Psyching Yourself Out
Anyone who plays a sport knows that is is easy to get wrapped up in the mistakes you make. Coaches and teammates will tell you over and over again to shake it off, just shake it off, but sometimes its harder than it sounds. For some people, making a mistake will cause them to play a mind game with themself. (FYI- This is one of the only topics we are covering that involves an individual, one person mind game. Our other research fields all involved at least two people.) They concentrate so hard on not messing up the next time that they might end up making the same or a similar mistake because their head is not clear. Dwelling on your mistakes and errors can definitely have a negative effect on the rest of your game. The goal should be to improve the best you can without making yourself crazy. Any athlete will tell you that if you tell yourself "I can't".... you won't be able to accomplish anything. Even if you make a mistake, it is best to clear your head and focus on the game, not your own personal flaws. Concentrating on these flaws will not only distract you and mess you up further, but it will also hurt the rest of the team's chances of winning the game.
Intimidation is another way that athletes get psyched out of the game.It happens in all sports to athletes of all ages. Thinking that the other team is better and that they are going to beat you is definitely not the correct approach. If you focus too much on the competition, you won't concentrate on performing at your highest level. Making comparisons between you and the other team is also unhelpful before a game. Instead of focusing on what they can do and you can't you should focus on what you are good at. This way, you can use those talents to override theirs. When faced with a worthy opponent, you have to stay positive. Thinking negative thoughts like "They're so much better than us... we can't beat them" and "They're definitely going to win" is known as putting the opponent on a "pedestal". This is basically the same thing as giving up.
A good way of making sure you don't psyche yourself out during a game is making sure you feel secure before you start. An excellent way to help make yourself feel secure is to "make the moves automatic". In other words, training your body to react automatically to a certain situation. This involves Mental Rehearsal, or running through plays and actions in your head. If you can visualize it, then during the game, your body is more likely to respond the way you want it to without too much thought. Take softball and baseball for example. The play you need to execute changes often and quickly, depending on the situation. If there is a runner on first base, you will try and make the out at second because the runner is forced. However, if the runner is on second with no one at first, you wouldn't throw to third because the runner doesn't have to run. If you throw to third and the runner stays on second, you just allowed two runners to occupy a base, because the batter is now at first. Mental rehearsal is useful in these situations because if you go through all the possible plays before every pitch, you will know exactly where to throw or what play to run when the time comes.
Intimidation is another way that athletes get psyched out of the game.It happens in all sports to athletes of all ages. Thinking that the other team is better and that they are going to beat you is definitely not the correct approach. If you focus too much on the competition, you won't concentrate on performing at your highest level. Making comparisons between you and the other team is also unhelpful before a game. Instead of focusing on what they can do and you can't you should focus on what you are good at. This way, you can use those talents to override theirs. When faced with a worthy opponent, you have to stay positive. Thinking negative thoughts like "They're so much better than us... we can't beat them" and "They're definitely going to win" is known as putting the opponent on a "pedestal". This is basically the same thing as giving up.
A good way of making sure you don't psyche yourself out during a game is making sure you feel secure before you start. An excellent way to help make yourself feel secure is to "make the moves automatic". In other words, training your body to react automatically to a certain situation. This involves Mental Rehearsal, or running through plays and actions in your head. If you can visualize it, then during the game, your body is more likely to respond the way you want it to without too much thought. Take softball and baseball for example. The play you need to execute changes often and quickly, depending on the situation. If there is a runner on first base, you will try and make the out at second because the runner is forced. However, if the runner is on second with no one at first, you wouldn't throw to third because the runner doesn't have to run. If you throw to third and the runner stays on second, you just allowed two runners to occupy a base, because the batter is now at first. Mental rehearsal is useful in these situations because if you go through all the possible plays before every pitch, you will know exactly where to throw or what play to run when the time comes.
http://img08.beijing2008.cn/20080809/Img214522299.jpg
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Underdog
[uhn-der-dawg, -dog]
–noun
1. a person who is expected to lose in a contest or conflict.
–noun
1. a person who is expected to lose in a contest or conflict.
