When I was competing as a little girl, I remember my dad on the sidelines. My dad would do three things when my head was spinning off my shoulders and things were looking really bad.

The first was to remind me to “keep your eye on the ball!” I would look over and see my dad pointing to his eyeball. That meant “keep your eye on the ball!”

The second hand gesture involved him moving his index and middle finger up and down as fast as he could, signaling “keep your feet moving!”

The third gesture was him moving both of his open hands up and down with his palms facing down, meaning “you are freaking out, stop rushing, just calm down and relax!”

The three things my dad was trying to convey are really smart and important for any young athlete to remember. They are the basics: keep your eye on the ball, keep your feet moving, and remember to breathe. I would venture to say that these three things apply to all sports. Go back to the basics, and once you are settled down, then you can change up your strategy to come out on top!

If you are losing, do not keep doing the same thing the entire match. Change your game up so your opponent sees something different.