Any sports competitors amongst us?

[BFrench501]

As half of my other posts have mentioned, I have took up American Pool as an active interest and something I want to be proficient enough at to become a professional.

 

I was wondering how many others here are trying to become proficient at their own chosen sport. Reason I ask about sport specifically is because I am having certain mental difficulties while playing that I think are exaggerated by my Aspergers. For example, I am great when I am ahead but when I am behind I don't just get sullen, but it is hard for me to get out of a losing mentally for as long as a day after a match I play.

 

I don't like feeling how I do sometimes after I lose, more because of my low standard when I lose. I can take losing when I play well but playing bad does my head in. I've tried things such as treating every shot as the last shot you're going to get, playing the table and ignoring the opponent. All these things are just very difficult to get a grasp of properly and to embrace in my game.

 

I need to be very strong psycholically to survive and to compete, but I don't quite have the tools or experience. Do any of you compete in sports for more than just 'fun'? And if so, can you make any suggestions as to how to improve a mental state mid-match? I don't want to run off high energy all the time, it's detrimental to my game but don't know how to change it...

[AdamJ]

I drag-race motorbikes, not professionally but at a fairly good level. My particular event is the standing mile (one mile from a standing start with the objective of achieving the highest possible terminal speed). I'm not really competing directly with anyone else but rather against my own previous best speed. I suppose that not competing head-to-head with another person is a good thing for me but on the other hand, endlessly striving for higher and higher speeds year after year definitely feeds my obsessive tendencies, which probably isn't a good thing!

 

I can relate to your negative feelings when you haven't performed well but I'm wondering whether these strong feelings can affect anyone who is serious about their sport, not just those of us with AS. Have you thought about getting help from a sports psychologist?

 

Adam