The Season Hasn't Started...But the Mental Game Has
- Julie Jones
- Jul 27
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 27
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A new season brings something special. New teammates. New opportunities. New goals.
Fresh hope.
Every August (or September, depending on your sport), athletes and coaches arrive believing this could be THE year.
And maybe it will be.
But before the first whistle blows or the first pitch is thrown, it's worth recognizing something that has changed dramatically over the past decade.
Today's athletes aren't just competing against their opponents anymore. They're competing against uncertainty.
Sure...uncertainty isn't something new...but think about how different today's environment is.
I didn’t think much about this new brand of uncertainty until I had a rash of conversations with the college athletes with whom I work…and it’s on their minds. BIG TIME!
Today, most college teams welcome transfers who may immediately compete for starting roles…like the winger from San Jose State my college soccer player’s mind is obsessed with.
Freshmen arrive with impressive résumés and high expectations. I mean…they have won a TON of tournaments and have had even more praise poured upon them!!
Graduate students extend careers…which changes the dynamic on teams and will now be the new normal with the NCAA’s 5 for 5 rule…not necessarily a bad thing!
And we’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge that NIL opportunities have added new dynamics.
The bottom line is, not too long ago, many athletes returned each fall to familiar teammates, familiar roles and a fairly predictable path. But the new college athletics culture can reshape a roster overnight. Even at the high school level, club sports, recruiting timelines, and social media have created a constant stream of comparison and uncertainty.
Today?
Very little feels predictable. And uncertainty changes the way our brains work.
Instead of asking, "How can I get better today?" our brains start asking, “Where do I stand?", "Will I play?", "Did Coach bring someone in to replace me?", "What if I lose my spot?" "Am I still good enough?" and more!
These questions aren't signs of weakness. Some of my toughest athletes are asking them right now!
These questions are signs that our brain is doing exactly what it was designed to do.
Our brains crave certainty because certainty helps us predict what comes next. But guess what? Sports have never promised certainty. That's why we play the games. The better team doesn't always win. The best statistics don't always tell the story.
And no coach can predict exactly how a season will unfold.
Why does this matter to performers? When the future feels unclear, the brain naturally begins scanning for potential threats. Instead of directing attention toward the next rep, the next drill or the next pitch, we start searching for clues about things we often can't control.
We are on high alert for a coach's facial expression, who is getting extra reps, who is running with the first group, who got praised…or didn’t get corrected!
Every little detail suddenly feels like evidence. Evidence that fits whatever story we are telling ourselves at the moment!
Unfortunately, the more attention we give uncertainty, the less attention we have available for performance.
That's why one of the most important mental skills athletes can develop today isn't simply confidence.
It's learning to compete before certainty arrives.
Psychologists call this uncertainty tolerance. It’s the ability to continue taking purposeful action even when you don't have all the answers.
Research on intolerance of uncertainty suggests that uncertainty itself isn't what undermines performance. Instead, it’s OUR RESPONSE to it!
Athletes who tolerate uncertainty more effectively experience less performance anxiety and maintain more stable confidence (Robinson & Freeston, 2015). More recently, research published in the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology (2025) found that athletes who interpreted uncertainty as a challenge rather than a threat were better able to stay engaged, adapt and focus on controllable actions.
Competitors understand that it is part of the competitive environment and keep directing their attention toward purposeful action.
In other words, the goal isn't to eliminate uncertainty. The goal is to stop waiting for certainty before you're willing to compete.
The athletes who separate themselves this season probably won't be the ones with the fewest questions. They'll be the ones who keep showing up while those questions remain unanswered.
Instead of asking, "Am I going to start?" they ask, "How can I earn one more point today with my effort, preparation, attitude or communication?"
Instead of wondering, "Where do I stand?" they ask, "What does today's practice require of me?"
While tomorrow's role may be uncertain...today's opportunity is not. That’s why coaches respond to an athlete’s statement of “But I never get a chance to prove myself”; they respond with “You get an opportunity every day in practice!”
Today’s opportunity is CERTAIN. You may not control every aspect of it, but you do get to do with it whatever you’d like!
I think there's another lesson here, not just for athletes but for coaches and leaders, too.
The same uncertainty athletes feel often exists on the other side of the whistle. Coaches don't know exactly how transfers will fit. They don't know how quickly freshmen will develop, when injuries will occur or what challenges the season will bring.
Leadership has changed, too.
The research doesn't suggest that great leaders eliminate uncertainty. That's impossible.
What it does suggest is that people perform better when they understand what matters most. Athletes may crave certainty. But coaches can’t promise that!
So, are we at an impasse? Of course not!
Perhaps one of the greatest gifts a coach or leader can provide is clarity. Clarity about the team's values, the behaviors that build trust, what great effort looks like and what today's work requires. Just like the UAEs I frequently “borrow” from coach Mark Bennett.
What do Unacceptable, Acceptable and Exceptional look like…or as I say, “LIVE LIKE”?
What do we have to DO right now? What do we have to DO to meet the standard? What do we need to DO to work toward our desired position, to take advantage of the opportunity, to be our best?
Because while no coach can promise who will be in the starting lineup six weeks from now, every coach can help athletes understand what winning today's practice looks like…and every athlete can CHOOSE TO DO what it takes.
And maybe that's the shift all of us…athletes, coaches and leaders alike…need to make.
Stop chasing certainty. Start creating clarity. Then DO SOMETHING that YOU CAN CONTROL!
It all goes back to what research says…it’s all about what we CAN DO (directing our attention toward PURPOSEFUL action) no matter where we stand in the pecking order.
Whenever you catch yourself asking, "What if...?" replace it with, "What is clear right now?"
Maybe it's your effort, preparation, attitude or maybe it’s simply the next rep.
Because uncertainty will always ask you to predict the future, and we can’t play or lead there!
Our goal is to respond to the present. Prepare like someone who expects an opportunity.
Because our future may be uncertain. Our response never has to be. And that's where great seasons begin.
Manage the moments!
Julie
Julie Jones
Mental Performance Coach
SSB Performance
juliej@ssbperformance.com • 234-206-0946
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