What mental strategies are effective for managing competition stress?
To manage competition stress effectively, consider the following mental strategies:

1. Visualization: Practice visualizing yourself performing well in the competition. Envision yourself making successful plays, staying calm, and feeling confident.

2. Positive self-talk: Develop a list of positive affirmations that you can repeat to yourself before, during, and after competition. These affirmations should focus on your strengths, abilities, and successes.

3. Deep breathing: Incorporate deep breathing exercises into your pre-competition routine. This can help calm your mind and reduce stress levels.

4. Focus on the process: Instead of dwelling on the outcome of the competition, focus on the process of your performance.
As an elite athletic coach, I've found that effective mental strategies for managing competition stress include visualization, goal setting, and self-talk. Visualization involves creating a mental image of yourself successfully performing the task at hand. Goal setting helps athletes focus on specific objectives and track their progress. Lastly, self-talk involves encouraging positive thoughts and affirmations during training and competition.