How Athletes Stay Focused Under Pressure — And You Can Too

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In the sporting world especially those which are very competitive, there are moments which could be very stressful. Much pressure is unavoidable in sports. Ofterntimes, whether this is a big match or a smaller one, loud crowds usually takes its toll on the players. And as expected, high expectations is ever present— every eye is watching. However, what separates elite athletes from everyone else isn’t that they feel no pressure at all. It’s how they handle it when the heat turns up.

Focus Is a Skill You Can Train

Top athletes don’t just show up hoping to feel sharp. Learn the art of focus from them. They train focus exactly like they train strength, speed, or stamina. They learn to steer their attention, calm their emotions, and keep reactions steady. When pressure spikes, focus keeps you grounded in the present moment instead of getting overwhelmed by what might happen next.

imagecrerdit: by bottomlayercz0 from Pixabay

Control What You Can, Let Go of the Rest

One of the golden rules in whatever sports: put your energy only where it matters. Athletes focus on their preparation, their effort, and their mindset. Everything else? Referee calls, crowd noise, other people’s opinions — those are outside your power. Mentally strong athletes simply release what they can’t control. That simple discipline clears away distraction instantly.

Routines Anchor Your Mind

Have you noticed how many athletes follow the exact same pre-game steps? Deep breathing, visualising success, the same stretching or warm‑up rituals. Routines aren’t superstition — they’re powerful signals to your brain: we’re ready, it’s time to perform. When everything around you feels chaotic, your routine creates calm, steady ground to stand on. Try to observe the routines of individual greqt players such as Rafael Nadal in tennis or Cristiano Ronaldo in football.

One Mistake Doesn’t Break the Whole Game

No matter how great an athlete is yet there could be a moment of errors. Everyone slips up. The difference? Elite athletes accept mistakes fast. They reset, take the next breath, and refocus on what comes next. Dwelling on an error only drains your energy and clouds your focus — and that’s exactly what pressure wants you to do. Leave the mistake in the past. Stay in the moment.

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Confidence = Trusting Your Preparation

Again focus on those big names in sports and you willr ight away notice the level of confidence they emulate in themselves. True confidence isn’t arrogance. It’s quiet trust in the work you’ve already put in. When you’ve trained consistently, built good habits, and prepared thoroughly, you don’t panic when pressure hits. You know you’re ready. That belief keeps you steady when it matters most.

These Lessons Work Far Beyond Sports

And yet the best part of it? All these principles we have shared earlier are totally applicable to other walks of life such as to school, work, big moments, and daily life too. Stay present. Control your effort. Trust your preparation. Pressure never truly disappears — but your confidence and focus will keep growing stronger.

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Final thought: 

To sum up everything, pressure simply reveals how well you’ve prepared. Master your focus, and you won’t just survive pressure — you’ll shine right in the middle of it. Take one step at a time.

What is Important in Sports: Winning or Something Else?

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          The world of sports is composed of various facets. And one among those is its similarity to a coin- it is composed of two opposing parts- positive and the negative. And on sports, any aim on events is always winning- thus giving 100% performance is always a must.  No second level or lopsided performance but rather, everything should be aiming for the best. 

          However, losing in any competition is the other side of the coin. Pain, desolation, heartbroken and downhearted are but some of the negative consequences of any loss. Sometimes, a player could ask himself, " What went wrong with my performance?

imagecredit: https://picjumbo.com/little-bird-on-pile-of-felled-wood-logs/

How did it happen when in fact, I have given my best shot?" Other questions could come up in one's mind yet at the very end, this unfortunate result could be a blessing in disguise and it will happen when one says the positive effect of losing. 

          That instead of blaming oneself or the worse, blaming others, one will resort to retrospection and assess what needs to be improved in terms of one's approach to the game. "Better luck next time." is always a positive approach to the experience. Thus one of the best ways to approach any game is to look at it as a  means of emerging as a winner- both in winning or losing the game. It's all in the mind after all.

                                                                                 

The Boxing World 2016

          One of the most talked sports of all time is the world of boxing. And for 2016, here are some of the most interesting fighters this year has produced and who continued to dominate the sports.

1. Gennady "GGG" Golovkin- he is one of those famous fighters in the middleweight division. All throughout his career, Golovkin has been dominating all his opponents either by scoring on a knockout or scoring a win by points. A few of those names mentioned as his most probable opponents are Canelo Alvarez, Billy Joe Saunders, James Degale, Danny Jacobs, and Sergey Kovalev. 

2. Roman Gonzales- another interesting fighter who has come out as phenomenal this year is Gonzalez. He is considered as a favourite against his next opponent McWilliams Arroyo. His illustrious career is considered as dominating as that of Triple G and much expectations are put on his coming fights.

