One reason I love watching athletes receive awards is the acceptance speeches. In them athletes thank God, their mom, their Little League coach, their teammates, the fans, and on and on. They express tremendous gratitude to all those who helped them along the way. What if we encouraged athletes to express gratitude more often?
Sports fans witnessed history in this year’s October Classic. The Chicago Cubs broke their 108 year World Series Championship drought. They did so in dramatic fashion and displayed all that we love about sports on the biggest stage in baseball. While there was certainly exceptional play on the diamond, I am most interested in what the Cubs have done behind the scenes to build a championship organization. I believe every team can learn something from how the Chicago Cubs select, train, build, and field their team.
In today’s athletic environment there are more opportunities to compete than ever before. Who should athletes be competing against? What kind of competition will further their growth and development best? These are the questions parents, coaches, and athletes are facing.
The human body can push further than many athletes realize. Often, the mind gives up before the body shuts down. Some athletes sell themselves short.
In sports we often ride the tides of emotion from wins and loses. We see this in athletes, coaches, and even fans. For athletes this can be a dangerous way to define success. Seeing success as black and white (wins and loses) creates a fragile sense of confidence and fear-based performance.
Great athletes are competitive. Nothing brings out the best in athletes like tough competition. As the Bible says, “Iron sharpens iron.”
You’ve probably heard that we get better at what we focus on. This is why we practice. This is one reason we keep team and player stats. However, showing up to practice everyday doesn’t guarantee improvement. Even working hard is not enough if the focus and intensity of practice is off target.
Athletes thrive on competition. Yet many have a significant fear of failure. It looks different from one player to the next, but the bottom line is that many athletes are risk averse. A basketball player passes up the open shot. A hitter takes the first pitch when the game is close, even though it was right down the middle. Despite their competitive natures, athletes need to foster courage.
Adversity is inevitable in sports. However, as many have said before, our greatest challenge is ourselves. A slump is merely one example of this. For athletes a slump is a downward trend in their performance outcomes. With the wrong mental approach, a slump can feel like a black hole in a player’s career.
Robert Horry, NBA champion, said, “Pressure can burst a pipe, or pressure can make a diamond.” How an athlete responds to the pressure of being on the verge of victory often decides who comes out victorious. Why is it that some athletes seize the moment while others burst like a pipe? An athlete’s mentality makes all the difference.
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