How to Train Your Listening for High-Pressure Situations in Sports

Imagine this: It’s the last few minutes of important and intense competition, and your coach gives you instructions in English that you don’t fully understand. 

You keep moving, but now you’re distracted thinking about what you were supposed to do.  

What did he say? Was it “attack” or “get back”?

You get stuck on what you didn’t understand, and get completely distracted from the competition.

All of a sudden you make a mistake, and you cannot recover to win.

The distraction caused by not understanding, or maybe misinterpreting, instructions in English could have horrible consequences in sports. This is something many people in the sports world experience, whether you're an athlete, a coach, a trainer, or a physical therapist. 

In sports, the stakes are high, and missing even one instruction or key term can feel overwhelming. It’s not just the fear of speaking, but the fear of not being able to follow conversations in fast-paced and high-pressure environments that can really hold you back and cause you to have a momentary brain block. 

So, how can you improve your listening comprehension and develop strategies for understanding English in fast-paced sports environments?

1. Practice “Active Listening” Skills

The first step is practicing active listening, which is about focusing fully on the speaker by looking at their body language, and listening for key phrases or repeating patterns. 

You can try listening for 'signal words' or common phrases in sports that will help you anticipate what is going to come next. Practicing listening to conversations with these words will help you build your listening muscles and get your ear used to English in a sports setting.

2. Learn Sports-Specific Vocabulary

If you don’t know the specific vocabulary and terminology you need for your sport, spend some time learning these terms in English by reading articles and studying lists or flashcards. 

You can also try listening to short audio clips, videos, or my favorite: listen to podcasts on sports topics in English, and focus on picking out key words and phrases. Over time, you'll start to recognize these words faster and understand them in context.

3. Rehearse Real-Life Conversations

Simulate real life! This is one of the techniques I love to use with my clients. 

Just like you’d rehearse a strategy for a game or a competition, you can rehearse common conversations you’re likely to have.

Think about scenarios in which you feel uncomfortable or unsure, like pre-game discussions, team huddles, or post-competition debriefs.

If you practice typical phrases, questions, and responses that you’ll likely need in these situations, it will make you feel more prepared in those moments and can be a huge confidence booster.

4. Improve Understanding Through Visualization Techniques

Just like athletes use visualization to prepare for a competition, game or race, you can also visualize conversations.

Before a team talk or meeting, picture yourself sitting there, following along confidently. Imagine hearing and understanding every word. Visualization prepares your mind and reduces some of the anxiety around conversations in your second language.

5. Build on Past Experiences to Reflect and Improve

Last, but definitely not least, use reflection to build on past experiences and improve. 

In my opinion, reflection is one of the most underrated- but very powerful- tools for growth in language learning.

Think back on past conversations: What went well?

Where could you improve?

Did you notice a specific grammar issue or struggle to find the right word?

Reflecting helps you identify the areas you need to focus on and learn new vocabulary or expressions for next time.

Have you heard of Nicola Olyslagers, the Australian high jumper who won silver at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics? After each jump, she runs to record her reflections in a journal.  Reflecting on what she did during each jump helps her make minor improvements that she can implement in the next jump, making space for huge progress. 

Just like Nicola, by reflecting on your conversations in English and noticing ways you can communicate better, you’ll be surprised at how fast your skills improve.

Start Improving your English Listening skills, one conversation at a time

Training your listening comprehension in English isn’t about catching every single word.

It's about building confidence and skills one conversation at a time.

Are you ready to start training your listening so you don't get distracted by misunderstandings on the field (or off)?

My recommendation is that you select one of these strategies to try and see how it changes your experience this week. 

Which tip will you put into practice to strengthen your listening this week? 

Let me know in the comments 👇 or send me a message on Instagram at Breakaway English- I just love getting messages from you!