Our data reveals that just 9% of collegiate athletes can let go of unhelpful or negative thoughts when competing.
That means more than 9 out of 10 athletes report getting stuck in rumination – replaying mistakes, second-guessing, or fighting their own thoughts instead of focusing on execution.
Psychologists call this cognitive entanglement. When athletes try to “not think” about mistakes, it often backfires, making the thought more powerful (Wegner, 1994). Research in sport psychology shows that mindfulness and acceptance-based strategies allow athletes to notice thoughts without judgment and return to task focus more quickly (Gardner & Moore, 2007; Josefsson et al., 2017).
Our data confirms what we see every day: athletes who can let go of unhelpful thoughts recover faster after errors, while those who can’t often spiral into frustration or hesitation.
So what does letting go look like in practice?
- Awareness: Recognize the thought (“I’m nervous,” “I blew it”) without judgment.
- Reset: Use a simple physical cue – clap, deep breath, touch the ground – to disrupt the loop.
- Redirect: Shift attention to a controllable action (“next play,” “eyes on the target”).
The goal isn’t to eliminate negative thoughts – they’re part of being human. The skill is learning to release them quickly, so they don’t dictate performance.
For deeper insights and the latest research from the Premier Mindset Institute, [click here] to connect with us.