Yesterday, our team got the chance to scrimmage at halftime during Senior Night, probably in front of 500 people. For many, it was the largest crowd they've experienced. Performing before crowds demands exceptional focus.
You've all seen the Hoosiers scene, where Coach Dale (Gene Hackman) measures the hoop and court, reminding the players that the court is the same as their Hickory (actually Milan, Indiana) gym.
That's the first key...the game is on the court. Whatever happens in the stands or the press box is irrelevant. Your family and friends can't help you from the fifteenth row. Learn to play in the moment, "be here now."
Nick Saban and a fellow coach were diagramming football plays in a Youngstown bar. An armed robber entered and held up the establishment. Saban and his fellow coach never even noticed.
Laurence Gonzales wrote one of my favorite books, Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why. Gonzales writes, "It is not a lack of fear that separates elite performers from the rest of us. They’re afraid, too, but they’re not overwhelmed by it. They manage fear. They use it to focus on taking correct action."
Preparation, both physical and mental, inform our actions on the 'big stage.' Gonzales shares, “Choking is about thinking too much. Panic is about thinking too little.”
We're wired to respond viscerally during stress. But focus allows us to reorient nervousness into excitement. We can fear the moment or seize the opportunity.
The Chinese word for crisis, fuses the symbols for danger and opportunity. Top performers harness the energy available from danger into transforming actions.
Panic situations arise in basketball when we forget our training or lose focus on the blend of what we're doing, an opponent's response, and the context of the situation (e.g. time and score). Practicing situations regularly habituates our responses during crisis (games).
But what matters is consistency and action.
Lagniappe: Is our process up to the task? Do we reap enduring benefits from practice and games. "Love your losses."
At times, in coaching, 2 get the team's sincere attention, it takes an epic loss, rather than winning a close game, 4 players 2 re-focus. The team was winning, but not competing. A "diva" setback is a reminder, winning is hard.— Gordon Chiesa (@gchiesaohmy) February 9, 2019