words. Pick one technical cue word for your most important skill ("smooth", "drive", "watch the ball") and one for when you're tired ("strong", "light"). Use them on purpose in every session.

Week four: build a routine. Put the pieces together into a 20 to 30 second routine you do before key moments: one slow breath, your cue word, a look at the target, go. Then rehearse a longer pre-event routine before a low-stakes competition or a hard training session.

By the end of the month you'll have a routine you've practised dozens of times. That's what makes it hold up under pressure. Our pre-game nerves guide explains the research behind each step.