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Hi all.

All my new articles are being posted to www.headstartsport.co.za. Please visit the site to read the latest on what's been happening with the Stormers, WP,UCT, and other teams I'm working with.

Thanks
Tom

The Lion, the spirit and the plan

The Currie Cup comes to end, and the Sharks really showed themselves to be true champions with a superb, measured and unified performance on Saturday. Those of you who have been following this column for the last few weeks will know that having been involved with the WP u21 side this season, I have been focusing my thoughts on that, but no doubt the thoughts are relevant across the board. A great season was capped off for the boys with a resounding win over the Bulls. Although not a complete 80 minute performance, the guys did well for large parts and really showed some true spirit and skill to take the spoils. I wouldn’t say that the win was purely mental, as I believe the side possess immense skill, but I’ll give some insight into why I think they came out on top.

Firstly, in a final belief is key, you need to possess confidence in your ability not only as an individual, but also in your team mates. This is built up through the way you prepare, the way you play and your attitude towards your game. That confidence and pride of a lion really shows up in those guys who perform at their best in these big games. It was fascinating to see some of the players in the side who showed that they belonged at a higher level when it really counted. I always believe true greats show their class when it matters most, and will back themselves on the big stage. How do get that belief is another long story, but an interesting one at that.

The spirit of a team has almost become a clichéd reason for success. How often do you hear people waxing lyrical about their superb team spirit. Stefan Terblanche in his post-match interview on Saturday pointed to his team’s spirit as a reason for their success. It seems something that almost gets taken for granted though, and I believe that team spirit is something that takes real effort from all concerned to forge, and that without leadership that recognises the need for team spirit, this spirit will not occur. I have seen the mastery of John Dobson at work first hand this season – a man who has built a dynasty at UCT with modest resources and who was able to create a spirit within the WP boys second to none. I have no doubt that although talented, without that spirit the trophy may be somewhere else. Spirit creates added motivation, enjoyment and trust in teammates, all of which lead to victories!

Lastly, is the plan. The only surety in a big game, is the occurrence of mistakes. What is key is how you react to them. The WP boys were made to plan for this mentally in the week, and to go through numerous scenarios in their minds so that when they did occur they had prepared and knew how best to react. They had also created some pointers for themselves before the game, earlier in the week so that when the emotion of the big game kicked in during the warm up, they had their own, self-constructed calm advice to fall back on. This may not work for everyone, but to see guys referring to their notes just before kick off showed without doubt that they believed in their own preparation, which served to help with their confidence before the game.

A truly great win for the boys, and I have no doubt a learning experience for all of them. There are some future greats in the side that will be well worth watching out for. What a privilege it was to work with them.

Mental notes for the Currie Cup Final

It’s Currie Cup final week and along with a huge amount of excitement for all involved, comes the inevitable nerves and pressure that come with having the large prize at your grasp. What often happens in these games is that the style adopted by both sides change as the fear of making mistakes begins to overwhelm and therefore more conservative approaches are often adopted. Essentially in these games two kinds of player exists – the one who alters his style of play due to the occasion causing fear, and the one that realises that a certain style of play got him to the final in the first place and therefore tries to replicate that style with freedom. This is indeed a simplistic view of looking at things, but surely if you have been good enough in the build up to the final, you should be good enough to succeed in the final as well. A few key points are mentioned below that mentally are crucial for any side in the big game.

1. It has become a cliché that the team who wants it more wins. This is only partially true. Passion is a must and striving for the physical dominance is crucial, however, passion without accuracy is worthless. There needs to be a strong desire within the team not only to win the game, but to actually be as accurate and ‘perfect’ as they can. The process of doing the things that lead to a win are far more important than thinking about winning itself.
2. Each side will make mistakes, some worse than others, but you can be guaranteed that things will not always go according to plan – the winning side will probably be the one that reacts better to the mistakes. They will have accepted that mistakes are inevitable, and will have a plan in their minds as to how to react to errors.
3. Players need to go about their preparation in as similar a fashion to any other week. The pressure is high in these games and creating some comfort in an uncomfortable situation is vital. Players will need to visualise their best moments and follow as similar a routine as possible. This is where the home side is often at an advantage, as they have increased familiarity and comfort by virtue of them being in their own surroundings.
4. Teams need to have crucial honest conversations to ensure that all players are on the same page and have mental plans for their game. By talking through situations players can prepare themselves mentally for any eventuality and thus be more prepared in the big moments. They can also plan their own preparation in these conversations to ensure that their intensity levels are where they want them to be at training and in the immediate build-up to the match. Managing the balance here between psyching up and staying calm is imperative.
5. Lastly and it may seem a touch idealistic, but players need to enjoy and embrace the moment. They all want to play in the big games and thus need to give themselves permission to enjoy the game and get into the best mental state for them to excel. Pressure games are opportunities to be a hero, and they need to be framed as such, not as games where players should worry more about not making mistakes.
The weekend’s final should be a cracker. All the best!

