How to Turn Criticism Into Your Competitive Edge

Have you ever noticed how one comment can sit with you for days?

It could come from anywhere.

A club member in the pub.
A comment under an Instagram post or Tik Tok video?
A headline.
Even a throwaway remark from the stands.

And yet — it follows you around like an echo you can’t escape.

You might brush it off in the moment. Pretend it doesn’t bother you. But later, when the noise dies down, it creeps back in.
“Maybe they’re right…”

The truth is, the sting isn’t really in what was said.
The sting comes from what those words woke up inside you.

Criticism Is Never Just Noise

Here’s the part most people miss: external criticism is never just “noise.”

It’s a mirror.

A reflection of doubts you haven’t dealt with.
Fears you thought you’d buried.
Old stories you’ve been telling yourself for years.

That’s why one remark can cut so deep while ten compliments slide off your back. The comment is powerful not because of the critic, but because of the story you attach to it.

The Stories We Carry

Every athlete has stories.
Stories about not being good enough.
About needing to prove themselves.
About fearing they’ll never live up to expectations.

Criticism presses on those wounds. That’s why it hurts. It confirms something you were already whispering to yourself.

But here’s the good news: once you see criticism for what it really is — a reflection, not a truth — you can start using it.

Turning Criticism Into Fuel

The best athletes don’t just ignore criticism.
They don’t spend hours trying to silence it, either.

They do something better: they alchemise it.

Every piece of criticism becomes an opportunity:

• To train your mind to stay steady under pressure.

• To rewrite the story you’ve been carrying.

• To separate who you are from what you do.

Think about that for a moment. If you can use every remark as a tool to grow, then suddenly even your harshest critics are working for you.

The Shift That Changes Everything

So the next time you feel that sting, pause before reacting.

Instead of asking:
“Why are they saying that?”

Ask yourself:
“What is this showing me about me — and what is my opportunity to grow?”

That one question puts the power back in your hands.

It moves you from being reactive to being in control.

From Stung to Untouchable

Look — you can’t stop people from talking. That’s part of sport, and part of life.

But you can choose how you process it. You can train your mind the same way you train your body. You can build a system that takes those moments and uses them to make you stronger, steadier, and sharper.

And when you do that, you’ll notice something powerful.

The sting starts to fade. The comments don’t cut the same way. The doubts lose their grip.

Because you’re no longer fighting critics — you’re using them.

And that’s when you go from being reactive… to being untouchable.