A coach who worked with Tim Tebow's Florida team explains why telling athletes "don't fumble" backfires. Negative instructions force the brain to focus on what you're trying to avoid. Positive commands like "hold on to the ball" work better because they're concrete and actionable.
I've worked with some of the top college football teams. I've spoke to a college football team 2 weeks after they won the national title. So back when Tim Tebow won the national title, I was in the Florida stadium talking to him and the entire team 2 weeks later. And here's what they will never do with a running back in football. What will they never say to a running back during a game? Don't what? They'll never say, don't fumble. They'll never say it. What will they say? They say, hold on to the ball, because that's something you can do. Notice the difference here. It's almost a gimme psychology-wise, because they don't know what else to do. So now they start overthinking this thing. That's what they do.
