Have you ever wonder how it is that in competitive sports, some athletes seem to consistently succeed more often that others? I mean, let's be honest, on pretty much every top level team, even the so called weakest player is often better than 99% of the general population. So when athletic ability, talent and competitive experience are all equal, what makes some better than the rest?
There are many people who believe that intangibles like mental toughness, competitive intensity, focus and the ability to thrive under pressure are among those things that you either have or you don't. However, I think that like any skill set, a championship winning mindset can be developed and trained. So let me ask again, " what separates the best from the rest ?" There are several mental qualities that you can find in very successful athletes which distinguish them from all of their competition. However, one of the key ones is how they respond to adversity. When the proverbial garbage hits the fan, when things start going very wrong, real champions seem to take all of this in stride. They have the uncanny ability to not let the bad calls, mistakes and bad breaks knock them off center. As a result, they are able to quickly and seamlessly bounce back and return their performance to a high level. How do they do that? This calm response to adversity is actually practiced! It comes out of an understanding that THE PROBLEM ISN'T THE PROBLEM: THE PROBLEM IS HOW YOU REACT TO THE PROBLEM! So champions know that there are a variety of things that happen both before and during a competition that are directly out of their control. They also know that these uncontrollable events are upsetting and distracting. However, what they have figured out is that it's not the event itself that hurts the athlete and knocks him/her off track as much as it is the athlete's response to that event! So while you can't control the things beyond your own control, you can learn to control your response to them! You have two choices whenever things go south in your performances: You can see what is happening right now as a DISASTER! "This is awful! Why did this have to happen to me? I can't believe this! How can I possibly do my best with THIS CRAP going on?" or you can see this unexpected and upsetting occurrence as a CHALLENGE and figure out effective ways of handling it. You have two choices whenever things go south in your performances: You can see what is happening right now as a DISASTER! "This is awful! Why did this have to happen to me? I can't believe this! How can I possibly do my best with THIS CRAP going on?" or you can see this unexpected and upsetting occurence as a CHALLENGE and figure out effective ways of handling it.
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
January 2023
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