GETTING OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

REFLECTIONS ON TAKING YOUR GAME UP TO THE NEXT LEVEL

A few years ago I was invited to speak to players at a Big Man’s Camp for NBA hopefuls. During the sessions, as I observed the ball-handling and low-post drills that were being run, I noticed a number of guys who, rather than really try to work on some of the weaker parts of their game, seemed to just be "going through the motions".  In scrimmage games, these players fell back on the moves they already had, rather than take advantage of the opportunity to try to master the new moves. I concluded that these guys either didn't want to be bothered, or they decided they would rather "look good" (since we all look a bit awkward at first when trying out new skills) than "play good" (by developing a stronger game).  Apparently, they preferred to stay in their comfort zone. 

  We all have our comfort zone – learned behaviors that are our customary ways of handling all sorts of situations.  Human nature being what it is, we all develop routine ways of responding to various events on the playing field or in life.  These responses (like sticking to the skills we have mastered rather than giving new skills a shot) serve an important need: they keep life predictable. Staying within our comfort zone reduces our sense of stress that comes with the fear of not measuring up to the moment, our fear of “looking bad”, or the anxiety that we experience when we don’t feel in control.  

   But doing so also stops us from growing and developing.

  Take for example, the case of Michael Chang.  As one of America’s top-rated tennis players, Chang was considered a gutsy player who would run down every ball, playing to his strength as a baseline player.  But at one point in mid-career, he took stock of things, and decided that in order to stay among the top-ranked players in the world, he would have to develop a net game, and he committed himself to doing so, even though it took him outside of his comfort zone. He devoted many months to this task, and understood that during this interim period – while he was looking to develop this weaker part of his game - he was likely to lose a larger number of matches than he would have liked. But he stuck it out, and eventually emerged a more skilled player.  The resulting improvement enabled him to retain his ranking among the game’s best for several more years.

     Sometimes it's not a technical aspect of your game that needs adjusting, but a mental aspect. NFL coach Jim Harbaugh, struggling during his playing days as the Indianapolis Colts’ starting quarterback, attributed his on-field difficulties to the fact that he put great pressure on himself to live up to other people’s expectations.   Seeing how this hampered his game-day performance, he concluded that he needed to stop demanding of himself to have perfect performances in every game and to risk just letting himself enjoy the game more - regardless of the outcome.  When he was able to trust himself enough to do this, his play improved and he led the Colts through several successful seasons.  

     To be sure, the beliefs that many athletes hold onto become powerful impediments to their venturing outside of their comfort zone.

   Some athletes tie their on-field performance to their sense of self-worth, and stay within their comfort zone in order to get "ego-strokes" for what they already know how to do, rather than focus in practice on the weaker aspects of their game in order to make them better. They would rather go over and over the things they already do well than give up (at least for the moment) their pride, the need to look good to teammates, coaches, etc.

   The question is: where will that get them … or you?

   When Warriors' head coach Steve Kerr graduated from the University of Arizona, few people believed he could make it in the NBA. The sharpshooting guard who played 15 seasons in the league, winning 5 championship rings and setting an NBA record for all-time 3-point field goal percentage (45.4%) once commented, "The thing that helped me find success in the NBA wasn't so much my ability as an outside shooter, but the fact that I was constantly working on the weak parts of my game.” 

Along the same lines, a one-time Kerr teammate by the name of Michael Jordan similarly noted that each summer, he isolated a part of his game that needed improvement, and focused on strengthening that aspect.

   If Jordan, of all people, was willing to make that effort, is there a single athlete in the world who can afford to take a pass?  Aside from acquiring the skills you need to be competitive at the highest levels in your own sport, forming the habit of accepting new challenges and the willingness to grow beyond your comfort zone, makes you not only a stronger athlete, but – as life brings new challenges along the way - a stronger human being.

© 2015 by Dr. Mitchell Smith.  All rights reserved.