A Basic Framework for Winning in 4 Steps

posted on: January 22, 2014
author: Brian Lomax, Ed.D.

 

Have you ever seen the Marshmallow Test?  If not, check it out on YouTube as it’s quite humorous.  The object of the test is to gauge how well children can delay gratification in the presence of temptation.  It has been shown that those who can delay gratification are typically more successful in life than the others.

As I was playing in a social doubles event the other night, it occurred to me that this concept plays out in sports as well.  In my last match of the evening, I was paired up with a talented, but somewhat inconsistent player.  Let’s call him John.  John loves hitting spectacular shots.  If he has the choice between hitting a “boring” but correct shot up the middle, or a flashy winner that will clip the edge of the line, he’ll pick the flashy shot 9 out of 10 times.  And of those 9, he’ll probably miss 5.  By playing this way, John is constantly seeking the thrill of the winner with very little focus on the overall outcome of the match.  His emotional swings from point to point show that he values this immediate gratification much more than winning.  In fact, he told me that he detests “boring” tennis.  Unfortunately for John, boring often wins, and winning in this context represents the delayed gratification that most competitors say they want.

When we step out onto the court or the field, our goal as competitors is to perform our best so that we can win.  To be a great competitor, you must learn to make choices and decisions that support that goal.  Reacting emotionally to plays or points shows that you don’t have the big picture in mind and that you don’t understand how these plays/points cumulatively add up to the desired result.  Let’s look at a basic framework for the proper focus required to give yourself the best chance of winning.

1.  Know the scoring system of your sport and the different types of situations that may arise.  For example, the scoring system in tennis is hierarchical.  To win a match, you need to win sets.  Set are comprised of games, and games are comprised of points.  At the end of a match, cumulative points and cumulative games are irrelevant, and it is possible to win more points than your opponent, but still lose the match.  So there are specific points and games that are more important than others.  Many tennis players don’t get that and therefore react angrily to losing points that are often inconsequential.  In other sports, the scoring systems may be slightly simpler, but they all have unique situations.  Football has downs, baseball has base runners and counts during an at-bat, hockey has power plays, etc.  These situations call for specific approaches so that the team can score points appropriately.  Know these situations and know what you should be doing in them so that your decision making and choices are in support of playing your best and winning.

2.  Stay calm and rational.  Emotional reactions, both positive and negative, can cloud your judgement and are often a waste of energy.  After a play or point is completed, simply reflect on it’s impact to the larger context of what you are trying to achieve.  That will lead you to what do on the next play.

3.  Focus on the next play/point.  Most sports have natural breaks in action that allow you to reset yourself and get focused on the next play.  Your goal during this in between play time is to be physically and mentally prepared to play your best on that next play.  That means understanding the situation, having a plan in your head, and being positive and optimistic about your abilities to succeed on that next play.  What you do in between plays/points should be a routine that you go through every time.

4.  Repeat steps 2 and 3 over and over and over again until the contest is over.  Staying calm, having a high IQ in your sport, and focusing on what’s important (the next play or point) is the formula for consistent and cumulative success throughout a game/match.

After my last set with John, we got to talking and I said to him that he might go to bed that evening dreaming of some of the spectacular winners that he hit, but I’ll go to bed knowing that I won.  Which would you prefer?

photo credit: s.yume via photopin cc