0-45 varsity

Question
Thank you for reading this, i appreciate it. I'm in high school and the Varsity football team hasn't won a game in 5 years. I think that we have what it takes to get victories but everyone on the team goes into the game thinking that we are going to lose, can you give us some advice on how not to think of the past years

Answer
Hello Mark

It's always frustrating to be in a slump, and there can be a lot of factors feeding a slump.  After a losing streak, losing can turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy, and if a team expects to lose, they tend to make it happen (consciously or subconsciously).  There are people who expect the team to lose, make jokes about it, lay on guilt trips about it, and it all adds to the team expecting to lose.

There are the "motivators" who try to motivate the team positively (i.e. "I KNOW you can win this time" which adds a LOT of pressure to the team) or negatively (i.e. "my grandmother could play better than you guys" and worse).  I've seen all of this.

The good news is, I've helped a lot of athletes get OUT of slumps, it CAN be done.

First, the team has to have a serious shift of perspective.  From what you told me, when this slump started, it was a totally different team with totally different players.  Whatever happened then belonged to them.  Your team now is different and can't be compared with any other season's team.  There may be some of the same players, but we are always changing.  Essentially, as a human being, you are different than you were a week ago, physically, mentally and emotionally.  That's why they call it the past, and that's why it's important to let it go.

Second, one of the things I require from an athlete in a slump is to change what he or she thinks about.  We switch to "positive only."  What that means is you shift your view to the positive.  You haven't won a game?  Shift your view to all of the great practices you've had.  There've been a lot of fumbles?  Shift your view to the successful carries.  Lots of incomplete passes or interceptions?  Shift your view to successful completions.  You, and the team, needs to focus on the things you do RIGHT.  And if someone wants to bring up the stuff you've done wrong, let them know in a way that is OK, that you are HAPPY to hear compliments on the things you've done right.  Every single person on your team has unique skills and abilities, start encouraging them to come out.

Also, focusing on the positive can bring up that competitive energy that's so important.  It's hard to feel competitive if you feel that you are always going to fail.  EVERYONE has had successes, find them, focus on them, and keep focusing on them.  As a team, you can keep reminding each other of what you've done right.

Sure, you may play your best and not win, but if you go out there focusing on everything you've done RIGHT as a team, every little triumph, it changes the mind set of the team, you start playing better together, there's more confidence, motivation and focus (my three favorite words), and you'll know you truly did your best.  And, everyone who does that wins.

Good luck and let me know how it goes.

David

David Kenward, The Mental Coach
Sacramento, California
http://www.thementalcoach.com
Win the Mental Game: Perform better under pressure in any sport