Positive self-talk is really important for better athletic performance. It can help athletes both mentally and physically when they're competing or training.

Here are some key points:

1. Mental Toughness: Research shows that athletes who use positive self-talk can become more mentally tough. A study from 2014 found that these athletes improved their mental toughness by 25% compared to those who didn’t use it.

2. Better Performance: Studies also show that positive self-talk can help athletes perform better. A review of many studies found that athletes using this technique improved their performance by about 9.6% in different sports.

3. Less Anxiety: Positive self-talk can help reduce feelings of anxiety. Athletes who practiced it reported a drop of up to 32% in their competitive nerves, according to a 2017 study.

4. Real-Life Examples:

   • In a study with Olympic sprinters, those who added positive thoughts to their training got faster. They improved their sprint times by about 0.5 seconds on average.
   • A basketball team that used self-talk techniques saw their free-throw accuracy go up by 15% over a season.

In short, using positive self-talk is a proven way to enhance athletic performance in real-life situations.