In seeking to improve your individual performance it is necessary to be aware of a number of key points:
Commit yourself to practising exercises and techniques over a period of time (a minimum of four weeks is suggested).
Practise on a regular basis, daily if possible.
Practise both physically and mentally.
Work either on some specific aspect of your sport (e.g. improving confidence, winning when coming from behind), or choose a technique that seems to make sense and be fun to try.
Don't choose too many aspects to work on too early. Rather practise one or two on a regular basis for a period and then widen out and try others.
Suspend judgement by avoiding the trap of applying logic and intellectual judgement to a new technique. Rather, give it a try, create some early momentum, measure the results, then keep going. Remember these techniques are generative, i.e. the more you do them the more successful they become and the easier they get, as they become part of your repertoire of habits.
Avoid telling yourself things like: 'I'm not really good enough' or 'This is too hard for me' or 'I can't understand this'. These become self-fulfilling prophesies, i.e. we make sure that they become true for us.
Avoid putting yourself under too much pressure. These exercises and techniques should be fun!
Consider working with someone else. This can often be done even in an individual sport. You don't have to be working on the same issue to work with someone else. Working in pairs or groups can significantly improve motivation and provide the impetus for trying things out.
Apply a technique that works for you to more than one specific skill. Visualisation and anchoring, for example, can be applied to numerous aspects of improving sports performance. It isn't necessary to find a different technique for every issue.
Choose an issue/skill to work on that is important to you rather than a low-key peripheral one.
Experiment with trying different things. Avoid the trap of finding one thing that works and then relying only upon it. Try new things and enjoy having a go.
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