Do You Have What It Takes?

By: Kirsten Van Heerden // Clinical & Sports Psychologist

“Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision.”  Muhammad Ali

As I was watching the Australian Tennis Open this week and having followed South Africa playing India in the test and ODI cricket series, I couldn’t help being reminded about what makes good athletes great.  Some of the players consistently perform to their utmost potential, and the greater the pressure, the better they became.

Others made many unforced errors, or at crucial points in the matches, would break down rather than step it up.  Most of these players had similar levels of physical skill and fitness, and were all trying their best to perform well and all wanted to beat their opponents.

So what made the difference?  What separates Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal from the rest of the pack, or Jaques Kallis from the rest of his team?

Take a look at these 7 psychological characteristics that research shows all great champions have – see what mental skills you may need to develop this year to help you perform even better than 2010, or see what skills you already possess that you may just need to tap into to make this year an excellent one!

1. High Motivation and Commitment

“Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling upward in the night.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

As you would expect, all great champions are motivated to achieve and are highly committed to their goals and to the process of training, preparation and competition. It's not just motivation to win, but rather that special internal motivation to improve their own performance, meet the challenge of competition and reach their own potential… all while maintaining a love for their sport.

2. Optimism

“An optimist sees the doughnut, the pessimist the hole.” Oscar Wilde

The ability to be optimistic and positive in all situations is another hallmark of champion athletes. This does not mean you need to ignore bad things and use the ‘ostrich approach’ (by sticking your head in the sand and hoping it goes away), but rather it is a developed ability to find the good in a situation and not dwell exclusively on the negative aspects. 

3. Positive Perfectionist

“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.” Harriet Braiker

It used to be thought that to be a top performer you needed to be a perfectionist.  We now know that this is not true.  Perfectionists can actually get in the way of good performance.  We should all set high standards for ourselves and strive to reach there, but realise that mistakes are an inevitable part of sport.  

4. Focusing Ability

“Concentration is the key to strength.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

The ability to focus on the correct things at the correct time is crucial for performance.  Figure out what you need to do to pay attention to that what helps you perform; and what things distract you from focusing on these (hint: it is normally our own negative self-talk that distracts us!)

5. Ability to Handle Pressure

“There is a lot of pressure put on me, but I don't put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself.” Le Bron James

Often the pressure we feel to perform comes from ourselves.  The most important thing is to get back to what you can control in your performance and let the result take care of itself… easy to say, but tough to do!  Master this skill and your performance will get better and better.

6. Resilience –Bouncing Back

“If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.” John Wooden

We all make mistakes, and in fact the problem is not in making those mistakes, but rather in making none. You need to take some risks in sport to be the best you can be – some risks will work out and some won’t.  Being resilient means that you don’t dwell on your mistakes for too long.  Get over it and move on...

7. Sport Intelligence

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” Michael Jordan

Great athletes learn about their sport; they know why they need to do a particular type of training at a particular time of season, they become students of the game and develop a deep knowledge in the sport they love. They have the ability to know what works for their body and what doesn’t, and then be able to listen to advice and filter out the good from the bad.

Develop these 7 skills (and they are skills that can be learnt and practiced) and you will be the good company of those great champions of sport!

Kirsten Van Heerden // BSc [Hons] MA Clinical Psychology
Clinical & Sport Psychology
Practice no. 0264830
T: 031 303 3874/5 • E: kirsten.vanheerden@gmail.com