My job allows me to watch a lot of sports- both in quantity and in diversity. Over the course of a school year I see 14 different sports, some with male and female teams. I'd guess I'd get to watch somewhere in the neighborhood of 125 games, meets, matches, and competitions. That's in addition to going to practices, doing mental sessions, and getting to interact with athletes and coaches around campus through classes and just in general. The point is, I get to observe a lot. Something my brain naturally gravitates towards is patterns. Even from an early age, I enjoyed the logic tests that showed three or four shapes and asked you what comes next. I wanted to be the one who kept score. Sorting through my baseball card collection over and over again was fun for me. That's continued as an adult and as a coach.
As I seek out patterns, a category I'm drawn to is what separates teams, coaches, and athletes from one another. What separates those who have success- both short-term and long-term- from those who don't? What's the difference between athletes who are able to get close to maximizing who they are from those who settle? Why are some coaches able to adapt with change while others struggle? I want the answers we will never completely find. With that, a trait I've found myself coming back to more and more is being a competitor. For me, two categories of competitors have emerged: Convenient Competitors and Courageous Competitors. Let's dig into both.
A convenient competitor is someone who does exactly what the term says. They compete when it's convenient to them. This is someone who's competes when things are going well, when they feel good, when they think they have a good chance of success, and when they're comfortable. In practice, they want to do things that they like and that make them look good, if they show up at all. A convenient competitor allows who an opposing team or athlete is on paper dictate how they show up. Convenient competitors tend to shut down, avoid, or look for excuses more and more as the conditions described aren't there. They cling to “what they've always done” like Linus with his blankie. When things go bad, convenient competitors play the blame game.
A courageous competitor, on the other hand, competes. I'm hesitant to say "all the time" because nobody's perfect, but they are relentless as competitors. They compete no matter how things are going, even when they don't feel their best, when the odds may be stacked against them, and when they're uncomfortable. In practice, they crave challenge, are willing to make mistakes, and care more about getting good than looking good. They show up. Who an opposing team or opponent is provides info but doesn’t determine how the courageous competitor shows up to play. Courageous competitors embrace opportunities to compete. They want to get better and are willing to try different things that could help them to improve. When things go bad, courageous competitors look for solutions.
The difference between convenient and courageous competitors is substantial, and I think the effects of being either can be as well. Courageous competitors are going to be more likely to be consistent with their performance, while convenient competitors will likely have more ups and downs. While I don't think anyone ever truly maxes out on their potential, courageous competitors are going to get much closer. They're more likely to have success and to sustain success as they go for the gap even when they're deemed the best at what they do. So all of this leads us to an important question because I don't believe in simply putting people into categories and saying, "Some people are just courageous competitors and some aren't." That'd ironically make me more of a convenient competitor in being able to write people off- tempting at times, to be sure, but not an effective strategy. The question is, "What can we do to help anyone become a courageous competitor?" Here are 3 step to help us start:
1. Have both yourself and athletes (depending on who's reading this, of course) start with an honest self-assessment. Keep it simple. Which traits of courageous competitors do they currently show? What's the evidence? Where do they struggle? What's the evidence? Depending on trust, I think getting feedback from someone else- a teammate or another staff member- could go a long way in making this more impactful. I also think shifting the questions to look at who you are as a team of competitors could be very helpful. What asking these questions does is gives us an idea of where we currently are. It's what's real.
2. Look to the future. Who do you want to be as a competitor or team of competitors a year from now? By the end of the season? By the start of next season? By the time you graduate? As a program 5 years down the line? Be specific. Consider what it would look like and feel like. How would being a courageous competitor impact you? How would it have an effect on how you practice? Play? Approach things away from the field? This is a peek into who we could be. It's what's ideal.
3. Come up with an action plan. What steps can you take to get you closer to that ideal courageous competitor self or team? If you're a head coach, I'd encourage you to get help from assistants and/or players to come up with ideas. That will increase buy-in and give you perspective diversity to help you see beyond your own experiences. I'd encourage you to pick 1-2 areas to focus on at a time. That's going to help you avoid chasing five rabbits and catching none. If this is difficult, start small. What's something you can do that will help you get closer to being a courageous competitor? Do it. Reflect. Repeat. It's what will help us move from real to ideal.
The three steps are simple but hardly easy. They're a place to start, but becoming a more courageous competitor will likely take time and effort. It'll mean successes and failures. I'd recommend finding ways to celebrate small wins along the way. If you're a coach, be intentional about pointing out when athletes do something that is being a courageous competitor. It'll help create an environment that values whatever you're working on and will help the athlete see their success beyond the results. If you're an athlete, taking time to reflect and find the evidence of what you're trying to improve on can help you stay on track and build confidence in yourself. Real progress and improvement takes time. Being a courageous competitor is continuous, and so is being you.
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