As parents, fans, and coaches who appreciate sports, we often marvel at those special athletes who develop the necessary fortitude and perseverance to be the best (Advanced Human Performance Systems). Specifically, I’m talking about athletes who are the first ones to practice and the last ones to leave; the athletes who “keep their eye on the ball” throughout the season by doing all the little things necessary in order to be successful (hitting the weight room, prioritizing adequate rest, living a clean life, etc.). In fact, it is this prototype of athlete that coaches often point toward when looking for positive examples for the team to model. Ironically, while this strong mindset can be advantageous, it can also lead to future, unforeseen problems as well (Sport Success 360).
The mental toughness and perseverance that makes some athletes great champions can also lead to a “machismo” mindset, making it almost a double-edged sword. In other words, doing it alone and better than the competition might work on the field, but what about when these types of athletes experience trouble, problems, or even just an inordinate amount of life stress? Do they seek help, or do they use the same do-it-alone mindset to figure out the problem? While having great perseverance in life can be a wonderful thing, it can also cause and/or exacerbate problems as well.
In my experience, athletes who have learned the value of going longer and harder than their competitors very often are the last to reach out and ask for help. Of course, this does not mean every athlete who shows great perseverance and fortitude will reject the notion of seeking help when needed, but instead illustrates that certain athletes may be more at-risk to certain specific problems than others (like dealing with sport retirement).
What may be most important is for athletes to compartmentalize their mental toughness and fortitude and use it for on the field success, while also allowing themselves to be human and realize that in some situations in life seeking help from others may be a very healthy thing to do (and not a sign of weakness!). It’s funny, but oftentimes when I raise the subject of sport psychology to athletes, their first reaction is to back away and dismiss the notion that they themselves “need that kind of help.” The initial knee-jerk reaction seems to be that outside help is for losers or people who have problems – which couldn’t be further from the truth. As you can see from this simple example, athletes who think this way may be overly confident in their own stress-coping abilities, which may actually hinder their sport (and life) success.
Success in life comes as much from being determined to succeed as it does being savvy enough to know when to let the guard down and accept feedback and advice from others. Unfortunately, some athletes feel as though it is a sign of weakness to talk about the challenges they face, which usually leads to bigger problems if the initial concern is dismissed or overlooked. Athletes, in particular, can be difficult to convey this message to as they are literally taught at an early age to “be tough” and reminded that “no pain = no gain.” It is for these reasons that we pay attention to warning signs of trouble for athletes, and find creative ways to encourage them to seek help when needed.
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