
Why Athletes Play Passively and How to Stop!
From Sports Psychology Coaching by Eli Straw
April 22, 2026 · 9 min
About this episode
This episode discusses why athletes may play passively and offers strategies to shift their mindset towards confident play.
Do you play passively and defensively during games? Learn why this happens and a mindset shift you need to make to go from playing scared, to playing confidently! 🧠 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: If you’re struggling with confidence, anxiety, fear of failure, or overthinking during games—or you’re a parent of an athlete dealing with that—I work 1-on-1 with athletes to help them perform freely and confidently. Learn more about the program and see if it’s a good fit: https://ww...
People in this episode
Host: Eli Straw
Topics covered
- athlete mindset
- confidence
- performance anxiety
- mental coaching
- playing style
Keywords
- passive play
- mental performance
- confidence
- fear of failure
- overthinking
More episodes of Sports Psychology Coaching
- Stop Labeling Games as Good or Bad · June 13, 2026 · 8 min
- 4 Pregame Visualizations to Try · June 12, 2026 · 7 min
- Why Don't I Play Like Myself in Games? · June 11, 2026 · 13 min
- Routine to Build Confidence in Sports · June 10, 2026 · 10 min
- Strategy to Be More Present During Games · June 9, 2026 · 9 min
- Strategy to Stop Letting Distractions Hurt Your Play · June 8, 2026 · 11 min
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