Reflect.

The importance of self-reflection in sport.

Traditionally in sport, the belief that “practice makes perfect” is instilled in athletes from a young age. Athletes are taught in order to improve their performance they must practice, both their strengths and weaknesses, and they will reach their sporting potential. While it is true that practice is an integral part of athletic development, self-reflection also plays an important role in performance enhancement.

Self-reflection does not have to be a long-winded process, but it should endeavour to examine all aspects of the athletic performance. To aid with self-reflection, Chow & Luzzeri (2019) have developed a “Post-Even Reflection (PER)” tool, which is recognised as an effective method for athletes to use in self-reflection, as it encompasses all aspects of the performance experience.

So, why should you reflect on your performance? Primarily, self-reflection allows athletes to make adjustments to improve their performances. However, there are a host of other mental skills benefits: Enhanced self-awareness Improved self-monitoring Increased intrinsic motivation Improved goal setting and goal achievement

Self-reflection also allows the athlete to focus less on the performance outcome and focus more on their preparation. By carrying out a self-assessment, it allows the athlete to improve their future performances, giving them the cutting edge against their competitors.

So, instead of the typical practice – perform – practice – perform rubric, I suggest following practice – perform – reflect – practice – perform – reflect.

PER example:

Date: Event: Result/ Outcome: (rate from 0-10)

What went well: What could have gone better:

What specific adjustments can I make to prepare for my next performance?:

What mental skills I am working on: (e.g., confidence, bouncing back from mistakes, focus) (rate from 0-10 – elaborate on why you gave each skill this rating)

Level of physical arousal experienced in warmups (rate from right before performance deep sleep- during performance frenzied)

Open-ended reflection (answer open-ended questions for additional self-reflection e.g. “what did you learn about yourself today?”)