This mornings post is in large part motivated by the results of our first two games and the reality involved with being a student-athlete.
In terms of the realities, last night the team traveled to play Bishops University, located close to 2 hours away from Montreal for those unfamiliar with the school. It was a Thursday evening, players rushing to the departure point from class, we had an 8.15 pm kick-off and made it back to the athletic complex for 12.30 am. Most players probably didn't get home until 1am or later and many have school or work this morning. On top of this, they will be expected back on the training ground this evening for practice. In terms of our first two games, both ended in ties, but both have a very different feel to them. Last week we scored late to salvage a tie against a team that finished two spots above us last year. We could say we deserved the tie and maybe more but the fact was we left the field feeling good about our effort. Last night, we tied again, against a team that while very improved, has finished last for a few years running. We played well enough to win, had a significant amount of chances but in the end walk off the field not thinking about the point we got, but rather the two we left behind. High performance sport is a lot like life – full of ups and downs. When an individual chooses to be an elite athlete, or a peak performer, they must accept that not every day is a going to work out as they planned. You can't win championships each time you play in a competition. The reality if that there are going to be disappointments, whether via a disappointing result, a tough training session, or simply the physical and mental fatigue that every high level athlete experiences. The measure of a great performer is how they can respond to these disappointments or downs. The relationship between sport achievement and coping is one of the biggest mental challenges every athlete will face. When an athlete is looking for consistency in results, it starts in their mindset and how they approach each activity related to their sport. For every high performance individual, sport is not all about medals, cups and wins, it comes with early morning training sessions, intense testing, strict diets, excruciating workouts, and a totally committed lifestyle. If they can train like they want to compete with a similar, consistent effort each day mentally and physically they will achieve consistency. Temporary letdowns are normal. An athlete has to be to accept the reality that life and sports have peaks and valleys. Successful athletes need to develop a coping mechanism that will allow them to work through the setbacks, grow from them, learn from them and make adjustments where necessary. Staying focused on the goals and taking a longer view will allow athletes to seethe letdowns within the context of them being a step towards success and the opportunity to learn, rather then a roadblock. I've attending many coaching clinics and symposiums, been fortunate to listen some great speakers in the sports field from coaches to motivators to sports psychologists share their views on what helps high performance athletes succeed and what makes the champions stand out for the simple competitors. While the messages are sometimes different, the basic principles are usually quite consistent. Pretty much everyone to some degree feels these are the keys to sustained success. In order to improve performance based thinking athletes should focus on; 1. Learn from the "downs" Do not over-analyze because it is the past outcomes cannot be changed, but identify the things that let to the disappointing outcome within their control and make those adjustments 2. Check your performance emotions Anxiety is part of sport but it will interfere with what the “low anxiety, habitually trained body” naturally knows what to do The movement patterns of an anxious athlete are different, ie) increased heart rate, increased muscle tension and respiration Use breathing and relaxation techniques to get you back to an Ideal Performance State. Learn to train as they want to compete Anger and fear can creep in but they have no place in competition! 3. REPEAT ! – this is the recipe for success Review what has worked before, the ups, relive the great performances and repeat that experience 4. Concentration and focus will mitigate the ups and downs. By concentrating and focusing on what they have trained to do you will limit distractions and negative thoughts. Concentrating and focusing will help you stay in the moment and avoid outcome based thinking At the end of the day any athlete can only deliver their best performance that day and even then this does not guarantee a great result. No elite performer gets up on the day of a competition to lose and yet it happens at every level, so the important thing is to ensure the athletes focus on what is within their control, trust their training, make the most of the opportunity and attempt to deliver a performance to their potential. It is often said that a competitive season needs to be viewed as marathon, it isn't have you start, and you can't go a top speed the entire time. The important thing is to ensure that you are performing at optimal levels when its needed and that you are in a good position to give yourself the chance to win in the end. The university soccer season with it's condensed schedule is often like running a middle distance race with almost sprinters effort if I am to use the same metaphor. The turnaround time between a game and the next one is often short, with no time to recover, review performances, adjust game plans etc. This is why how the team prepares, how we as coaches manage the athlete's efforts but also their reactions to highs and lows throughout the season become highly relevant. As a coach, I could have spoken to the team yesterday and pointed out all the reasons why we didn't win, but these athletes, know, they didn't need me or any coach to pile it on. Sometimes its best to take a step back and let them digest the moment on their own, each may do it differently. Then tonight, when we get back on the training ground, the coaches will need to make sure they athletes are able to out the result in context and refocus on looking forward. We have 12 games remaining and a group of athletes with tons of potential. We need them to focus on that and forget about yesterday.
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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
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