Ground Fantasies in Reality

This is somewhat a continuation from the previous post where I ended with the question “Does that mean we should not set big goals and dream big?”

Conventional self-help literature teaches us that we can achieve anything by just thinking positively, and if we are going to think ahead, we might as well think positive and think big!

We are often taught to ignore the cynics, get rid of negative thinking, and to “Dream the Impossible”. Friends or associates who offer pragmatic advice are often labelled as “dream killers” or “haters”.

“The substituting of a kind of ”positive hypnotism” for a previous habit of “negative hypnotism” may appear at least to have short-range benefits, but I have always found that the honeymoon ends all too soon.” – Tim Gallwey, creator of The Inner Game

Ironically, from my experience working with athletes and numerous research studies, “positive thinking” is one of the main culprits that often hinders the progress and potential of athletes.

What the Science Tells us…

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“Just take the shot!” Sounds simple, except when it isn’t.

Decided to write this post to share how I would help a player develop a pre-shot routine, as I was reflecting on the time spent over the past couple of weeks reviewing the pre-throw routines of my Goalball players, and helping the boys at Raffles Rugby with their pre-kick and throw routines.

“A pre-routine should be customized to suit the athlete’s sport, personal preference and dominant learning style.”

Most coaches recognize the importance of pre-shot routines (especially for self-paced sports), but not many know how best to help their athletes develop one, especially one that integrates mental strategies. Before we go into the step-by steps, do follow this link to learn about what pre-shot routines are, and why they are important…

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I make use of a somewhat contrived sounding acronym – PRE-FA (Prepare -> Rehearse -> Focus -> Allow) to facilitate the teaching of pre-shot routine.

Continue reading ““Just take the shot!” Sounds simple, except when it isn’t.” →

The Paradox of Winning & Losing

It’s definitely counter-intuitive that your probability of winning (in sports and in life) actually increases by focusing less on the win, but it’s true…

“We’re not going to talk about what we’re going to accomplish, we’re going to talk about how we’re going to do it.” Nick Saban, American Football Coach

Let me explain with a recent study that Mr. Tan Mian Ou (Raffles Institution’s Rugby Master) and I presented at the Asia Pacific Physical Education Conference (APPEC). We shared with teachers and coaches about how the 2017 Raffles Institution (RI) ‘B’ Division Rugby team managed to find success by NOT focusing on winning.

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