Hello athletes, parents and coaches!
As the yearly cycle of sport continues on we move from tryouts, to big games, to tournaments, then to playoffs, hopefully an off-season, and then back to tryouts…all of these are big events..
With big events come big outcomes, big emotions, and big impacts, on everyone involved (players, parents and coaches). The outcomes, emotions and impacts experienced can be both positive and negative and it’s part of why we love sports so much.
In the after-math of these big moments there is often a period of time when naturally (especially if the result was negative) we look back and think of all the things we could have done differently or perhaps better (our thoughts can turn to all the negative plays we made or opportunities we missed).
Often in this situation, I find that the period of time we look at however is too short. Yes, you’ll find moments in games and tryouts where you could have been better, but I'm willing to bet that there were probably a lot more moments in the preparation leading up to the games and tryouts when you needed to be better in order to improve your performance in the big event.
If you ever find yourself in a championship game I think you will find that every single participant in that game will want to win - that is not the separator. The separator is not the desire to win while in a competition, it is the desire to win while preparing in the days, weeks and months leading up to the competition.
So, if you are an athlete that is in charge of your own development, ask yourself this; What could I have done better today to prepare for my next big competition? and, what am I going to do tomorrow?
The compound effect of micro-improvements over the long haul will have drastic outcomes on your long term development and in the outcome of your big events.
Have fun and keep at it!
Zeal Sports Performance Team