Can it get more tense?

Semi finals by nature are tense affairs as the realisation that this could be the last game is right at the forefront of all involved’s minds. The WP u21s this week were adamant that this was not going to be their final week, and that they were keen to take part in the final in 2 weeks time. Trailing for most of the game, the boys were behind by 5 points as the hooter went for full time. With a ruck formed on the 22 metre line, the ball came out to the backline, only for the talented Johan Sadie to break the line, dummy one man and score. With the scores even up stepped their prolific flyhalf to go for the win with the conversion – he missed it! Extra time it was, and with a gusty Free State down to 13 men at one stage, WP managed to go ahead. However with 2 minutes to go Free State equalised taking the score to 49 a piece, which is where it ended, meaning WP went through by virtue of scoring more tries in the game. Hectic!

This is one of those games, where the mind begins to work in overdrive as first of all the nerves are prevalent, and then secondly, fatigue begins to kick in as you approach the 100 minute mark of rugby played. I suppose WP can be both criticised and lauded for their mental approach in this game. Early on it appeared that they were hesitant, un-focused and even perhaps slightly complacent. This is hard to gauge, but they certainly were not in the top gear. What could have happened here is that mistakes could have been made, in trying to be over-relaxed at risk of compounding the nerves people experience in big games, in the build-up to the game. It could also have been a case of fear of failure or a case of having one eye on the final already and forgetting about the task at hand. Then lastly there may have been a slight element of complacency as this team had beaten the Bulls and Sharks in consecutive weeks and were expected to comfortably beat the Cheetahs. I have obviously written this from a WP perspective due to my involvement with them, but it would be narrow-minded not to heap praise on a gallant, passionate Cheetahs side who could easily have walked away with the spoils. They played like true underdogs without the pressure of expectation, and showed hunger to cause an upset. Unfortunately for them, they perhaps did not have the true belief and confidence to close out the game when they could have and were perhaps unlucky.

In games like these however, one has to examine what various individuals are thinking and how they are acting. Thought processes in sportsmen are what we try to alter as mental coaches, as these are what influence the feelings of the players and thus their actions as well. Having chatted briefly to a few of the players after the game, I certainly gained some valuable insight going into the final on the players psyche, and as to how we should prepare. Firstly, in big games the ability to come back from an error is crucial. One certainty in a big game is that something will go wrong, so your ability to react in the best possible way is key if you are to be successful. The WP flyhalf (Gary Van Aswegen) after missing the conversion at the death was able to come back and hit two more tough kicks in extra time, which showed exceptional mental toughness. I also found it fascinating to see the WP outside centre, who managed to score the equalising try, with a huge grin on his face with 2 minutes left to go in extra time whilst on defence. When I asked him about it, he just said to me, “Ag I just try to enjoy it hey Tom”. This attitude clearly works for him as he won man of the match, but is one that not everyone can adopt, or even subscribe to themselves. What is apparent in these big games is that each individual has a very different way of approaching things and thus needs to do his own mental preparation work to ensure he is in the best possible mind space for the game. A lot is done as a team, but with an individual bit of brilliance or failure sometimes being the difference in the result, the individual needs a lot more focus.

A great game, and one that a team can only learn from, whether they won or lost. Well done to both sides and good luck to WP in the final.

The WP boys turn it around!

A 41- 14 defeat, and a bruised ego was what WP u21s took away from Kings Park 8 weeks ago. Needless to say with a home-semi final at stake for both sides, the WP boys managed to turn it around, winning 36 – 9, without conceding a try. This should give the boys some good momentum going into what is going to be a brutally tough semi-final. There is no doubt that both the Sharks and WP are massively talented sides with great resources and opportunities for them to excel. I would like to offer some brief thoughts on why mentally I thought WP were on song, notably the confidence that they had, and the existence of the CTP (Critical Turning Point) in the game.

Firstly, I believe confidence comes in two different ways. Either it comes from previous successes or it comes from putting in the best preparation you can and taking confidence from the fact that you know you are optimally prepared. The WP boys in this case had come off a great win last week which enhanced their belief. However they had lost badly to the Sharks boys before and therefore needed something more than just relying on past successes to gain this win. Their confidence had to come mostly from the work they put in over the previous few weeks. Altering a state of mind is not an easy thing to do and therefore they needed to put in the work both physically and mentally to ensure that they believed strongly enough that they could win. The WP boys certainly have worked incredibly hard physically, and have also been working at their thought processes and energy levels – all of which I believe put them in good stead for the Sharks game. One cannot discount desire and passion from a defeat, but that is never enough without clear thought patterns, a common goal and a focus on process.

