[templatic_contentbox type=”normal” title=”Dr. Natascha Wesch”]Dr. Natascha Wesch is a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) and a Mental Performance Consultant in private practice who works with individual athletes, coaches, and teams of all levels and backgrounds. To learn more and to contact her, visit her website: www.elitemindperformance.com or find her on Facebook www.facebook.com/elitemindperformance” [/templatic_contentbox]
Kurt Cobain said it best: “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.” This quote applies to life and to sports. Here’s how…
So many young (and sometimes not-so-young) athletes try hard to be someone they’re not. They try to play like someone else, which usually means getting away from their own game and style. This is not effective, and it often produces poor or panicked performance.
I see this a lot in the work I do with athletes. Here’s a typical scenario: Joe says he’s been doing everything his coach wants him to, but he’s not seeing the results. He used to be able to put the puck in the net, and used to feel confident in his game. Lately, he hasn’t been playing well and is losing confidence. He says he’s trying really hard, but the harder he tries the worse things get. So, I ask Joe, “Tell me about your style, your game. What makes you the player you are? What are your strengths as a player?” Joe thinks and says that his game is a physical one; he’s tough in the corners and creates plays for his line-mates. One of his biggest strengths, he says, is communication and being vocal on the ice. He has a quick start and tons of speed. Then I ask Joe if this is how he’s been playing lately. He replies: “No, I’ve really wanted to put the puck in the net because Coach B wants us to put points on the board, so I’ve kind of got away from playing my game.”
That’s the problem – and the solution! When you get away from playing your game, and focus on trying to play in a way that doesn’t play to your strengths, you can’t perform. You’re trying to impersonate someone. When it comes to top performance, you have to allow your mind and body to do the things you’ve trained them to do.
What got you to where you are today? What are your strengths as a player? Focus on doing the little things right. If you’re a physical player who is vocal and a play-maker, like Joe, then go out for each shift and focus on doing those three things well. Play your game.
Sure, in practice and in training, work on strengthening all parts of your game and improving your areas of weakness. But on game day, when it’s time to perform, trust your game and play to your strengths. Don’t try to be someone else, because I guarantee it won’t work.
If you’re heading into a new season, want to play well, and get your coach and/or the scouts to notice you, then your best shot at success is to focus on playing your game. Know what you’re good at and focus on executing those strengths. Use practice to build upon your strengths and turn your areas of weaknesses into areas of strength.
In the words of Oscar Wilde, “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”
Story submitted by Dr. Natascha Wesch, PhD
