News

August 6, 2010

From Obstacles to Opportunities

by Carrie Cheadle, M.A., Sports and Exercise Mental Skills Coach

There is no participating in sport without also participating in stress. As an athlete, during training and competition there will be a constant stream of demands placed on you that you must respond to. Many of those demands you will have no problem responding to because you are confident in your ability and prepared to do so, but are you able to respond when you come up against adversity? An athlete's ability to deal with setbacks can set them apart from the rest of the pack. In the physical world, resilience describes the ability of a material to return to its original shape after undergoing some sort of stress. In the psychological world, it's pretty much the same thing; how do you respond to adversity and are you able to bounce back? For athletes, resilience is an essential skill to have. Athletes constantly need to respond to changes in their environment in order to be successful. Whether it's responding to changes on the field or changes in their body, the ability to recognize that something is off and then quickly adapt and respond is not only imperative for having a successful career, but also for the longevity of participating in your sport.

When you are resilient as an athlete, you can suffer a setback and not be derailed from moving forward on your path. You can have a slump and know that it won't last forever. You can make an error during competition and not have it affect your confidence.

"I am still the greatest player in the world. I just didn't perform well that night." - Ronaldo, professional soccer player after a loss in the World Cup.

Now, I'm not saying that athletes who are resilient don't get disappointed, confused, angry, and frustrated. Resilience isn't about always being positive no matter what's going on, it's about being able to look forward and feel hopeful instead of helpless. It's how you respond to those emotions that defines whether or not you are resilient. Can you come up against adversity and shift your view of it from being an obstacle to an opportunity? The first step in working towards being more resilient is to know that setbacks will happen. The next step is to know what situations are likely to throw you off your game and developing a plan for how you want to respond in order to maintain your confidence and control. Where there was once an obstacle, you can find an opportunity.

About Carrie:Carrie received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and Sonoma State University and her Master of Arts degree in sport psychology at John. F. Kennedy University. Her professional affiliations include membership with AASP (Association for Applied Sport Psychology) since 2002, becoming an AASP certified consultant in 2007. She is also a member of IDEA Health & Fitness Association and a member of APA (American Psychological Association) Division 47, Exercise and Sport Psychology. Carrie is also adjunct faculty for both Dominican University of California and John F. Kennedy University teaching undergraduate and graduate level sport psychology classes

March 20, 2010