Success Through Inner Strength - How to Achieve Your Best as a Team

If teams in competitive sports want to achieve their full potential, they also have to work together as a unit mentally. In order to achieve this as a team, the following advice can be helpful.

1. Vision 2019/2020, 2020/2021, etc.

• each new season a vision is developed for the team in the off-season, which is specifically adapted to the respective composition of the team, but has the timeless values of the club as a basis
• this vision will be the focus of the ongoing season
• this vision is developed together with all members of the team and carries elements of each individual's proposals, so that each person is committed to and identifies with it

 
Result:

• everyone works hand in hand with each other
• identification with the club’s way of life unleashes enormous human potential for everyone
• collective feeling of purpose leads to inner strength, especially when things are not going so well

 

 2. Maximising each athlete's mental potential 

• through the integration of the findings of the scientific research in positive psychology and psychology
• turning away from 'polar thinking' and the winner/loser mentality
  • based on the research by Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on 'flow'
  • flow is the psychological condition in which a human being can deliver their peak performance
  • there are certain conditions under which an individual can achieve this (skills-challenge balance)
  • more details in my articles:
    • Why Do Athletes Choke Under Pressure?
    • Unlock Your True Potential - How to Become a GOAT in Your Sport
    • Never Focus on Winning - How to Achieve Greatness is Sports

 

• Growth Mindset
  • based on the research on personal development by Dr. Carol Dweck
  • describes a person's attitude when experiencing failure (give up or move on)
  • a person's understanding that there is no limit to their potential as an individual or as a team
  • hard work and focus can make seemingly impossible goals possible
  • setting unattainable goals is essential because the path you take because of this unleashes unimaginable forces that would not exist if you were satisfied with goals that are easy to achieve
  • losses are no longer seen as negative, but as part of a developmental process and as feedback on how far you are in your development towards your goals

 

• Grit
  • based on the research by Dr. Angela Duckworth
  • GRIT = the ability of a person to work with passion and perseverance on very long-term goals and to not give up until they have reached it even if they face adversity
  • how much grit a person has is a much more significant predictor of success than most other measurable factors
  • Grit can be trained

 
Result:

• polar thinking limits the mental potential of everyone and is ‘banned’ from each athlete’s mindset
• winning or losing is no longer a main objective and is replaced by the focus on giving one’s best and improving one’s skills; this will automatically reduce performance anxiety
• understanding that winning is a consequence of various controllable factors, not the desire to win
• winning a championship should not be a main goal, it is rather a side effect of hard work and effort and the will of each individual to give their best at all times and to never give up
• winning mentality is replaced by a competitive spirit
• the best athletes in every sport (Michael Jordan, Cristiano Ronaldo, etc.) are leading by example, because they are not really focused on winning; they are motivated by their competition and want to continue to perform at their best and push the boundaries of their own limitations
• athletes will be able to develop a positive mindset and also apply it under pressure
• understanding that being a top performing team is only possible if every single member of the team gives their best at all times (even in practice)
• understanding why peak performance at the touch of a button does not work
• understanding that each athlete’s mindset and mental strength is the difference between a good team and a great team
• understanding that being under pressure needs to be trained and experienced frequently, e.g. exercises need to be integrated in training, which put the athletes under (mental) pressure and force them to think several steps ahead
• the stronger the athletes are challenged mentally in practice, the better they are prepared to respond under pressure in competition and then take responsibility
• everyone in the team needs to be aware that they have to give their best at all times even if they do not compete because this will directly and indirectly influence the performance of the team as a whole
• every member of the team, starting or not, fit or injured, must be continuously involved in the development of the team; everyone in the team needs a task or tasks (e.g. game analysis, tactical analysis, mentoring function, etc.) so that no one can behave passively (mentally) in training or in competition; these tasks must be authentic
• each athlete must feel indispensable and important to the team at all times; this in turn increases the feeling of unity and will lead to better performances of the entire team
• a team is only as strong as its weakest member

 
 
 3. Maximizing a team's human potential  

• athletes need to learn about their most important character strengths and/or understand how they can use them to improve and help the team
• athletes need to learn to communicate objectively (not what do we do wrong, but what do we have to do better and how do we tackle it)
• at the same time athletes need to learn how to communicate on an emotional level as well; what do they feel and how do they really think about things
• athletes will understand how important it is to bond and to establish a basis of trust and honesty among each other
• athletes need to form a brotherhood/sisterhood and support each other no matter what
• instead of doubting each other, they will stick together, especially when things are not going well
• athletes will learn how important it is to constantly communicate with each other (during training and in competition) and to motivate each other instead of increasing the pressure on one another
• more experienced athletes will mentor less experienced athletes
• appreciation of experience in non-material ways on the team

                        

4. Goal setting
 

• athletes set personal short- and long-term goals for themselves and as a member of the team
• goals must include different areas in addition to their sport, e.g. personal development, leadership, success, family, etc.
• regular meetings where the development towards these goals is analysed and if necessary adjusted
• communication with the families of the athletes, as they are of fundamental importance to their emotional and mental strength

 
Result:

• because of the quantity of goals (and the achievement of most of them) the negative feelings associated with a loss in competition can be compensated and the negative consequences will be minimised
• athletes still believe in their abilities and potential as their mental system is constantly fed with positive feedback (because they achieved, achieve and will achieve so many other goals) and with the knowledge that there will always be another goal that can be reached
• losing will not affect athletes mentally as much as it did before
• athletes will be able to perform better and become more confident in themselves and in the team by extending their goals beyond their sport
• athletes will establish a balance between private and professional life as this will free up additional mental resources
• athletes will understand how important it is to keep the big picture in mind