Joseph Parker Quotes

I'm supposed to relax and concentrate on the image of myself out there skating my race.

My approach to games is much better and I am going into games with the right preparation and I am more relaxed, rather than thinking about things too much.

When I'm starting a race, I just completely narrow down my vision and focus on what's directly ahead of me.

You have to slow your heart rate, stay calm. You have to shoot in between your heartbeats.

When I got to match point in the final I was afraid I'd be a little nervous, but I just said, You have to stay focused, just think about what you have to do.

For me, it's important to relax and concentrate on what I want to do.

I used to be tense or nervous before heats. But I've learned to get rid of the negative stuff and just stay relaxed and positive - and it seems to be working for me.

When the gun fires you must concentrate for every second on the way to that finish line. You should know exactly how long it will take you to and think about every step of the race you are about to run.

I've learned over the years that if you start thinking about the race, it stresses you out a little bit. I just try to relax and think about video games, what I'm gonna do after the race, what I'm gonna do just to chill. Stuff like that to relax a little before the race.

I don't have tapes of meditation, but I put on the meditation station. I did as a player, too. I used to always play the game before the game happened. As a coach, I do the same thing.

You need to stay calm the day of the contest. Not let the weather bother me and just relax.

Goalscoring depends on how relaxed you are in front of goal.

One of my key mental fitness tips is to make sure you are aware of your target and develop a strategy - a routine that you can depend on while in the race. This is a crucial part of mental fitness and preparation.

I was worrying about how Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson or Josh Hazlewood would get me out and how I would counter it, but in doing that forgot how I was going to score runs and put pressure on them, which is what I'm good at. I have to be more focussed on myself.

I've definitely got better over the years at conserving my energy in pre-season - at knowing what to focus on and what to let go.

Growing up, I did quite a bit of reading on the mental side. My dad, who coached me, had us doing a lot of different types of mental work, like visualization. I read a couple of tennis books that talked about calming your nerves, belief, visualization, relaxing, breathing.

You should be relaxed before taking the free kick. You should have confidence in your ability and happiness that you are going to score a goal.

When I'm about to play in a big match, I take things easy.

Obviously, a lot of things play on your mind when you're batting. This might happen and this might not. The best thing you can do when you're batting is not to think too much, and wait for the next ball.

I cannot control what goes on in another lane and this is how I focus on the Games. There is no point in being nervous of other swimmers. It's just about focusing on yourself and what you need to do in order to perform at your best.

To play well you must feel tranquil and at peace. I have never been troubled by nerves in golf because I felt I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

With every year of playing, you want to relax one more muscle. Why? Because the more tense you are, the less you can hear.

I try to keep myself in what I'm doing and focused on character stuff, as opposed to getting wrapped up in worrying or being nervous. It won't benefit me, in any way, to focus on that.

During the decathlon, I always think only of the next event and my personal record.

Before a race, I block out what's going on in the stadium. It's different for everyone. But for me, I've always been able to block it out. For a sprint race, it's important not to get distracted.