Opportunity presents itself in different ways. Sometimes you undergo changes during adolescence that suddenly provide you with a physical advantage. You may also learn to perform certain skills at a higher level, providing you with a competitive edge over other teammates. Other times an opportunity results from an external event—an injury to a teammate, someone deciding not to go out for the team, or your coach shaking up the lineup (when your team is not performing well).
If you’re ready for the opportunity, physically or otherwise, you can find yourself starting, receiving more playing time, or asked to play a more important role. As this opportunity unfolds, you may also begin to realize that you can perform at this higher level.
Whatever the opportunity, try to understand its nature, what has changed, and how you can consolidate your advantage.
You strengthen and consolidate your advantage by putting together similar quality performances, one after another. Much like the way in which you lock in an athletic skill through repetition, repetitive performances at a high level on your part will reinforce your sense of the possible and increase your self confidence. They root within you an unwavering belief that you can and will succeed. This confidence is important for those inevitable moments when you face adversity—when events don’t go your way or you’re having a “bad day.”
As your role within your team changes and improves, you will likely confront challenges from teammates who do not want to give up their position to you. You may encounter attempts on their part to undermine your confidence. If you have previously played a minor, lesser role to other teammates, they may try to intimidate you in different ways to see if they can weaken your new found confidence and status. This is natural—not all of your teammates are your best friends and willing to easily accept your good fortune at their expense.
Remember that it’s a competitive world and everyone wants their piece of it. Recognize your opportunity when it arrives, consolidate your advantage, and resist the inevitable challenges by others.
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Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Everyone Loves an Underdog and So Should You
You will face many situations where you're seemingly overmatched against a superior opponent. Possibly you’ve heard about how good some player is or (at higher levels) read newspaper articles praising the player’s talent. Before your game, you may observe how big, tall, or strong your opponent appears. You may notice how the player seems to smoothly execute skills during warm-ups. And finally, the player or team may have all of the clothing and equipment “accessories,” suggesting that they’re well prepared and know what they’re doing.
Take a deep breath, and try to emotionally ignore this information. If you let your initial impressions intimidate you, you are freely giving your opponent an advantage before the contest even begins. Instead, focus your concentration on yourself and your game preparation. Take care of the things you can control.
Once a game begins, you will often find that many of the apparent advantages your opponent holds over you are mere illusion. Although physically impressive and athletic, your opponent may not understand how to play the game. He or she may also lack a competitive character that equals yours. For example, the tennis player, owner of multiple racquets (in plastic wrap) and beautiful ground strokes, may also possess a game that falls apart at the first sign of pressure. You will encounter many situations where appearances don’t match actual ability. Do not put your opponent in the winner’s circle or assume you have some inherent disadvantage based on appearances.
There are times when you are the underdog—contests where your fundamental talent and skills are inferior to your opponents. But one of the attractive qualities of sports is that a lesser opponent can rise up and sometimes beat a more talented opponent. You may play above your typical performance level and your opponent may play below their capability. The way in which your abilities and talent match up against your opponent’s may also work to your advantage. As Chris Berman, the popular ESPN sportscaster, often says, “That’s why they play the game.”
What seems impossible is sometimes possible. One of the most amazing examples of an athlete performing above their apparent talent level happened in the 1968 Olympics when a long jumper named Bob Beamon won the gold medal. In a track event where the world record was regularly broken by a couple of inches, Bob Beamon jumped 29 ft. 2 ½ inches, 21 ¾ inches better than the prior world record. Don’t underestimate your possibilities to perform at a higher level when challenged.
One of my best moments in sports came in a high school tennis doubles match. My partner (Terry) and I were facing the first and second singles players from a nearby school, and the winner would qualify for the sectionals tournament. We were the clear underdogs. Our opponents walked out onto their home court, dressed like Roger Federer, each carrying two of the best tennis racquets of that time. They were confident, relaxed, and looked every bit the product of many tennis lessons and year-round play. For our part, Terry and I had decent strokes and net games, but we depended more on our general athleticism than grooved groundstrokes.
