The best athletes have a winning mindset. But how do you build that mentality, and what does it look like?

Let’s dive into our top 10 tips to help you develop a winning mentality in any sport you play.

First, almost everybody loves to win, but for different reasons. To develop a winning mindset, think about why you enjoy winning. Is it the validation from others? Do you crave the adrenaline rush in the final moments of a game? Or maybe you love setting goals and achieving them? Understanding your personal motivations will help you achieve a winning mentality.

A lot of people talk about wanting to win but don’t put in the effort to follow through. They don’t practice harder, change their training, or try new things. If you’ve been all talk and no action, now’s the time to put in the effort to back up your words.

Here’s a tip that might seem strange: If you want a winning mindset, you can’t be afraid of losing, especially at the start. Becoming the best takes time and effort, and you will fail and lose along the way. Even the greatest athletes lose sometimes, but they bounce back instead of letting it get to them.

When you lose, get motivated by failure instead of feeling completely down about it. It’s normal to be disappointed, but the best athletes use failure to fuel their improvement. They figure out what went wrong and make a plan to get better. They study competitors to learn and improve. With the right mindset, failure becomes your best learning tool.

When setting goals, focus on things you can control — winning every game is not one of those. Instead, focus on things within your control, like working out five days a week, doing flexibility training, switching to a better protein powder, or getting a pro mouthguard. This way, you’ll develop more effective goals.

At first, your training goals may be vague and overwhelming. Break them down into smaller, manageable goals. For example, if your goal is to “Get stronger,” break it down into “Do 30 weight lifting sets three times a week” and “Book personal training sessions for new techniques.” Smaller goals should be achievable so you know if you’ve met them.

While physical practice is essential, mental practice is just as important. Research shows that mental imagery, like visualizing moves or game scenarios, can improve performance. By mentally practicing, you create “muscle memory” in your brain, so you don’t have to think during the game — you just do it.

At the start, you focus on mastering foundational skills. As you progress, improvements come from small, incremental changes. Adjusting the angle of a throw, trying a new breathing technique, or using a custom mouthguard can significantly improve your performance. Keep fine-tuning the details as you get closer to mastery.

Great athletes don’t let themselves plateau. They constantly push to get better. Every few weeks or months, check your progress. Identify areas for improvement and set new goals. By continually re-evaluating and adjusting, you will keep getting better and get closer to mastering your sport.

It’s easy to get stuck planning without taking action. Our key advice is: Just get started! Don’t get overwhelmed with all the steps. Pick one small, manageable thing to do and build from there. The key is to start, gain momentum, and then keep going.

Developing a winning mentality takes work, like any other skill in sports. Follow this advice, and you’ll be on your way to a winning mindset. Have more tips for developing a winning mentality? Share them in the comments below so we can all learn from each other!