Positivity and Attitude: Through the Eyes of a Spanish Soccer Team

In the spirit of the 2010 World Cup, here is a post involving a message to be learned from a soccer team in Spain:

                Clichés aside, this is an important question to ask in regards to all aspects of life. Of course, this notion can be easily and usefully extended to running performance. According to the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), your thoughts before, during and after your performances can have a substantial impact on results. Unfortunately, sometimes we find ourselves falling into a negative thought pattern after a dissatisfying performance, injury, or other setback in your sport performance. Many athletes tend to sell themselves short of their true ability due to their thoughts gravitating to the negative.

                Recent work done by Lauer (year unknown) with a Spanish soccer team found a discrepancy between the team’s talent and the team’s record. Being on a losing streak, the players had resorted to thinking that they were unable to close a game (which was not the case at all). Losses and perceived underachievement of past games had carryover effects into other games The players had bought into preconceived negativity. With interventions such as focus on oneself and respective role, focus on what’s being done right (regardless of current circumstances), bouncing back by choosing to forget past performances, and practicing optimism, the players began to transcend these patterns and become competitive once again.

                The case of the Spanish soccer team can easily be extended to runners or all abilities and goals. What else can we do if we get into a “funk” or deal with a bad performance? Avoiding succumbing to negative experiences of the past, why repeat history if we don’t have to? Some positive strategies and things to be mindful of include:

               

·         Reminding yourself each race is different, conditions change, life circumstances change.

·         Determine exactly what it is that is addressing what you can realistically do about it.

·         Remember a time when something went right-channel that energy and let that experience guide your thinking.

·         Cherish the little things in your performance that are going smoothly, a past issue of Runner’s World mentioned that even focusing on how good your hands feel when your legs feel like lead. Sounds silly, but it takes you into a more positive mindset.

·         Do a favorite workout or running route, something you know you can breeze through and walk away smiling.

·         Train with people who build each other up.

·         Rebel by taking some time off to “hit the reset button”.

Practicing a positive attitude keeps us out on the road or track performing to our potential and having fun (that’s why we do it in the first place) year after year. How full is your glass?

References:  Lauer, L. (Year Unknown). Glass is half-full thinking. Association for Applied Sport Psychology. www.appliedsportpsych.org/resource-center/athletes/articles.

 

Comments

[Ashley]

This is a great meeting.