Some common pre-game mistakes (made by friends, family, and even coaches)
When I attend a sporting event, whether it’s a minor league game or a professional competition (and everything in between), I see so many people undermine the preparation of their athletes. I’m not referring to members of the opposing team, but to well-intentioned friends, family and coaches.
Just because “everyone” does something or is the way they did when you played, doesn’t mean it was ever effective. Many things that were commonly practiced are considered ridiculous years later. For more than 3,000 years, people believed that leeches cured most diseases. Less than 50 years ago, all flight attendants were laid off on their 32nd birthday.
Probably the most common thing I hear is people wishing athletes “good luck” before the start of the event. This is diametrically opposed to the proper mindset an athlete needs to perform at a high level. When you tell them to rely on luck, you’re minimizing all the work they’ve put in to prepare for their competition. If all you need is luck, why bother practicing and developing your skills?
An athlete must learn to focus on the things that are within their control and luck is not one of those things. I don’t believe in luck in the traditional way that people see it. My definition of luck is: ‘What happens when preparation meets opportunity.’
Since you can’t control when the opportunity will present itself, it’s best to focus on your preparation, that way when an opportunity presents itself, you’ll be able to take advantage of it. I have met many athletes who have told me they are unlucky. What I found was that they had opportunities but they had not done the necessary work to take advantage of those opportunities when they arrived.
The second most common thing I hear is people proudly say, “Do your best.” This phrase can be even more damaging, since no one listens to those words and thinks, “I’m going to go out there and give it all I have today.” The way the brain processes that phrase is not a reason to give it your all, but an excuse to underperform. It shifts your attention away from performing well and toward giving the impression of trying. They tell themselves that there is no way anyone will know if I gave it my all, so if things go wrong, I can always tell them “I did my best.”
What I tell my friends and family to tell their kids or friends before a competition is “have fun.” This does three valuable things: 1) Takes the pressure off the athlete. 2) It takes away the focus of the result; Removing your focus from the outcome allows you to take your mind out of the equation so that your body can perform at the level of preparation you have put in. 3) When you focus on having fun, you are likely to enjoy what you do and when you enjoy what you do, you usually perform better.
“There is no fear when you have fun.” – Will Thomas
“When we go out, we have fun, but we get down to business, and I think we’re at our best when we’re having fun. Having fun is key.” -Ezekiel Elliott
You can follow Sam on Twitter: @SuperTaoInc