In my last posting, I wrote about developing a championship mindset. I emphasized how important it is to be objective in your self-assessment. Below is a handy self-assessment tool, which you can you use either after a practice session or a performance. 

It may be useful for you to see this as an invitation to get to know yourself better. Remember the best performers are eager to learn as much about themselves as possible. 

If you use this self-assessment sheet on a regular basis, you’ll be able to keep track of how you feel, how you perform and how you improve! 

In the future, I will write more about how to manage your anxiety in high stress situations. 

If you would like a pdf of this self-assessment sheet write me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to send one your way. 

AFTER-PERFORMANCE SELF-ASSESSMENT SHEET 

Event: ___________________________________ Date: _________________ 

1. How anxious were you before today’s performance? 

0____    5_____      10____

low      not bad     high 

2. What were the things that caused you stress? 

3. When did you feel most stress…before, during, after? 

4. How did you experience the stress?  In thoughts, feelings, actions? 

5. How did you manage your anxiety?  How effective were you in controlling it using these techniques? 

6. Describe in detail your self-talk.  Remember key words and phrases you used. 

7.  What, if anything, have you learned from this performance that will help you plan for the next one?

What does it take to be the best? 

What are the factors that contribute to excellence? 

Think you know?  Sports psychologists say that anywhere from 50 - 90% of success in high level sports can be attributed to mental factors known collectively as Mental Toughness. 

Mental Toughness doesn’t mean being aggressive or, well, tough in a rough-tough-mean way. I like to think of Mental Toughness as the ability to perform at an optimal level no matter what the circumstances. 

Interested in seeing how you rate on the 8 Mental Toughness factors?  Great! Go ahead and rate yourself on all the dimensions below. 

And stay tuned for lots more about this topic including some tips on how to improve your scores! 

Mental Toughness Checklist 

Evaluate your own Mental Toughness capacities by rating each factor on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being low, 5 being average, and 10 being very high. 

1. Championship mind-set

(Open to feedback about your performance.) 

0________________________________10 

2. Concentration

(Ability to stay focused on task and not get distracted.) 

0________________________________10 

3. Composure

(Poised and self-assured in high stakes situations.) 

0________________________________10 

4. Come-back from mistakes

(Ability to bounce back quickly and let go of set-backs/mistakes.) 

0________________________________10 

5. Clarity about motivation

(Knowing what you want and why you want it.) 

0________________________________10 

6. Commitment

(Dedicating yourself to a course of action.) 

0________________________________10 

7. Confidence

(Belief in your ability to perform well.) 

0________________________________10 

8. Courage

(Quality of spirit that enables you to take on challenges.) 

0________________________________10