Psychologists have only seriously begun analyzing self-talk in the last couple of decades, and here’s what we know:1) Positive self-talk improves performance in most sports.2) Questions like “Will I do this?” produce better results than statements like “I will do this.”3) Using “we” in self-talk is better than using “I.”4) Talking about yourself in third person is more effective than talking in first person.5) Both motivational (“I will do this!“) and instructional (“See the target…straighten elbows…lock onto target…“) self-talk seems to be effective in enhancing performance.