The Underdog of a game definitely has a different mindset than the "top dog". The NBA playoffs, which have started recently, have been so interesting to watch, just in this first round. The underdogs facing top teams are putting up a fight. The newly improved New York Knicks, perhaps the most improved team of the year, have gotten so close to defeating the Boston Celtics, the defending eastern conference champions of last year's playoffs. Their first two games of this series, the Knicks lost by one possession.
These underdogs are trying their hardest. The top dogs, the Lakers, the Celtics, and the Spurs, are looking at these playoffs as a set of games that they have to endure in order to reach the finals. The underdogs are pushing to overcome each game. They try their hardest each and every game. The Pacers, the team with the lowest ranking in this playoff series, was up against the Chicago Bulls, the number one team on the east. They tried so hard every game, and came close to defeating the Bulls. Most remarkably, game two in that series was a close call, the team only losing their momentum at the very end. During game 2 of the Pacers-Bulls series, commentator Chris Webber said, "[The Pacers] just don't give up, even though everyone is against them".
We're prone to believe in underdogs; it is the American spirit. In the American Revolution, we were seen as the underdog, the little colony going against the big, powerful mother country. The English was this country full of experience and naval tactics. Who would have ever thought that we would be able to prevail over them? We pushed to become free, and we did it. Studies have found that we want to believe in the underdog because we feel like they will work harder to achieve their goal. We feel that their mindset is on hard-work, to have the best possible outcome they could. We want to see them win and go against what everyone thinks will happen to them. Their sheer determination and the amount of effort they put into trying their hardest makes us want to root for them. A study by Joe Vandello found that most underdogs do in fact put in more effort to make up for their skill level compared to the other team.
These underdogs are trying their hardest. The top dogs, the Lakers, the Celtics, and the Spurs, are looking at these playoffs as a set of games that they have to endure in order to reach the finals. The underdogs are pushing to overcome each game. They try their hardest each and every game. The Pacers, the team with the lowest ranking in this playoff series, was up against the Chicago Bulls, the number one team on the east. They tried so hard every game, and came close to defeating the Bulls. Most remarkably, game two in that series was a close call, the team only losing their momentum at the very end. During game 2 of the Pacers-Bulls series, commentator Chris Webber said, "[The Pacers] just don't give up, even though everyone is against them".
We're prone to believe in underdogs; it is the American spirit. In the American Revolution, we were seen as the underdog, the little colony going against the big, powerful mother country. The English was this country full of experience and naval tactics. Who would have ever thought that we would be able to prevail over them? We pushed to become free, and we did it. Studies have found that we want to believe in the underdog because we feel like they will work harder to achieve their goal. We feel that their mindset is on hard-work, to have the best possible outcome they could. We want to see them win and go against what everyone thinks will happen to them. Their sheer determination and the amount of effort they put into trying their hardest makes us want to root for them. A study by Joe Vandello found that most underdogs do in fact put in more effort to make up for their skill level compared to the other team.
Perhaps one of the most current and greatest examples of an underdog pushing hard and achieving their goal --- Superbowl XLII, the Patriots vs. the Giants. In this game, no one expected the Giant to win. However, through perseverance, dedication, and hard work, the team prevailed over the number one team of that season. The victory gave the citizens on New York an enormous sense of pride in their team. After this win, Z100 played the song "One More Time" by Daft Punk for weeks. (They played an edited version that included some commentary and cheering) This was a highly discussed topic after the Giants won. These underdogs tried as hard they could to defeat the "top dog", and prevailed. Since this team is a professional team that is popularly supported by New Yorkers, the pride and joy the team felt after this game was also felt by the fans.
Works Cited:
http://www.essortment.com/sports-psychology-athletes-article-16770.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/ian_thomsen/04/22/playoff.underdogs/index.html
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-big-questions/201006/do-we-prefer-root-losers
http://www.cas.usf.edu/~vandello/VandelloGoldschmied&Richards-Appeal%20of%20the%20Underdog.pdf
http://www.essortment.com/sports-psychology-athletes-article-16770.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/ian_thomsen/04/22/playoff.underdogs/index.html
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-big-questions/201006/do-we-prefer-root-losers
http://www.cas.usf.edu/~vandello/VandelloGoldschmied&Richards-Appeal%20of%20the%20Underdog.pdf
