A theme that has run through this book is the issue of how much of the sportsperson's mental approach is pre-set and how much can be developed or changed. Many people believe that we are preformed, set in tablets of stone, and that nothing can be changed. Others believe that change may be possible, but that people should not be 'tampered with'. Some sportspeople also worry about analysing their performance too much, in case, by analysing it, they will somehow destroy it.
There is no doubt that, as in all walks of life, there are exceptional people. No one would deny the genius of a Jeremy Guscott, a David Gower, or a Michael Owen. However, for every one of these there are hundreds of other mere mortals who are still able to play to a good level. It is possible for all of us to develop the approaches necessary to enjoy the sport, compete to a level and develop improved skills.
The statement is often made that the naturals 'just have it', as if by magic. And of course they do. The question is what can the rest of us do to develop ourselves. It may not be possible to actually become Jeremy Guscott, but it is possible to become your own version of him. In other words, it is possible to model some aspects of what he does and build them into your own approach. In talking to successful people in all walks of life, including sportspeople, it is fascinating to hear how they think about themselves, their approach to their sport and their opponents.
When it comes to establishing what makes sportspeople 'tick', why they do what they do, or what makes some sportspeople different, the first place to check is their Meta Programs. These are filters, or ways of seeing the world, that help explain why people do (or do not do) certain things. When we become aware of our Meta Programs, we are able to alter them.
In sport, as in all walks of life, the amount of information that the brain needs to absorb and make sense of is enormous. Most information is absorbed unconsciously. It is simply not possible, for example, for a footballer to take in every piece of information regarding his own physiology and mental state as well as the pitch, the opposing team, the referee, the crowd etc. on a conscious level. Most of this information is absorbed unconsciously, and the way we absorb it depends upon the Meta Programs that we use. Eleven Meta Programs are described in Sporting Excellence. We reproduce one here.
This can be a particularly useful Meta Program for the sportsperson. Some people may feel that it is only at the professional level that players become stressed, but this is not necessarily the case. This Meta Program has three categories, rather than two polarities.
Stress impacts on sportspeople in different ways. Something that will totally stress one person will not affect another at all. This is complicated by the fact that some people who appear to be stress-free are actually bottling it up as their particular way of controlling stress. The case of Paul Gascoigne in the autumn of 1998 is an example of this. Superficially, in spite of all his problems, he always appeared to be an easy-going 'jack the lad' character. However, beneath the surface there were lots of unresolved issues fermenting away, which finally resulted in his visiting a clinic.
Sportspeople with this profile can be highly intuitive and creative but also volatile and erratic in their behaviour. They do not like negative feedback and can react quite forcibly to it, so they can cause friction with sportspeople who respond to stress in a thinking way.
How to recognise them:
they tend to use animated gestures and body language, making particular use of their arms, body, facial expressions and voice
they may remain emotional for some time, even after events seem to have moved on
they can 'ignite' very quickly
In coaching or supporting them:
pay attention to their emotions instead of responding to their emotions with cold logic and facts allow them to get things off their chest empathise with their concerns be assertive both verbally and non-verbally, holding eye contact, and talking about we not I
show them the positive intention in your response
These sportspeople may start out by responding to a situation in an emotional way, then quickly returning to their normal unemotional response. Their emotional response is less overt or intense than the sportsperson who responds with feelings.
How to recognise them:
they display an initial emotional response quickly, followed by a more measured, normal one
they may show a degree of empathy
they will often be the spokesperson for a stressful situation
they tend to exhibit signs of being,
In coaching or supporting them:
allow their initial emotional response to die down before responding
listen to both their the emotional and non-emotional responses
don't react differently to the emotional and non-emotional parts
create empathy with them
display and share your own preferred style with them
These people display a non-emotional response to a situation that normally other sportspeople would find stressful. They remain calm and impassive, irrespective of anyone else's response.
How to recognise them:
they show no visible negative responses to stress in words, voice tone or body-language
they tend not to panic
they stick to the facts
they seem to be unaware or uncaring of the people around them who are responding differently
In coaching or supporting them:
stick to the facts
control your own responses, i.e. do not batter them with your own emotional responses and expect them to react
ask them questions to draw out their thinking
get them to offer solutions, then analyse their responses
The power of this Meta Program is that it can help explain why a particular sportsperson reacts in a certain way and how best they can either help themselves or be helped by someone else.
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