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Very interesting article regarding football and life!!!
Every Monday afternoon during the CFL season there is a conference call between everybody that works on the CFL on TSN. It is a weekly assessment of what went right, what went wrong and in general a time to vent if anyone has something to vent about.
We talk about teams, players and the league; reviewing what happened and previewing what may happen. Every now and then we get deep, talking more about philosophy and psychology than reality. The biggest subject discussed within that framework this week was: "How can a team be ahead 20-1 at halftime only to lose 21-20 in the end?"
After conversation in detail about how to manage halftime, how to motivate the pro athlete and who gave the best halftime speech ever, there really was no consensus of how Edmonton won that game.
Was it possible that Saskatchewan was living in the past in the present moment, while Edmonton forgot the past, was not influenced by the immediate history and stayed confident in what was happening right now?
I think that is exactly what happened and it directly related to the collective team and the individual. I also think back to Thursday's game between Hamilton and B.C. The Lions scored the opening touchdown in just four plays, then nothing until late in the fourth quarter. For whatever reason B.C. seemed to lose their edge and team intensity for almost three full quarters, allowing Hamilton to make a game out of what initially looked like a laugher for the Lions.
Why is it that people in sports and in other walks of life have slumps? You know when nothing can go right, everything goes wrong and no matter the level of effort, nothing is satisfactory. Often in football, the aspect of mental toughness is discussed, but what is mental toughness? That ability to play through pain when challenged or to stay focused even though your personal life is a mess? There really is not a singular definition of mental toughness because it is circumstantial. It changes when the environment changes and the demands of the environment change. Perhaps it is not a toughness issue, maybe it is mental discipline or mental awareness. A disassociation from what happened in the past and a singular focus on what is happening in the present to create the future that you desire. This is most obvious with the receiver position in football.
Did you ever notice that dropped balls by receivers seem to come in bunches? In some respects the position of quarterback is similar, when they throw interceptions they too come in a high number over a short period of time. We are all influenced and molded by our genetics, environment and history, more specifically our recent memories. When things are going good, we tend to forget to do the things that produced the positive result. When things are going badly, the negative feelings from the memory of the past events evoke a fear in us that creates a hesitation that creates a poor performance. The ultimate football player (and the ultimate team) would have no feelings. Nothing in the past would influence the future and nothing in the future can intimidate the player in the present. Is that the personality type that organization's look for? Yes! Is it realistic to find? No, because human beings are built on biology, not mechanically with no emotion woven within.
So why did Saskatchewan lose a game that they had a 19 point lead in? Because they allowed the past influence the present. Their success was an enemy because it took away the determination of the first half. So why do players have slumps where they play poorly over an extended period of time? The same reason; the past is influencing the present moment. So the present moment becomes exactly like the past because you are living in the past not the present through memories, (pretty heavy stuff huh?)
I have always been a great admirer of toughness, and all toughness is mental because the mind controls the body in every way. There is no such thing as physical toughness, there is only mental toughness. So the next time your favourite receiver drops a football or your QB throws his third interception of the game when you lean over the rail at the stadium, don't call him a jerk or an idiot; just yell at him to "stop living in the past and start focusing more intently in the present moment!" I know it is a mouthful to get out in a short period of time, but if he hears you, and players do, you will be giving good advice.
Does the past influence the present? It depends on your personal degree of mental toughness in the present moment. Kind of deep, but very true.
We talk about teams, players and the league; reviewing what happened and previewing what may happen. Every now and then we get deep, talking more about philosophy and psychology than reality. The biggest subject discussed within that framework this week was: "How can a team be ahead 20-1 at halftime only to lose 21-20 in the end?"
After conversation in detail about how to manage halftime, how to motivate the pro athlete and who gave the best halftime speech ever, there really was no consensus of how Edmonton won that game.
Was it possible that Saskatchewan was living in the past in the present moment, while Edmonton forgot the past, was not influenced by the immediate history and stayed confident in what was happening right now?
I think that is exactly what happened and it directly related to the collective team and the individual. I also think back to Thursday's game between Hamilton and B.C. The Lions scored the opening touchdown in just four plays, then nothing until late in the fourth quarter. For whatever reason B.C. seemed to lose their edge and team intensity for almost three full quarters, allowing Hamilton to make a game out of what initially looked like a laugher for the Lions.
Why is it that people in sports and in other walks of life have slumps? You know when nothing can go right, everything goes wrong and no matter the level of effort, nothing is satisfactory. Often in football, the aspect of mental toughness is discussed, but what is mental toughness? That ability to play through pain when challenged or to stay focused even though your personal life is a mess? There really is not a singular definition of mental toughness because it is circumstantial. It changes when the environment changes and the demands of the environment change. Perhaps it is not a toughness issue, maybe it is mental discipline or mental awareness. A disassociation from what happened in the past and a singular focus on what is happening in the present to create the future that you desire. This is most obvious with the receiver position in football.
Did you ever notice that dropped balls by receivers seem to come in bunches? In some respects the position of quarterback is similar, when they throw interceptions they too come in a high number over a short period of time. We are all influenced and molded by our genetics, environment and history, more specifically our recent memories. When things are going good, we tend to forget to do the things that produced the positive result. When things are going badly, the negative feelings from the memory of the past events evoke a fear in us that creates a hesitation that creates a poor performance. The ultimate football player (and the ultimate team) would have no feelings. Nothing in the past would influence the future and nothing in the future can intimidate the player in the present. Is that the personality type that organization's look for? Yes! Is it realistic to find? No, because human beings are built on biology, not mechanically with no emotion woven within.
So why did Saskatchewan lose a game that they had a 19 point lead in? Because they allowed the past influence the present. Their success was an enemy because it took away the determination of the first half. So why do players have slumps where they play poorly over an extended period of time? The same reason; the past is influencing the present moment. So the present moment becomes exactly like the past because you are living in the past not the present through memories, (pretty heavy stuff huh?)
I have always been a great admirer of toughness, and all toughness is mental because the mind controls the body in every way. There is no such thing as physical toughness, there is only mental toughness. So the next time your favourite receiver drops a football or your QB throws his third interception of the game when you lean over the rail at the stadium, don't call him a jerk or an idiot; just yell at him to "stop living in the past and start focusing more intently in the present moment!" I know it is a mouthful to get out in a short period of time, but if he hears you, and players do, you will be giving good advice.
Does the past influence the present? It depends on your personal degree of mental toughness in the present moment. Kind of deep, but very true.