A Fortitude 365 YouTube video compiling NFL players mic'd up during games highlighting the role of self-talk and mental prep. Players (notably Adrian Peterson and Emmanuel Sanders) repeat affirmations and performance cues to build focus and confidence, while a commentator/psychologist explains working memory, automaticity, and the goal of filling mental space with productive cues.
Chapters
Smart. Focus, man. I gotta make that count. Ah, focus. Play fast.
NFL films. This is crazy. This is really nerve wracking. You'll be fine.
You got this.
It'll be perfect. I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.
It's strange to see a man talk to himself, but it happens every Sunday. Let's go 89 on NFL fields across the country. You got babies, you got kids, man, they gotta eat. Yeah.
In day to day life, we don't engage in that out loud self talk. We engage in that private inner dialogue. And it's happening all the time. It's just that in the NFL, those guys are in the public eye and that inner world they put on display for everyone.
Made for this. I'm made for this, man. Thank you, Lord.
I use a tube, but you can't usually.
Print that. What the are we doing?
Players are really so heavy in the mental aspect of the game, they're looking for any edge. And that is a way to improve confidence, is positive self talk. Time for the takeover. Time for the takeover.
Psychology is kind of that new wave that can give athletes that advantage that they'd never considered before.
Set this crowd off tonight, E. Set it off, baby. I always take. I tell myself when I'm warming up during pregame, I tell myself, give him a performance today. E Said it all, baby.
Showing me the best. Not only thinking it, but, you know, speaking out loud.
Talking out loud to yourself. Most athletes think confidence is kind of a static trait. There's nothing you can do about it. You're either confident or you're not.
Who do you want to be?
But confidence and mental toughness and focus.
You want to be good or you.
Want to be great are all psychological skills that you can turn from a weakness into a weakness. Strength.
How do you want to be remembered? Because this one they remember passion, drive, determination. Who are you?
Let's go. We're a game changer today. We're a game changer today, man. We a game.
A game changer today, man. See a lot, see a little baby. Let's go. Speak. Be active. Hands and feet. Be a pass rusher, make plays. That's something that gets me going. Talking to myself, getting myself mentally prepared for the task at hand. You talking about top five? No, number one. That's who I want to be.
So go out and prove it and show the world what you got, what you can do. One of the main reasons why I talk to myself is that I hear a voice, make them adjust to my Game telling me something to focus on. Smart, focus, footwork, all must be on point.
I know I'm the greatest. I know I'm gonna be the greatest. Can't think about it too much. Play football. Do what you do. Every single player, Every single player. Being confident sets the stage, but not thinking about it is how an athlete finds the zone.
The words I'm telling you now, those are all in your working memory. If you're using that to respond in the NFL, you're not going to do very well. You want to get to the automatic stage and you respond. So there is no bottleneck.
But the thing is that that space always wants to kind of be full, you know, even if you're sleeping, it's being filled with, like, dreams. And so being automatic in your response is good, but there carries a negative with it. You might get fil with stuff, you know, in working memory, like, I might lose.
You gotta break a tackle, man. You gotta break a tackle, man. I gotta make that count. What am I doing, man? I gotta finish.
It's really important. Trying to keep that space really full of the right kinds of things.
I think that that's an element of football, but not only football, but sport. Come on, man. I've seen guys have some quite animated conversations with themselves. What do you say? Caters big dog. No real surprises. Let's.
I think you're continually having a meeting with yourself, if you will, in terms of the things that you know you're capable of doing and the things that you might be trying to get done in a specific situation. Every play I talk to myself.
What kind of things do you say?
Let's go, baby. Ah. Focus, play. Fine. If I keep saying eyes, all I'm gonna focus on before the play and after the play. The voice acts as a guide. Technique. Up. Change. Play ball. Come on, Adrian. Stay focused. Make a play, Pete.
Be great. Every play, One play at a time. Play fast. Whatever happens, happens. Stay focus.
If it's a big time moment in the game, I'm telling myself like, hey, make a play, man. Big play. Make a big play. You gotta change the game. I'm telling myself over and over. Big play, big play. Pete.
Snap to Davis. Five step drop. Moves up in the pocket. Side.
Arms it near side.
It's batted around. Picked off by Peterson. The 25. Touchdown. Adrian scoops through with the 25 to the 30. Out in the loose, over the middle. Got caught. He's gone. Emmanuel Sanders. Touchdown. Pressure cuts free, slips one tackle. Close and picked up. Bubble Lions coming back the other way. In his loom. Stand up, Ford Field. Stand up. I love you, man. I strong tonight. You make a play, it's like, man, I can't believe they tried me. What do they think they are? I just talked to myself the whole game, and I'm pretty sure I want.
Tacos for dinner tonight.
A lot of people do that.
Do I know that person in that car? No, don't know him.