3. Andre Ward- the top fighter in the light heavyweight division and his success in overpowering such opponents as Sullivan Barrera just proved that he really is a dominant fighter on this division. So much expectations are placed on this fighter and many are excited to witness him on his coming fights. 

4. Sergey Kovalev- his overwhelming victory against opponents such as the recent one, Jean Pascal, for the second time in less than a year. And it was noted that it was just the notable Bernard Hopkins who went the distance with him. His power and technique always dominate his opponents. 

5. Canelo Alvarez- his overwhelming victories over such opponents as Miguel Cotto and Amir Khan just showed his dominance and power. he is still considered as a young and precious fighter and many are hopeful to watch his upcoming events and among those who are eyed to be his opponents are Genady Golovkn and more surprised names.

6. Manny Pacquiao- back from his recent triumph over the known flashy fighter Jesse Vargas, Pacquiao is said to be back in timing and power. His recent retirement did not last long and now he is back on the ring again. 

There are those other names worthy to mention but I would just limit my names on these following fighters above. The world of boxing is waiting for more interesting fights for year 2017. 

Promising Young Boxers

          Philippines will continue to be one of those countries which will be known due to its list of hard hitting and excellent boxers. To name some famous ones, you can hear the names of the most popular during this era, the world known slugger Manny Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire, Brian Villoria etc.. However, looking forward to the present young batch of Philippine boxers, there are some names worthy to mention. Among this batch, I would like to share with you three names which came out as very promising and hopeful of also becoming great in the near future.

          These three boxers are still on their prime and if given the right direction as well as the opportunity to hit big time, I believe that they have a big chance to make it. These three are the Pagara brothers, known for their hard hitting and aggressive stances and the well rounded young boxer Mark Magsayo. 

source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC5QI3xY0Jc

1. Jason Pagara- he is the older brother between the Pagara brothers. With his father, Reynaldo, as his source of encouragement and with his strong following of the likes of Manny Pacquaio and older ALA Stable boxers AJ Banal and Boom Boom Bautista, he started boxing at an early age, 8 yrs. old. He prided himself with his record of 37 wins with 23 knock outs and 2 defeats at the hands of Filipino boxer Rey Anton Olarte in 2007 and Mexican boxer Rosbel Montoya. His defeat with Montoya was vindicated when he demolished him in their return fight winning the bout  in the 6th round. His latest triumph was just last month on their first US debut (ALA Boxing stable). In front of a huge US crowd and Pinoy fans, he showed his brilliance in the ring by sending his opponent, Nicaraguan Santos Buenavides, to the canvass several times. 

2. Albert Pagara- nicknamed as the Prince, Albert is the second of the popular Pagara boxers in ALA Boxing Stables. His present record of 25 wins (18 by knockouts) with 0 defeat is indeed a very promising one. He is well known for his very powerful right hand though his left hand is also touted as equally powerful. His latest stint was in Dubai World Trade Center when he masterfully defeated Mexican opponent, Jesus Rios on the very first round. 

source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHoFxhB8FNA

3. Mark Magsayo- although considered by many as still a novice on the professional level of boxing but he already made some news with his outstanding stoppages with the likes of John Rey Melligen, Ernesto Tata Fontanilla, and the visiting Korean boxer Moon Sun Jung. He won all his fights in such a masterful fashion that many are predicting a bright future ahead of him. 

Philippines would never run out of promising and talented fighters and it is such a pleasure to know a few of them through those mentioned beforehand. Still, as they continue to search for that big time glory, there is still a long way to go for these three talented ALA Stable boxers. 

                                        

The West Coast Eagles Prevails

          Being able to watch such a remarkable game between the visiting West Coast Eagles against the local based Saint Kilda Saints, we were left contented and appreciative to the performance of all players from both squads. Witnessing the game from the very start up to its end, we were delighted to see a fighting and gallant Saint Kilda squad to the present number 2 team in the league. 

          Indeed  the will to fight of all the Saints' members were so obvious but somehow, the momentum did sided on the Eagles'. Proving their worth as the present number 2 team in the league, they answered every rally made by the Saints. 

          Their quickness made a very strong impact on this game. But nobody could also disregard the gallant effort of the Saints that it even resulted to the injury of their players named Jimmy Webster to concussion and a hamstring injury to defender Sam Fisher. 

          In the end, the two teams deserve the respect of the crowd who all braved the cold Melbourne weather to watch the gruelling match and it was obvious then when the final siren sounded that everyone was jubilant to have witnessed such a thrilling football game.

       

                                       


Event: Australian Football League (AFL)
            Elimination Round
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, Australia


                                              

Fight of the Century

          Only three days from now and the world will watch the so called fight of the century between the two biggest names in boxing: The Filipino Champ Manny Pacquiao vs. the American great fighter Floyd  Mayweather. 

