Andrew Flintoff Quotes

On game days, I'm pretty boring: I like to rest and watch TV with my legs up so I'm not on my feet too much before the match.

My concentration level blocks out everything. Concentration is why some athletes are better than others. You develop that concentration in training and concentrate in a meet.

I think players tend to get anxious if they've not really done things properly - like eating, resting or training. If you're fully prepared you've got nothing to worry about - it's just a game of football.

An opera singer is like an athlete before a match. An athlete cannot overdo anything. In order to perform at the highest possible level, you need to refrain from activities so as to be able to express this power.

Been dealing with pressure since I've been playing sports, so that's why I play the position. It's a pressure-packed position and I love it.

My routine prior to a big game is the same for any other match. Eat, sleep, chat with teammates during the day, and then, as the match draws near, I listen to my music on the trip to the stadium and zone in.

I've always believed that I performed better under pressure.

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

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

People expect you to play your best, so I go through a routine to prepare myself so that I know I'm physically and mentally ready - prepared for the game.

I had come across a few sports psychologists, and I had no time for nearly all of them. I just don't think they work in a team environment.

I learned early in sports that to be effective - for a player to play the best he can play - is a matter of concentration and being unaware of distractions, positive or negative.

I listen to music before my competitions to get me pumped up. It helps me stay focused.

I used a lot of sports psychologists when I was younger... sometimes it helped, sometimes it didn't.

Most of my best games were when I felt crap - I could hardly move on the morning of the World Cup semi-final in 1990 - but there's a thing called adrenaline that gets you through.

When you're doing any event on an elite level, you're in tune with your body.

I will say this: when you take any substance, especially in baseball, it's half mental and half physical. If you take this glass of water and you say, 'I'm going to be a better baseball player,' then you probably will be.

There will be mental worries with the long jump before Rio, but I know I can get through it. It's just getting my confidence back. I know I have a big jump in me.

People might think it's all about getting up for a game but it's often the opposite.

For some reason, the busier I am at the track, the better I tend to race. I think it's because I don't have to deal with all the distractions outside the car that can get me in trouble at times.

I think it's important to feel good so that the football can take care of itself. If everything else is organised and ready to go, then you're free to play football.

Being a great physical athlete is wonderful, and you need it at this level to be able to train and prepare accordingly. But the closer it comes time to perform, the ratio switches. When you're in camp, it's 90 percent physical and 10 percent mental. But as you get to fight night, it's the opposite.

Adrenaline is a huge deal. All of a sudden you start hitting the golf ball a little bit farther. You learn to stay within yourself and what you have to do to calm yourself down and stay within your game plan.

I am pretty chill before games. Have a go-to routine that keeps me busy until we are ready to take the court so I'm not just sitting around anxious for the game.

It took me a lot to learn to control adrenaline; and other sports you use adrenaline to your advantage.