Yes, You Can Try Too Hard!
I have not counted, but I am guessing that by now we have written more than a hundred articles for our increasingly popular Mental Toughness Digest (links to the 10 most recent here). One of the most challenging parts is coming up with themes that are (or close to) universally applicable and that we have not already covered.
The more articles we write, the fewer of these concepts remain. Often, my ideas are a direct result of my 1-on-1 consulting. When making a suggestion to one of my monthly clients, I’d think, “Is there an article I can send after the session to support this idea”?
If it’s a no, I create one.
This is exactly what happened with the new article on Burnout Prevention.
I recently started working with an international cricketer who has making a comeback. She retired from all forms of cricket 12 months ago as she had “fallen out of love with the game”. There was no original intention to play again.
However, as is often the case, absence made the heart grow fonder. The time away from training and competing allowed her to realise she did want to try another stint to get closer to her potential.
The sabbatical and her internal motivation combined in such a way that she wanted to start taking the mental aspects as seriously as the physical and technical. She had never worked with a qualified sport psychologist before, and therefore, my contribution would shape some of the key aspects of the “comeback”.
It was obvious from our very first session via Webam that she was at risk of burnout. To some degree, all elite athletes are due to the demands of training and competing. But this athlete clearly wanted to get back to her best in a timeframe that was neither realistic, sustainable, or sensible.
Balance
Finding the right balance between downtime and due time is absolutely crucial for all human beings, particularly those with a burning desire to get to the top. My friend and colleague Chris “The Gun” Promfet has already written a fantastic article all on this topic, which I would highly recommend you read alongside this one to get a really clear overall picture of how to prevent burnout.
Baby Steps
The philosophy of baby steps was introduced as the guiding light. Baby steps is really just the notion that most meaningful achievements and progress are best attempted via small steps. Like the steps a baby might take when first learning to walk.
I think it’s important to actually define what a step is in this analogy.
First and foremost, a step, like the action attempted by a one-year-old, is an action; it’s not a thought, and it’s not a feeling. This article goes into greater detail on why we want to separate the three and treat actions differently from the other two.
Achievements – such as winning a green jacket (if you win the Men’s US Masters golf tournament) or waddling the full length of the living room without having to hold onto anything – are not actions. They are the consequence of hundreds of other little actions.
So, for me, Baby Steps are unapologetically about training and how to do it.
The cricketer I was referring to earlier wanted to hit the gym hard and do 5 tough sessions a week to start with. I suggested she start with two and increase later. She also wanted to do 4 net sessions a week, again, I suggested two. You get the point, I hope.
Less is Often More
Often, a performer’s desire to train a lot is born out of insecurity more than good sports science. They are doing too much for all the wrong reasons. A common myth in high-performance sport is that the best do the most.
This is not true.
Those who do (or did) the most are long ago and go nowhere near the top. But their use of the time they do dedicate to improving is typically higher in quality. It’s more intentional and more varied. Lots and lots of mental training to balance the physical, for example. The very best often set aside time after every session to reflect and journal.
Sporting results can be very misleading and disruptive to the Baby Steps mindset if we are not careful. You know the deal. Winners are grinners, so when the results are favourable, we carry on, but when they are not, we are tempted to ditch the plan.
The baby steps concept is mostly used to suggest taking smaller steps towards meaningful values and goals, but there is a secondary reason I love it.
What does the toddler do when they take a few steps, then fall flat on their face? Yes, they might cry a little (expressing real emotions is very healthy), but they pull themselves up and carry on. Do you do this when you stumble?
If you need some professional guidance when it comes to implementing some of these ideas into your sport/performance endeavours, then use the Contact Us form on our Get in Touch page, and one of our new enquiries officers will be in touch with you normally in less than 48 hours.