          Both boxers have been big names in boxing and they also have built so many followers along the years that they have dominated the boxing world. Both of these power punching boxers exude confidence  on themselves. They also demonstrate different styles of boxing. Manny is known for his quickness and volume of punches while on the other hand, Mayweather is known for his big right hand and his excellent defence.

          Thus, as the day of the biggest match in boxing comes closer, are you able to identify now who will be your bet on that championship day? Watch out guys for this much awaited confrontation between the present time's grand era of boxing.

                                       

Be A Consistent Winner!

          In the world of sports, winning is the most essential thing to achieve. Hence, sports people train so hard day in and day out so as to achieve the goal of success. Perhaps it is always the will that will guide a person towards joy and contentment in whichever field of sports he would deal on. 

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       On the other hand, your will to be the best should always be the guide to reach the top and it should be devoid of any wrongdoings.  And it needs to be consistently bear in mind that winning is the primary goal. Another consideration on any field of sports is the attitude of being fair and square with others even with one's direct competitors. In times of losing, accept with all humility and never put the blame of losing on the opponent. 

          Your  will to excel is very essential and plays a critical role on the game. It should be couple with a regular routine to improve your performance and abilities. Winning is therefore achieved when you become ready to face all the necessary elements of the game. 

          Hence, put consistency in your game and always desire to improve your performance. And by all these elements, winning then could be at hand to you. 

                                        

How to Become A Winner

          The world of sports is composed of so many facets. And one of these is its similarity to a coin- it is composed of two parts - positive and negative. Any sport's  aim is always winning the game. Hence giving one's 100% performance in any sport is a must. No second level or lopsided performance but rather, everything should be aiming for the best. 

imagecredit

          On the other hand, losing in any competition is the other side of the coin. Pain, desolation, downhearted, heartbroken and others are but some of the negative consequences of any loss. Sometimes, a player could ask himself/herself, "What went wrong with my performance? How did it happen when in fact, I have given my best shot?" Other questions could come up in one's mind yet at the very end, this unfortunate result could be a blessing in disguise and it will happen when one says the positive effect of losing.

           That instead of blaming oneself or the worse, blaming others, one will resort to retrospection and assess what needs to be improve or revised in terms of one's approach to the game.

imagecredit

"Better luck next time" is always a seemed compliment afterwards yet there would always be a room for improvement in one's performance.

          Thus one of the best ways to approach any game is to look at it as a means of emerging as a winner- both in winning or losing the game. It's all in the mind after all.

                                   

Hosting International Sporting Events

          Many nations nowadays are competing for the right to host international sporting events however some people think this is not a good idea. Hosting big sports events can be an issue for countries especially for those which are competing to win such right. It can be a problem and it is not a good idea since the competition may result to a sour relationship among them. 

          Big sporting events such as World Cup, Olympics, and others attract many affluent people and tourists to witness them. Consequently this would bring huge profit and long term economical increase in terms of tourism. However due to the benefits that could be possibly acquired, the right to host thus become a stiff competition among them. Although it would be a big advantage to win the right due to the prospect of having more infrastructures, labour force and promotions. For example, the Olympic that was held in China was announced with greater margin and apparently it acquired more prominence especially to its culture.

imagecredit: Michele L

           Furthermore, the opportunity to host such a massive event provides an opportunity to invite more people like  businessmen and the like. Eventually it will result to further boost to economy. On the other hand, the negative impact of creating a compelling decision to which country will come out as the eventual host will most likely result to a deteriorating relationship among the participating countries. Aside from that, bribery and corruption might also happen among the competing nations. 

          Eventually, the hosting of such events will either result to a positive outcome or a negative one. It is therefore upon the hands of the corresponding leaders and officers of these nations to see to it that everything is done according to the best of interest of all. 

Contributing writer: Myra Flor Jugan




                                                  

Making A Statement

           Here's comes the great humanitarian boxer once again- Manny Pacquiao, the only eight-division world champion of the world, who after demolishing the equally talented Chris Algieri in their latest fight in Macau, China. 

          After his recent triumph in the ring, he replied to Floyd Mayweather's teasing of him through his post in his Instagram account that anytime, the former is willing to fight Mayweather so as to put a period to this long dream of the world's boxing enthusiasts. 

imagecredit: By hin255, published on 06 July 2012Stock Photo - image ID: 10090971

          While many people joined Manny on this celebration, three hundred children also celebrated with him for he is their benefactor in their education and in their other needs. That's exactly how Manny is admired by many of his fans not just the adult people but as well coming from the children who will soon have better and bright future through the assistance extended to them by the humble champion, Manny.

          Manny has been telling the press and all his fans that they all deserve this much awaited fight with Mayweather so it is now on the hands of the former to accept and sign the contract of this very rich fight. 

