Curiosity is the engine.Tools · ATHLETE
Learn from a performance
Write what happened, what you need and what to practise next
After a performance, write what happened, what you are thinking about it and what you want to practise next. Keep recovery needs in view while deciding what to learn from the result. A musician misses an entry and thinks, “I ruined the whole performance.” The missed entry is an event; the sentence is a judgment about it. A useful next step could be practising the entry with the preceding bars. The musician may also need food, sleep or a break before reviewing it.
Before you type anything
This worksheet does not send, save, or track anything you type. Entries stay in the page until you clear it or leave. Your own browser, keyboard, or extensions may still process what you type, so do not enter anyone's name or identifying details.
What this tool can't do
- Injury assessment, return-to-play decisions, diagnosis, treatment, crisis response, or performance prediction
- Overriding pain, medical advice, concussion protocols, safeguarding concerns, coercion, or an athlete's choice to stop
- Grading toughness, worth, selection potential, character, or whether someone should disclose the reflection
- Entering names, teams, clubs, coaches, competitions, incidents, or other identifying or confidential information
When to stop and use another route
- Use this only after immediate medical, safety, safeguarding, team, and recovery needs are handled. Stop if reflection is increasing distress, becoming repetitive, or pulling attention away from a more important need.
- For immediate danger call 9-1-1. In Canada, call or text 9-8-8 for suicide crisis support. This page is not monitored and does not replace individualized care.
The questions
The whole exercise stays visible, and every question is optional. Start with the question that catches something useful, leave anything blank, and stop when the exercise stops helping.
Write what happened and what you thought about it
Observation and commentary can both matter without being collapsed into one verdict.
Use a general, observable fact such as missing an entry, losing possession or stopping before the final repetition. Leave out identifying or confidential details.
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Write it after “My mind is saying …” The sentence may feel convincing without describing everything that happened.
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Describe how you feel and what you need
Name only what helps, then notice what recovery actually asks of you.
For example: disappointment, tension or tiredness. You may write “not sure” or skip this question.
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Consider food, rest, sleep, medical care, practical help, company or time alone. Choose what fits your situation.
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Identify something useful to practise
A usable lesson can guide preparation without becoming a statement about your worth.
Choose something specific about preparation, technique, communication or the conditions. For example: rehearse the opening with the same timing you will have on the day.
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Plan your next action
The next action can be small, and it does not have to make the feeling disappear first.
Choose an action that fits how you want to behave. For example: ask for one specific piece of feedback at the next rehearsal.
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What you have so far
Your post-performance note
Your own words, kept in order — not a score, an interpretation, or a performance forecast.
- OBSERVATION
- No entry yet
- MIND COMMENTARY
- No entry yet
- FEELING / BODY CUE
- No entry yet
- RECOVERY
- No entry yet
- LEARNING
- No entry yet
- NEXT ACTION
- No entry yet
This is a structured copy of your own entries. The tool does not score, interpret, diagnose, predict, or recommend.
Keep it or clear it
There is no submit button. Use Print if you choose to keep a copy, then Clear before leaving.
Before you use this to make a decision
Keep one useful learning point and one next action. If you need recovery or help first, make that the next action. This worksheet does not assess your health or predict future performance.
Sources and limitations
What the evidence does not establish
- ACT's six-process model and athlete-centred source material do not validate this exact worksheet or establish that it improves performance.
- A useful debrief depends on context, timing, safety, health, identity, power, support, and the person's willingness to reflect.
- The exercise produces no score, diagnosis, treatment recommendation, selection judgment, interpretation, or outcome promise.
- Every prompt is optional. A person may use one line, skip a question, stop, or choose not to keep or disclose the result.
The sources behind the structure
- Association for Contextual Behavioral Science — About ACT ↗Professional overview of ACT and psychological flexibility; it does not validate this debrief.
- IOC consensus statement on mental health in elite athletes (2019) ↗Supports athlete-centred, biopsychosocial care and attention to the sport environment.
- Wergin et al. (2020) — pre-performance routine interventions in beach volleyball serving ↗The null between-group result constrains any claim that a routine reliably improves performance.
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