Sometimes when you stop TRYING TO WIN you end up winning more.
In this article on If Winning Isn’t Everything, Craig, the Mental Toughness Trainer explains why…
Most coaches emphasize winning. I am sure you have all heard the quote from Vince Lombardi “Winning isnt everything…it’s the only thing”
You’ve been taught all of your life that to succeed, you always have to work hard towards a goal. Well, that’s true, except that in competition and game time, athletes often perform MUCH BETTER by not focusing on winning!
Watch the video below to learn why focusing on winning backfires and discover a much more effective way to win…
If Winning Isn’t Everything…Then What Is?
Have you ever heard these quotes???
“Winning isn’t everything…it’s the only thing”
“If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?”
These are 2 quotes from one of the most successful coaches of all time, Vince Lombardi. Many coaches use these and other such sayings in an attempt to fire up their athletes to win. Unfortunately, it can backfire!
Winning is why we play our sport, right? Everybody wants to win, right?
The best way to win is to focus your energy on what it takes to win, true?
FALSE!
Yep, you heard me. You’ve been taught all of your life that to succeed that you have to work hard towards a goal. Well, that’s true, except that in competition and game time, athletes often perform MUCH BETTER by not focusing on winning, but by focusing on the fundamentals of playing your sport with a relaxed mind.
Go with me here for a second…
Have you ever had to take a test that was very important to you, and in the middle of taking the test, you get a question that you know the answer, but you just can’t seem to recall it to put it down on paper? You even remember when and where you studied that item and yet, your brain seems to lock up.
And then after the test is over, your brain relaxes and the answer comes to you…but it’s too late.
Or how about those times when you are trying to remember something to tell your friend, like the name of a movie and it’s on the tip of your tongue, and you struggle and struggle to remember but it doesn’t come to you.
And then a couple minutes after you move onto another subject to talk about, the name of the movie just comes up into your brain like magic!
Sometimes, the harder you try and the more pressure you put on yourself to come up with something, the more you will block the thing you want!
As with the test taking, and trying hard to remember that movie, it’s the relaxed mind that will get you what you want. You do this by putting all of your focus on executing the moves, strategy, and skills, you learned in practice. This keeps you present in the game and out of worry and stress. Your body and mind will just react and perform the way it’s been trained in practice.
You will find that you play better and then winning just happens.
Whenever you hear a world-class athlete or coach say something about “winning at all costs” you should know that they are talking to athletes who have already completely mastered the relaxed mind. Eventually you will get there too with practice.
Here’s a couple more quotes from Vince Lombardi that will work for you:
“The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall. “
“Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.”
This is the type of quotes from Vince Lombardi that WILL work for youth athletes.
Work on your skills, build your confidence, power up your mental toughness, and your best performances will show up in competition…oh, and by the way, you’ll win more as a result.
Welcome to the Winner’s Circle!
Craig, the Mental Toughness Trainer