Mental Toolkit for Competition: Self-Talk, Mantras & Ninja Mindset
- Julio Zarate
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Success in sports isn’t just determined by strength, speed, or skill, your mind plays an equally important role. How you talk to yourself, how you manage fear, and how you stay present under pressure are game-changing skills that can elevate performance when it matters most.
Why the Mind Matters
Before a race or big performance, nerves can creep in quickly. Thoughts like What if I fail? What will people think? What if I’m not good enough? create fear. Fear lives in the future, in anticipation, not in the moment where performance actually happens.
Elite athletes learn to keep their minds where their bodies are, and their focus on the task at hand. That approach is rooted in three powerful tools:
Positive Self-Talk
Mantras
Staying Present (the “Ninja Mindset”)
Let’s break down how each works — and how you can train them.
Self-Talk & Mantras: What They Are and Why They Work
Self-Talk: Your internal dialogue, the voice that can encourage you or tear you down. An important skill to develop is to identifying when this is happening. Positive self-talk boosts confidence, motivation, and composure while keeping anxiety in check. Research shows it can even improve coordination, fine motor skills, and endurance by helping athletes better manage effort.
Mantras: Short, purposeful phrases repeated to sharpen focus and replace unhelpful thoughts. Think of them as quick mental resets that connect you back to your goals and strengths.
Examples for swimmers:
“Smooth is fast.”
“I’ve trained for this. I’m ready.”
“Strong body. Strong mind.”
“Trust your stroke.”
“I am strong at the finish.”
“Long and powerful strokes.”
“I’m dangerous underwater.”
“Time to have fun!”
When used consistently, these tools help you redirect energy away from worry and into execution.
Fear, Flow, and the Present Moment
Year ago, I had an enlightening conversation with a buddy of mine about ninjas —yep— Ninjas— and how they train. Ninjas are taught to master their minds to stay completely in the present because fear does not exist in the present. It lives in the future and the past. If your mind spends too much time anticipating possible outcomes or dwelling on past failures you are spending time with fear, and anxiety. It prevents you from accessing flow.
Fear is in the what ifs. Flow lives in the right now.
Reminder in flow you are:
Not the race behind you
Not the scoreboard
Not the future outcome
Just breath. Just movement. Just execution.
That is the mindset that allows skills to flow automatically, exactly as you trained them.
Train Your Mind Like You Train Your Body
Here’s your mental toolkit for the next high-pressure moment:
1️⃣ Breathe to Anchor the Present
Try this before a race or when you feel fear/anxiety building:
Inhale 3 sec through nose
Hold 4 sec
Exhale 5 sec slowly
Repeat 3–5 times. Feel fear leave with the breath.
2️⃣ Use Mantras to Stay Locked In
Keep them short, positive, performance-focused.
Say them out loud in practice, build familiarity before competition.
3️⃣ Use Physical Cues
Touch the blocks. Notice the water’s temperature. Feel your feet on the ground.
Your senses live in the present.
4️⃣ Let Go of Results
Outcomes are uncertain. Effort, focus, rhythm, recovery, those are yours to control.
5️⃣ Reflect and Adjust
After training or races:
What self-talk helped?
When did fear/anxiety creep in?
What mantra kept you composed?
Refine your toolkit over time.
Final Thought: Be Where Your Feet Are
Before a big moment, nerves are normal. Fear and a host of other emotions are a natural part of the process. We can choose how we handle them. The process will take focused practice and time to master. Flow, peace, and a path free of fear and anxiety charged swim meets is available, just breathe.
Fear wants to drag you toward what hasn’t happened yet. But it can’t reach you if you choose to stay here:
One breath at a time. One stroke at a time. One moment at a time.
Be where your feet are, and perform like a ninja.
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