Athletes live in a world full of variables they can’t control. Referees make bad calls, weather conditions shift suddenly, teammates make mistakes, and sometimes an opponent simply plays better. It is natural to point toward these factors after a loss or ‘failure’. Doing so eases disappointment and allows the athlete to feel that circumstances, not ability or training, determined the outcome. While this perspective may provide short-term comfort, it slowly builds a dangerous habit. That is, attributing performance to forces outside of oneself. Over time, this habit moves athletes toward what we call an external locus of control.
The concept of locus of control, also referred to as LOC, comes from psychologist Julian Rotter PhD., who described it as a spectrum of how much influence people believe they have over the events in their lives. At one end lies an internal LOC, the belief that outcomes are primarily shaped by one’s own actions, preparation, and choices. At the other end lies an external LOC, the belief that outcomes are mostly determined by luck, chance, fate, or the actions of others. Athletes with a strong internal LOC see themselves as active agents in their own performance, while those with a strong external LOC tend to feel that events happen to them.
When athletes experience repeated setbacks, the pull toward an external LOC becomes stronger. Losses, injuries, or prolonged slumps can foster the feeling that no matter what they do, outcomes are beyond their influence. This shift creates vulnerability to learned helplessness, a state where motivation declines and effort diminishes because the athlete no longer believes their actions matter. For those of us in the sport psychology space, this is often one of the main focuses of our work. The techniques we employ are not only about enhancing focus, composure, or resilience in the moment. They are fundamentally about strengthening an athlete’s internal LOC, re-establishing the belief that their thoughts and behaviors can meaningfully influence their training and performance.
Goal setting is one of the clearest examples. At its best, goal setting is not simply about defining what an athlete wants to achieve. It is about taking control of the future. Outcome goals such as winning a championship are valuable, but they are heavily influenced by uncontrollable factors. Process goals, however, bring the future into the athlete’s direct control. When a runner commits to executing a specific race strategy or a basketball player sets the goal of maintaining defensive intensity for an entire quarter, they are asserting agency over what comes next. By repeatedly focusing on process-driven goals, athletes reinforce the belief that they can shape tomorrow through today’s choices.
Self-talk addresses another dimension of control: the automatic flow of thoughts that arise during training and competition. Negative thoughts often feel like they happen on their own, like background noise that can’t be stopped. We aim to reframe this noise as something athletes can manage and redirect. By practicing constructive self-talk, athletes learn to challenge and replace automatic negative thoughts (ANT’s) with affirmations or performance cues. This process is not just about improving confidence. It is about taking control of internal dialogue rather than allowing it to run unchecked.
Visualization, or imagery, extends this control into the realm of experience itself. Athletes who visualize are not passively hoping for success. They are actively rehearsing what success will look and feel like, preparing both body and mind for future challenges. Visualization takes control of felt experience by creating it before it happens, planting the seeds for how the athlete will respond when the moment arrives. In doing so, it strengthens the internal message: you can shape your performance by shaping how you prepare for it.
Journaling connects control to the past. After competitions, athletes often replay what went wrong in a way that emphasizes mistakes, bad luck, or external factors. Journaling shifts this process. By writing about events through a structured lens, athletes can take control of the narrative surrounding their experiences. Rather than the past being something that happened to them, it becomes something they can interpret, learn from, and build upon. The act of writing reinforces ownership, giving athletes a way to claim their story instead of being carried along by it.
Reframing ties all of these techniques together by taking control of perspective. Every athlete encounters adversity. Some will view it as a sign of weakness or proof of inadequacy. Others will see it as an opportunity to grow. Reframing does not change what happened, but it changes what it means. By shifting perspective from threat to challenge, or from failure to feedback, athletes place themselves back in the driver’s seat. The event remains the same, but its influence is transformed because the athlete chose how to interpret it.
The importance of an internal LOC in sport can’t be overstated. Athletes who believe their actions matter are more motivated, more resilient, and more consistent. They recover from setbacks faster because they trust that their effort will eventually pay off. They prepare with greater purpose because they believe preparation makes a difference. They approach competition with confidence because they see themselves as the decisive factor, not environmental conditions, referees, or opponents.
This does not mean ignoring the reality of external influences. Athletes can’t control every variable, and pretending otherwise is unrealistic. But an internal LOC does not deny external forces. Rather it is simply refusing to surrender to them. It draws a boundary between what is controllable and what is not, then directs energy toward what lies within the athlete’s control.
The more athletes practice techniques like goal setting, self-talk, visualization, journaling, and reframing, the more they strengthen this mindset. Over time, they stop asking “What happened to me?” and start asking “What can I do next?” That shift in perspective is what separates those who feel powerless from those who find growth in every challenge.
In the end, performance in sport is never fully controlled, but it is always influenced by how much control the athlete believes they have. The greatest competitors are not those who avoid failure but those who face it without losing their sense of agency. Athletes who learn to take ownership of their mindset gain more than a competitive edge. They gain the ability to transform setbacks into fuel for growth. Training the mind to carry challenges with strength and resilience is no different than training the body to move weight in the gym. The barbell may be heavy, but how you lift it is up to you. The real power of sport is found in the choice to take control, to believe your actions matter, and to compete with purpose. If you are ready to strengthen that control, connect with a mental performance coach and begin discovering the strategies that will help you take charge of your performance.
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