          For the great people's champ, congratulations to your recent victory and may more people find joy in all the sharings that you have extended and will continue to extend to them.

                                               

Asian Games 2014

          As the recently concluded Asian Games 2014's memories come to our minds, sighs of relief and shouts of joy surely filled the hearts of all especially with its resounding successes  that came from those who have participated live and even those who followed the games online. In some way, multitude of records were shattered by the great performance of the athletes. Indeed, these athletes made their host countries so proud of them not only by just bringing the beacon but also by fulfilling their ultimate dream and that is to emerge as the best among the best in Asia. 

          Examples of those worthy to mention are the 14 world records which were shattered during the games. Moreover, there were also 80 Games records that were set during the event. Among the participating countries, China emerged as the best by garnering 151 gold medals and was followed by South Korea with 79 gold medals. Third came Japan with 47 gold medals and Kazakhstan with 28 gold medals. 

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          On the other hand, as the events went by, some controversies came especially on the area of poor officiating. Perhaps this is one area that the event organisers and other sports officials need to look into into as they would surely gather together to assess the just concluded huge sporting event. 

       During the closing ceremony, one of the highlights was the performance of the Rainbow Choir, composed of 30 children. They were so focused on their superb performance and it was one of the much applauded part of the ceremony. Indeed, new stars of the various sports came out and some former stars started their exit of the game. Congratulations to all winners and to all participants. Finally this event became an avenue for all people of Asia to come together as one community. 

                                   

What's Up In Sports?

          In my entry today, I will share with you some updates on the world of sports. Nowadays, sports world has so  many exciting events going on here and there. Let us try to know what are some of the latest inspiring events in sports.

          In the world of Australian football, the famous AFL (Australian Football League),  the Melbourne Demons will face Greater Western Sydney in a game which will be held at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) on Sunday. Earlier this year, they have emerged triumphant over teams such as Essendon, Richmond, Carlton, and Adelaide. Meanwhile Geelong Cats made a masterful triumph over Carlton at Docklands. This indeed became a much needed preparation for them for their next game against Hawthorn which for many is considered to be a blockbuster encounter.

imagecredit: Ben Tabanquerao

          And as of this date, the top teams at the ladderboard for AFl are the following: Geelong with 16-0 standings, Hawthorn 15-0, Sydney 15-0, Freemantle 13-0, Fort Adelaide 12-0. These are the best performing teams so far in the AFL standings.

          Meanwhile in golf, Bradley Dredge of Wales, presently the first round co-leader in the Danish Open Golf, is sitting eight under par at the halfway mark. This tournament is the national open golf tournament of Denmark. And Fijian former world number 1 ranked Vijay Singh is promising to make a comeback after a few so-so performance in the tournaments that he had participated in. When he was at the prime of his sports, he coveted major awards in winning three majors thus making him world number ranked player for 32 consecutive weeks and these were on the years 2004 and 2005. 

                                                 

Great Fight: Barrera vs. Hamed

          Sharing with you here one of the great fights that we have during the year 2001. This time, this war was between the much famous Marco Antonio Barrera of Mexico against Prince Naseem Hamed. It was mentioned that this fight is going to be a preliminary fight for Barrera as he prepares for his coming fight with the Filipino popular fighter Manny Pacquiao.

          The first round went to Barrera as he tugged in a couple of times Hamed. The latter survived the round but was obviously hammered by those big blows coming from Barrera.

 
                        

                               imagecredit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSAToqk7Yis

          However, in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, it was clearly  a turn around to what had transpired during the opening round as Hamed went to war and exacted revenge by hammering Barrera with some solid shots to the body. Barrera later showed some blood below his eyes on the third round. The match was still a close one at this juncture that both had 48 total score. 

          Somehow, the Prince's powerful big left hand was unsuccessful mostly during the previous rounds yet at the remaining 20 seconds of round 5, he unleashed a powerful big left hand that staggered Barrera. So far, Barrera was hesitant to make use of his well known jabs thus resulting to this round belonging to Hamed.

          However the next round belonged to Barrera as he became busy with his jabs and one of those made a mark on Hamed's face as he was hit with a big left punch from Barrera. In the next round, at 1 minute past the round, Barrera made a powerful right to the face of Hamed.  Blood started to come out from Hamed's nose at this round. Somehow, Barrera's jabs were effective at this point. 

         Until the end of the 9th round, Barrera was leading the fight by 2 points. At the end of round 10, Barrera was told to throw more punches; however it was clear though that at this point of the fight, Hamed needed a knock out to win it. 

          At the end of 11th round, it was clear that Barrera was ahead in the scorecards of the three judges. By copybox number, round 12 was all Barrera. And when the ring announcer, Michael Buffer,  read the decision, it was a unanimous decision for Marco Antonio Barrera.