The Quote

“If you trust your nerve as much as your skill, you’re capable of a lot more than you imagine”- Mike Atherton (Former England Cricket Captain)

The Lesson

That’s really what competing in sport is all about – giving your best. We get the most out of playing the game by giving it a go each and every time we compete. Striving to do our best doesn’t mean we need to be miserable either. We should always play with a smile on our face and enjoy ourselves, otherwise what is the point. It’s also worth remembering that even if we give our best we may not come out on top. This is just another aspect of competing, results don’t always match our efforts.

The Action

I will always give it my best shot.

The Quote

“One hour of hard training is worth a hundred hours of loafing” – Frank Bruno (Former Heavyweight Boxer)

The Lesson

Have you ever finished a long training session and felt that you hadn’t achieved anything. You lack that feeling of healthy exhaustion that tells you it was worthwhile. What you have done is put in twice the time for half the results. A session that is low energy can be lazy and we kid only ourselves if we think otherwise. A session that is fired up, where we give 100% is not only of more value, it is more satisfying.

Don’t fall into the habit of being satisfied with clocking up training time. “Quality is king”.

The Action

Training is most effective when I give my best effort. If I can’t do that I am wasting my time.

The Quote

“No matter how long you have played, you always get butterflies before the big games” – David James (England Soccer Player)

The Lesson

We all experience nervousness at some point, especially before a big game. The secret is to use these emotional feelings in a positive way to enhance performance rather than let them overwhelm us in a negative way. We can to this by focusing on the specifics of our performance and being positive in our self talk and visualization.

The Action

The best players get nervous every once in a while. I will use this extra energy to improve my performance.

The Quote

“If you ask a fifty goal a season scorer what the goalie looks like, he’ll say he’s just a small blur. But if you ask a five goal a season player, he’ll say the goalie is a huge mountain of pads. He can even tell you the brand name on the pads. I see the net” – Wayne Gretzky (Ice Hockey All Time Great)

The Lesson

It’s all too easy to see the obstacles that stand in our way to training hard – time, family commitments, work. But we need to look at these obstacles objectively and assess how big they really are. Can we not lose sight of our ultimate goals. or are the obstacles blocking them from view, Can we do something to remove the obstacle or at least make it smaller.

Is the obstacle in fact in our head? Are we just looking for an excuse? Ultimately the obstacles are as big or small as we choose to make them.

The Action

I will shift the focus from the obstacles to my goals.

The Quote

“Perhaps the greatest satisfaction I get from competing is knowing there are few things I can’t do if I really apply myself”- Greg LeMond (Former Champion Cyclist)

The Lesson

Sometimes our limitations are in our heads. The great sportsman refuse to accept these limitations. They set out to achieve the impossible. They use goal setting as a a major weapon in breaking down the task in hand to smaller achievable parts. They then commit the time and energy to achieving these smaller goals, the outcome further down the line is the achieving of what was thought to be not possible.

The Action

If I make the time, I can achieve my goals.

The Quote

“There’s only so much energy and resilience in the body. If you go beyond a certain point, you’re in trouble”- Patrick Viera (French Soccer Player)

The Lesson

“No pain, no gain”. While there are a handful of players and coaches who still follow that maxim, most thankfully now understand the importance of not over training and how important rest and recovery is. Your body has limits, and while we all want to push and improve those limits we need to understand that to go beyond them does risk exhaustion, potential injury or illness and then a resulting poor performance.

The Action

While improving is important to me, so is a strong healthy body. I will be aware of my limits and work within them.

The Quote

“When I’m in this state everything is pure, vividly clear. I’m in a cocoon of concentration. When I’m in that cocoon I am invincible” – Tony Jacklin (Former English Golfer)

The Lesson

Many athletes talk about being in the “Zone” or as Tony Jacklin puts it a cocoon of concentration. It’s a place where it appears we can do no wrong and a great performance is effortless. This doesn’t just happen, it’s the result of disciplined physical and mental preparation. Specifically more than anything it is about concentration and focus. Concentration that blocks out all possible distractions and focus on the task at hand. The result of getting this right is supreme confidence in your ability to perform, or as Jacklin puts it “I’m invincible”.

The Action

I can reach my peak performance by focusing on the task at hand.

The Quote

“Most players never really push themselves, they never reach their potential and that’s to bad. Great players who reach their potential constantly push themselves, and that’s good news” – Jock Stein (Former Scotland Football Manager)

The Lesson

Sometimes we can only live up to our potential when we are pushed from the outside. Unfortunately, if we always rely on that push from someone else, we will never be as demanding of our own performance as we should be. If we challenge ourselves in all situations at training or in a game, we will become more familiar with and expand our limits and expertise. Knowing what we are capable of will allow us to adapt and be ready for any situation as it occurs. We will know that we can dig in and get the required result – we will reach our full potential.

The Action

I will be sure to always play up to my potential.

The Quote

“Durability is part of what makes a great player” – Bill Shankly (Former Football Manager)

The Lesson

Not everyone can be a Roger Federer or Tiger Woods. Not everyone is blessed with god given talent. Most of us have got to work exceptionally hard to produce quality performance. There is something special about any sportsman that can produce consist high performances over a long period of time. A Ryan Giggs in Soccer or a Brian O’Driscoll in rugby spring to mind.

Sportsman who are consistent in training and practice, who are professional with their standards off the pitch and who look after themselves. People who can shrug off injury and still perform at their best. The value of these players in a team sport is such that they are cornerstones of the teams they play in. But they only reach those levels of performance by unyielding commitment, day in and day out.

The Action

I will look after myself on and off the pitch, to lengthen my career.

The Quote

“Every man’s got to figure to get beat sometime”- Joe Loius (Former Heavyweight Boxing Champion)

The Lesson

In other words you can’t win them all. No matter how good you are, how hard you train,how well you are coached, there will come a time when you will get beaten. No amount of training really teaches you how to handle this. You need to feel the disappointment in order to learn how to deal with it. We don’t have to like losing, but if we are ready for that eventuality then we are likely to react in a way that we will not later be ashamed of.

The Action

Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. I will handle both situations with grace and dignity.