Sitting Up Straight
How your physical posture influences decision-making, confidence, and effective risk-taking in sports performance.
Ask GRM
Sitting up straight isn't just about looking confident — it can actually help you make bolder, smarter decisions.
A study out of McGill University had people play a risk-taking game. One group sat hunched over, the other sat up straight. The upright group took bolder risks, made better choices, and felt prouder of themselves afterward. Researchers said it wasn't that they were reckless — they were just engaging in more effective risk-taking.
How this applies on the field:
- Between plays, check your posture. Standing tall (shoulders back, chin up) instead of slouching sends a signal to your own brain that you're ready, not defeated.
- After a mistake, reset your body first. Your posture after an error can either spiral you into more mistakes or snap you back into focus.
- Confidence starts in the body, not just the mind. You don't have to feel confident to stand confident — and standing confident can actually help you feel it.
- Small physical habits = better decisions. How you carry yourself can affect whether you play it safe out of fear or make the bold play that wins the moment.
The flip side is just as real — and it works against you:
- The hunched-over group in the study made more cautious, less effective choices and reported weaker feelings of pride. If slouching at a desk can do that, slouching on the field after a bad play can do the same thing to your decision-making.
- Looking down at the ground is the same body position as the "slouched" group in the study. It's not just a look — it's the same physical state that researchers linked to worse decisions and a worse mood.
- A dejected posture can talk you into playing it safe. Instead of going for the bold play — the diving stop, the aggressive swing, the confident pass — a slumped body can push you toward hesitation.
- Your opponent reads your body language in real time. A player with their head down and shoulders slumped is telling the other team "I'm rattled" — and that can shift momentum before the next play even happens.
- It can become a loop. Bad play → dejected posture → worse mood and worse decisions → another bad play. The way to break that loop is physical, not just mental: pick your head up and reset your posture on purpose.
Bottom line: your body talks to your brain, not just the other way around. Standing tall — even after a mistake — is a free, simple way to compete better.
About the author
Scott K. Wilder is the founder of Game Ready Mindset™, a program and platform for teams and athletic programs, working with players, position groups, and teams in baseball, soccer, softball, and volleyball. He holds a Master’s from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (now Sofia University), an MBA from New York University, and a Master’s in International Studies and Conflict Resolution from The Johns Hopkins University, with coaching credentials from Georgetown University, Brian Cain’s MPM Program, the National Federation of High Schools, and FC Barcelona Football Club. He is the author of Millennial Leaders, Find What Energizes You (just published), and Compete in Any Weather.