As the match began, our opponents quickly asserted their dominance and became even more confident—joking and carrying on a manner that suggested disrespect for us. After losing the first set, I remember becoming mad at both our play and our opponent’s casual attitude. I turned to Terry and let him know that it was time for us to start playing up to our ability. We began to run down every shot, keeping the ball in play, and letting our opponent’s overly confident attitude catch up to them. Slowly, the points started going our way. My play became more aggressive and confident, and I let my opponents know that I was challenging them to stand up and “show me what they had.” As the tide turned, they were unable to recapture their smooth strokes and high level of play. As often happens when the momentum of a game shifts, they began to feel the pressure. We beat them convincingly in the third set to win the match.
Others’ expectations or apparent mismatches in talent are sometimes stacked against you. Instead of accepting your “paper” disadvantage, relish these challenges and opportunities to succeed. You may create a proud memory that lasts a lifetime.
Read more...
Take a deep breath, and try to emotionally ignore this information. If you let your initial impressions intimidate you, you are freely giving your opponent an advantage before the contest even begins. Instead, focus your concentration on yourself and your game preparation. Take care of the things you can control.
Once a game begins, you will often find that many of the apparent advantages your opponent holds over you are mere illusion. Although physically impressive and athletic, your opponent may not understand how to play the game. He or she may also lack a competitive character that equals yours. For example, the tennis player, owner of multiple racquets (in plastic wrap) and beautiful ground strokes, may also possess a game that falls apart at the first sign of pressure. You will encounter many situations where appearances don’t match actual ability. Do not put your opponent in the winner’s circle or assume you have some inherent disadvantage based on appearances.
There are times when you are the underdog—contests where your fundamental talent and skills are inferior to your opponents. But one of the attractive qualities of sports is that a lesser opponent can rise up and sometimes beat a more talented opponent. You may play above your typical performance level and your opponent may play below their capability. The way in which your abilities and talent match up against your opponent’s may also work to your advantage. As Chris Berman, the popular ESPN sportscaster, often says, “That’s why they play the game.”
What seems impossible is sometimes possible. One of the most amazing examples of an athlete performing above their apparent talent level happened in the 1968 Olympics when a long jumper named Bob Beamon won the gold medal. In a track event where the world record was regularly broken by a couple of inches, Bob Beamon jumped 29 ft. 2 ½ inches, 21 ¾ inches better than the prior world record. Don’t underestimate your possibilities to perform at a higher level when challenged.
One of my best moments in sports came in a high school tennis doubles match. My partner (Terry) and I were facing the first and second singles players from a nearby school, and the winner would qualify for the sectionals tournament. We were the clear underdogs. Our opponents walked out onto their home court, dressed like Roger Federer, each carrying two of the best tennis racquets of that time. They were confident, relaxed, and looked every bit the product of many tennis lessons and year-round play. For our part, Terry and I had decent strokes and net games, but we depended more on our general athleticism than grooved groundstrokes.
As the match began, our opponents quickly asserted their dominance and became even more confident—joking and carrying on a manner that suggested disrespect for us. After losing the first set, I remember becoming mad at both our play and our opponent’s casual attitude. I turned to Terry and let him know that it was time for us to start playing up to our ability. We began to run down every shot, keeping the ball in play, and letting our opponent’s overly confident attitude catch up to them. Slowly, the points started going our way. My play became more aggressive and confident, and I let my opponents know that I was challenging them to stand up and “show me what they had.” As the tide turned, they were unable to recapture their smooth strokes and high level of play. As often happens when the momentum of a game shifts, they began to feel the pressure. We beat them convincingly in the third set to win the match.
Others’ expectations or apparent mismatches in talent are sometimes stacked against you. Instead of accepting your “paper” disadvantage, relish these challenges and opportunities to succeed. You may create a proud memory that lasts a lifetime.
Read more...
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Add Fun Contests to Your Practices
If your practices only consist of drills, structured walkthroughs of your team’s plays, and instructional lectures, you will quickly lose your young players’ attention and enthusiasm. An effective practice that fully engages your players must also include competitive activities.
Your players’ favorite competitive activity is scrimmaging—playing the game and competing against other players. Pick two teams, throw a ball out, and your players would have fun playing each other for the entire practice. Of course, we want more from our season and scrimmaging is only one component of a well planned practice. But it’s an important one. Scrimmages afford your kids an opportunity not only to have fun, but also put to the test newly learned individual and team skills. Always include scrimmage time in each practice.
