Nearly every every athlete has had days when they just seem to be a step behind. A soccer player that I have been working with told me that on those days, he tells himself to "just shake it off," but rarely does that seem to help. He added that something else he has tried to do in those moments is to focus on small details in practice, but noted that when he does he usually ends up overthinking things, so that doesn't help much either.
I don't think that any athlete is ever helped by trying to "shake it off." This is too vague and general a thought and doesn't direct you to HOW to do that. It is pretty much like wanting to go to New York but not having a map, or not even certain if you should drive, fly, or take the train.
Regarding the second idea, of focusing on particular details, Matt's instincts were good. When you can get your mind to shift from feelings (especially if they are negative) to tasks, you are letting go - if even just for a while - of things over which you have limited control and directing your thoughts to things over which you have more control.
Where Matt fell short was in the execution of his plan. He told me, for example, that when he has to make a decision about rushing his player or dropping back, he is uncertain as to which might be the better choice, and the brief moment in which he pauses means that he has lost the opportunity to act. By the time he decides, it's too late to do either with any effect.
To avoid making an "incorrect" decision, Matt finds himself nearly paralyzed by the inaction of uncertainty, which leads to his over-thinking things - as he mentioned - and this prevents him from shifting his overall mood and energy level which was the hoped-for goal in the first place.
To help reduce the hold which his uncertainty and indecision had on him involved helping Matt address his fears of making a "wrong" decision.
I asked Matt to consider replacing over-thinking with on-the-spot decisions.
"What would happen if you made a decision right away? Without knowing for certain if it was the best decision?"
Matt knew that if his decision turned out to be a good one it might mean stripping his opponent of the ball or causing a turnover. But if he made the wrong decision and missed his assignment, he would probably end up getting yelled at by his coach.
While considering this possibly unpleasant consequence, Matt said that nevertheless he could use his coach's comments to learn and get better.
By accepting in advance the possibility that he MIGHT make the "wrong" decision, but that he could live with that, Matt was taking a huge step toward overcoming the fears that kept him on the "uncertainty" side of the UNCERTAINTY - DECISIVENESS scale.
I suggested three steps Matt could take to strengthen his decisiveness:
First, I proposed that he write down his intent to be decisive in practice during the coming week, and post this somewhere that he would see it repeatedly throughout the day.
Next, I instructed Matt to spend 5-10 minutes every day visualizing situations where he would (or did) have to make a decision and see himself in those situations being decisive - and then picturing how the moment might play itself out (what would be the consequences of whatever move he would make).
Finally, I suggested to Matt that on those occasions where his coach might yell at him, try to focus on the CONTENT of what was being said (what he can learn from to make better decisions in the future) over the WAY it was being said. He could even imagine that the words were being said to him by his girlfriend or a close family member. By keeping the larger picture in mind and remembering that each mistake is an occasion to gain more experience can help him in his long-term goal of becoming more decisive. He summed it up by saying, "When I feel more comfortable, I will trust my decisions more."
Ironically, the path to greater comfort leads through some stopping points that involve LESS comfort. But the goal that Matt holds out to himself can serve him well as he works on his decision-making skills.
I don't think that any athlete is ever helped by trying to "shake it off." This is too vague and general a thought and doesn't direct you to HOW to do that. It is pretty much like wanting to go to New York but not having a map, or not even certain if you should drive, fly, or take the train.
Regarding the second idea, of focusing on particular details, Matt's instincts were good. When you can get your mind to shift from feelings (especially if they are negative) to tasks, you are letting go - if even just for a while - of things over which you have limited control and directing your thoughts to things over which you have more control.
To avoid making an "incorrect" decision, Matt finds himself nearly paralyzed by the inaction of uncertainty, which leads to his over-thinking things - as he mentioned - and this prevents him from shifting his overall mood and energy level which was the hoped-for goal in the first place.
To help reduce the hold which his uncertainty and indecision had on him involved helping Matt address his fears of making a "wrong" decision.
I asked Matt to consider replacing over-thinking with on-the-spot decisions.
"What would happen if you made a decision right away? Without knowing for certain if it was the best decision?"
While considering this possibly unpleasant consequence, Matt said that nevertheless he could use his coach's comments to learn and get better.
I suggested three steps Matt could take to strengthen his decisiveness:
First, I proposed that he write down his intent to be decisive in practice during the coming week, and post this somewhere that he would see it repeatedly throughout the day.
Next, I instructed Matt to spend 5-10 minutes every day visualizing situations where he would (or did) have to make a decision and see himself in those situations being decisive - and then picturing how the moment might play itself out (what would be the consequences of whatever move he would make).
Finally, I suggested to Matt that on those occasions where his coach might yell at him, try to focus on the CONTENT of what was being said (what he can learn from to make better decisions in the future) over the WAY it was being said. He could even imagine that the words were being said to him by his girlfriend or a close family member. By keeping the larger picture in mind and remembering that each mistake is an occasion to gain more experience can help him in his long-term goal of becoming more decisive. He summed it up by saying, "When I feel more comfortable, I will trust my decisions more."
Ironically, the path to greater comfort leads through some stopping points that involve LESS comfort. But the goal that Matt holds out to himself can serve him well as he works on his decision-making skills.
No comments:
Post a Comment