By Terry Carter
Physical skills and training the mind and body to perform brilliantly under pressure are keys to moderate success. But they are less than half of the geometry equation that requires fanatical self-belief in your ability to overcome any obstacle.
This core mindset of an athlete is not impacted in class nor taught by coaches. Yet that subconscious champion’s belief of “I can accomplish and overcome all challenges here and now” affects the outcome of nearly all of our efforts, regardless of opponent.
It is a belief you either uncover in your heart and soul through battling failure, adversity, injustice over years. Or you absorb it naturally as a love-based energy that radiates from within and impacts everyone you compete with and against. The latter typically is passed down from parent to child and demonstrated daily as a way of life, an inner strength you possess.
- When you are red-carded (immediately ejected) in soccer during a pivotal match, your physical talents may no longer matter in the outcome. However that unpredictable event or an injury due to overexertion is not the end of your involvement in a contest because of your attitude, your leadership and your ability to influence teammates positively. These are your mental talents, often overlooked at every level of life. Your voice, your advice, the helpful energy you can share can and does make a difference in every contest — if you are passionate about continuing to lift your team higher.
Occasionally a sacrifice will be made by even the best players, when they may receive a yellow or red card in soccer. That sacrifice — or a referee’s blatantly bad call— can only have two results on your team: It deflates their hopes and drive to win — or it fires up their spirit to play even better than ever before. Adjust to every possible scenario by determining now, as you tie your cleats before playing, that you will alway raise your game to honor your team, your school and your own talents. - Just as every action we take is preceded by a thought, every event we compete in should be preceded by tapping into 2-3 areas of awareness: Intuition and emotional support of your team. This school year, I have invited student fans to meditate and/or cheer for their injured or struggling teammate when no one else was supporting that athlete in a close competition. Despite having no momentum, intense pain and losing at the time, the athletes competing — against all odds — all found a way to win. The bottom line: Your enthusiasm is infectious and when shared, can alter the outcome of any event in life with the right motivation.
- Without teamwork and a connection to intuition, all teams are just a collection of individuals living and playing for their recognition, their own ESPN highlight. A team taught to believe and operate as one, however, can defeat even the individual stars on a talented team without heart, teamwork. Examples exist throughout sports history.
- Soccer also teaches the value lesson of grit, determination and playing all out through the final buzzer sounding. Four times this soccer season, I’ve listened to coaches explain how a team was winning and relaxed for a few seconds during the last minute of a match — and lost. It’s a fatigue issue, but also a mental letdown, hoping your opponent is also exhausted and won’t make that final run for your goal on a breakaway. Often back line defenders are outnumbered or pulled out of position, and even the best goalkeepers cannot stop every encounter.
- Conditioning is key to embracing 80-100 minutes of sprints, collisions and hand-to-hand combat on the field. But even more important is retaining the belief that you have already prepared for 180 minutes of warfare — and knowing you will prevail no matter what. And then having the sportsmanship to shake hands and respect your opponent regardless of the outcome because you know, in your heart that you did your very best at that time.
Teamwork does not happen naturally in sports, but it is a key mindset to master to beat better teams, especially in the postseason. Both Seven Lakes and Jordan boys’ teams have reached the Region III finals because they know they can overcome any obstacle by playing together and sharing opportunities. (Photo by Terry Carter/UDPhotos)
