What It Actually Means to Reset and What Gets In the Way

“I can’t recover quick enough after mistakes.”

“I beat myself up after every error, replaying it in my mind.”

“I don’t know how get present again after a miss.”

“One mistake sends me in a spiral.”

We hear these statements all the time. Every athlete knows they need to be able to reset - very few are actually taught how to do it.

What is Resetting?

Here’s the thing - resetting, as its core, is not complicated. There are, however, barriers that can make it feel complicated. We’re walking through those here.

The core components of resetting are simple: assess, identify, and transition.

Assess means we are treating the mistake/error as information. What did that mistake tell us? How can I use it to help me?

Identify means we are honing in on what is required now, often using the information we got from step one. (Think the acronym “WIN”: what’s important now.) This step is already pulling us out of the past and into the present where we actually have the power to influence what’s happening.

Transition means we are releasing the past mistake. It has served its purpose and now you’re committing to focusing on what you identified in step two. Some athletes like to use a physical reset to “mark” their transition (moving a hair tie from one wrist to the other, shaking their glove out, taking hat off and putting back on), as a way of marking a new start and reinforcing that the error is in the past.

So What Get’s in the Way?

Believing The Mistake Says Something About You

Making a mistake does not mean you are bad at your sport, performing bad does not mean you are bad. But our brain can be really good at convincing us these things are true. You might find yourself saying, “I always do this,” “I knew I wasn’t ready for this,” “I’m the worst,” “I suck at this!”. The story your brain is telling you about the mistake becomes the problem and the resulting emotions derail you from assessing, identifying, and transitioning.

Assuming The Mistake Predicts What Happens Next

When trying to reset, the mistake is the most recent piece of data you have. This can make it difficult to think about all of the other data you have access to - all the moments where you successfully made the lift, the play, the dive, or the shot. Because of the recency effect, we can assume the next attempt is going to be the same. This can stop us from ever even assessing and identifying, because we’ve already made our mind up about what’s going to happen. We pull back and lean away when we need to lean in.

Refusal To Accept The Mistake

Part of being an athlete includes messing up. Making errors. Failing. (I know, unfortunate.) But it’s true. If you head into a practice/performance/game/meet with the expectation that you cannot and will not mess up, you’ve already prevented yourself from being able to reset. Because when you do make a mistake, you might be focused on, “How did that happen?”
“I shouldn’t have done that,” “It was someone else’s fault!”. The lack of willingness to accept the mistake stops us from using it as information and transitioning.

So What?

Assess your own reset routine. Experiment with it. Identify the gaps and barriers. If you need, work with a professional that is trained in sport psychology that can help fill the gaps, rework the stories, and embrace more acceptance.