Have you ever had a game where everything just clicked? You weren’t overthinking, you weren’t afraid to make mistakes—you were just playing. That’s your Ideal Performance State (IPS). It’s when you feel calm, confident, and fully in the moment, allowing you to react instinctively and perform at your highest level.

But here’s the challenge: Pressure, fear of mistakes, and an obsession with winning can pull you out of IPS. When that happens, you tense up, second-guess yourself, and lose flow.

In this post, we’ll break down:
✅ What IPS is & why it matters
✅ How focusing on winning actually makes you worse
✅ Game-time reset strategies to get back in the zone
✅ Mental training drills to improve focus & confidence

Because the best athletes don’t wait to feel in the zone—they train to get there.

We are fully into the swing of things here in France. I have been living in Paris (well, just outside of Paris) for about a month and a half. I am currently writing this while on a train, passing through the lovely countryside, eating a baguette sandwich, while my American teammate is eating her box of assorted fresh macaroons. Can it get more cliche than that? Doubtful. But we try.