Less Zone – I think too much emphasis and time is spent on trying to “get in the ZONE.” At best we perform “in the zone”, that perfect performance where you are “out of your head” 10% of the time. Apolo Ohno said in an interview during the 2010 Olympics, “I have had maybe two perfect races in my career.” That’s 2/1000’s not a very high percentage so why is he so good? Let me explain – simply put Apolo works very hard on the mental game and therefore he is able to make adjustments, he finds a way to get it done when he isn’t perfect.
So if athletes experience playing in the “ZONE”, at best 10% of time but most likely less, what is going the other 90% of the time? Understanding your answer to this question is extremely important because the other 90% of the time is where you don’t have your complete game and you most likely feel uncomfortable. This is where the mental game comes in! It allows you to be “comfortable being uncomfortable.”
More time should be spent by teams and individuals learning how to do this, how to compensate and adjust. How to be able to adapt to what you’re going through and capable of being comfortable being uncomfortable. This skill gives you the power to get the best performance on that day. Are we ever 100% everyday? No, some days we are 80% other days we are 60% or less. So how do we get 100% out of the 80% we have available? Think of that amazing performance that Michael Jordan had in the late 90’s during the finals. He was sick and they basically carried him off the floor after the game. Jordan, like Apolo, knew how to give 100% of whatever he had on a given day. This is called mental toughness and is a result of training their minds to think and know they can deliver despite their situation.
That is what the mental game is all about, compensating and adjusting. However, the only way we can do this is to first be aware that an adjustment needs to be made and then be able to make it. Developing the awareness of where our heads are at; in the present focused on this moment, in the past thinking about what could’ve/should’ve been, or in the future focused on what “has” to happen. Being aware of our errant and inappropriate thinking will help us start down the path to becoming our best. Then we must learn to change our focus to the task at hand, our job on that play and trust that we will do it.
I heard John Smoltz say in an interview with Dan Patrick on ESPN radio “the zone isn’t something you get into, its something that happens, you’re not thinking, its just you the catcher and the hitter. But when you try to get into it you think too much and the opposite happens.” So, forget about “THE ZONE” and play in the moment! You will find that you will have more “in the ZONE” performances when you don’t try so hard to have one.
COMPENSATE! ADJUST! PLAY!
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