You also need to identify other competitive activities and drills that your players enjoy. If you are new to coaching, most coaching books include help in this area. Also, watch your kids before and after your practice and note any games they are playing as a group. You may want to add this game to the end of your practice.
In my basketball practices, the free-throw shooting game “Knockout” is popular at all age levels. In this game, players line up behind each other and one-by-one shoot a free throw, rebound any misses, and then convert a layup. If the player behind them makes their shot before they do, they are “knocked out” of the game. This fun game emphasizes shooting both free throws and layups under pressure. As an alternative, I occasionally select two teams and have them shoot free throws at different baskets. First one to ten wins. In a close contest, the excitement always builds toward the end of the game. Even conditioning exercises such as sprints are more fun when you add a competitive element.
Look for similar games and fun contests in your sport. For example, in baseball, kids enjoy base running drills that involve racing. You can finish your practices with a relay race between two groups of players, each starting at opposite bases (e.g., home and second). Give the first player in each group a ball and have them pass it to the next player in line after they have completed a lap around the bases. Similar to the free throw contest in basketball, your kids will get excited as the race nears the finish line.
Add some spice to your practices to keep your players interested and the energy level high.
Read more...
Your players’ favorite competitive activity is scrimmaging—playing the game and competing against other players. Pick two teams, throw a ball out, and your players would have fun playing each other for the entire practice. Of course, we want more from our season and scrimmaging is only one component of a well planned practice. But it’s an important one. Scrimmages afford your kids an opportunity not only to have fun, but also put to the test newly learned individual and team skills. Always include scrimmage time in each practice.
You also need to identify other competitive activities and drills that your players enjoy. If you are new to coaching, most coaching books include help in this area. Also, watch your kids before and after your practice and note any games they are playing as a group. You may want to add this game to the end of your practice.
In my basketball practices, the free-throw shooting game “Knockout” is popular at all age levels. In this game, players line up behind each other and one-by-one shoot a free throw, rebound any misses, and then convert a layup. If the player behind them makes their shot before they do, they are “knocked out” of the game. This fun game emphasizes shooting both free throws and layups under pressure. As an alternative, I occasionally select two teams and have them shoot free throws at different baskets. First one to ten wins. In a close contest, the excitement always builds toward the end of the game. Even conditioning exercises such as sprints are more fun when you add a competitive element.
Look for similar games and fun contests in your sport. For example, in baseball, kids enjoy base running drills that involve racing. You can finish your practices with a relay race between two groups of players, each starting at opposite bases (e.g., home and second). Give the first player in each group a ball and have them pass it to the next player in line after they have completed a lap around the bases. Similar to the free throw contest in basketball, your kids will get excited as the race nears the finish line.
Add some spice to your practices to keep your players interested and the energy level high.
Read more...
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Don't Underestimate the Effect Sports Have on Your Child
A good friend of mine, who coached a youth baseball team of nine and ten-year-old boys, related the following story to me. It illustrates the positive effect sports can have—even on the most unlikely of children.
Whether your child is a star athlete, beginning player, or a struggling, non-athletic boy or girl, you should recognize that sports often play a significant role in his or her life. In the above example, a boy unaccustomed to athletic success found his heroic moment and held it close to his heart. Regardless of your child’s apparent abilities, believe in your child and support his or her interest in sports.
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“A few years back, the parent of one of my former players told me about a speech her son gave as a senior in high school. Each student in the class was required to give a talk on something that had a ‘profound effect on their lives.’
It had been eight years since the boy had played for me. The boy was arguably the least athletic child on my team; however, he was the brightest and went on to win most of the academic awards at his high school as well as a college scholarship. The boy could have spoken about any of the numerous academic awards or his scholarship; but instead, he spoke of the one hit he got as a nine year old to win a key game. He also spoke about the importance of his coach believing in him to come through when substituting in a better hitter was the easier, safer choice.
I was obviously warmed to hear that a coaching decision of mine had such a positive impact on this child. But I was also struck by the fact that the child you think is least influenced by sports is the one that carries their effect with them forever.”
Whether your child is a star athlete, beginning player, or a struggling, non-athletic boy or girl, you should recognize that sports often play a significant role in his or her life. In the above example, a boy unaccustomed to athletic success found his heroic moment and held it close to his heart. Regardless of your child’s apparent abilities, believe in your child and support his or her interest in sports.
Read more...
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