Secondly, in many games there are what people term turning points. Often this is a knock on, or a big tackle etc. I also believe there can be mental CTP’s as I call them. I am sure all rugby players, coaches and followers will know of some of these. This is when a team does something in the game, that either ignites more effort or more belief within them. The WP team pride themselves on their effort on defence but were wary of the enormous ability the Sharks had with ball in hand. It was without doubt in the forefront of their minds. In the first 20 minutes of play, WP had to soak up an enormous amount of pressure within their own 22 from the Sharks, during which all the Sharks managed were 3 points. Wave after wave of attack was repelled. And in my mind this was a CTP. Firstly, a strength of WP (their defence) was reinforced in their own minds, secondly they were then able to see that they COULD snuff out the Sharks’ dangerous attack, and thirdly I believe the Sharks may have been disheartened by the fact that their traditional strength was not good enough on the day and lost some crucial energy and belief themselves. Their own self-belief would have been dented.

These are just two of the many points that could be taken from this game. There is still a long way to go in the competition but the WP coaches and players really must take some credit for turning this one around. The Sharks will be back though- of that I am certain. I look forward to any comment!

Beating the Bulls at Loftus

The apparent everest of rugby seemed to rear its head again on Saturday as WP let go of a lead to lose to the Bulls at Loftus. Without doubt what the Bulls have built is admirable and exciting for their loyal supporters, as it seems that their aura at Loftus is worth at least 10 points (could be even more?). I have worked over the last two weeks with the WP u21 side in preparation for their game at the self-same ground against the Bulls. It has been fascinating being involved in the set-up and listening to the thoughts of the WP boys. Therefore it was fantastic to see them coming out on top 42-38 on Saturday in an entertaining and tough game! I thought therefore that I’d give some brief insight into what we focused on, and where I feel teams err in their preparation for the battle up north.

First and foremost, what any team needs to do, is identify the areas that they need to focus on rather than focus entirely on the opponents. It is very tempting to build the game up to your players, by mentioning the enormity of the task and how tough it is going to be. The problem with this, although it may motivate some, is that it can create a monster out of the opponents in the sense that mentally they are perceived as being better than they actually are. Analysis of the opposition is fantastic, but it needs to be done in such a way that it creates more tangible and helpful focus areas for your own team, rather than creating a fear of the opponents. There is no doubt that the Bulls are a top side and that they are tough to beat, but by constantly telling yourself that, you are unlikely to have the belief that they can be beaten. The process here was to identify what it is that makes WP good, and to analyse why it will work- from that base you can then identify what it is YOU can best do, to gain that win.

Secondly, it does not help to try to ignore the ‘Bulls factor’. Some people feel that we should not speak of it at all, and if ignored, there is more likelihood of success coming about. The reality is, that a fear and attitude of doubt does exist amongst players about going and playing at Loftus so there is no way this can be ignored. Think of it this way, if I said to you, all I want you to do is not think about a dancing monkey in a pink tutu outside your window right now, and just to think about work. At no time must you think about that monkey! What are you likely to think about? It’s obvious. Human minds often respond better to the word DO rather than the word, DON’T, and therefore to try to not think about something can often be fruitless, it is better to find out what you must focus on. Therefore the key is to identify what it is that scares us about the Bulls, or what gets in the way of us winning, and then to challenge those beliefs, and see whether they are really of substance and base, or whether they are in fact myths created in the mind? This takes skill, but it something that needs to be done in time. It was fascinating to hear the u21s talk about the BIG Bulls team that they had to encounter and how this could be a problem. The fact was though, that WP were actually 45kg heavier as a side! It is also important to accept the strengths of another side, place them aside mentally, and focus on your own ‘winning way’.
Of course there is no full proof way to beating the Bulls at Loftus, as they are a top outfit, but my question is, are other teams giving themselves a chance, mentally, to actually win the game?

Well done again to the WP boys, it was great to see!

Who is accountable?

In the wake of the ‘performance review’ undertaken by SARU of the incumbent Bok coach, it brought to mind some thoughts as to who exactly is accountable for poor results. The natural inclination is always to blame the coach when things go awry, and that may often be justified, but sometimes I feel we are too quick to jump to conclusions.

I have just seen a headline on a rugby site, stating that players need to control the controllables, and the main controllable is their fitness. As a mental coach I always preach the need to control what you can and accept the things you cannot. However at what stage does a player’s fitness become his job, and at what stage does the responsibility rest with the conditioning coach, or the physio or the biokineticist or his Pilates instructor or personal trainer or indeed the Head coach? At what stage does a player’s skill levels become his responsibility, and when does it rest with the skills coach, the head coach, the coach he had at school etc? Surely, as professional or semi-professional players trying to make it to the top of their game, the accountability of peaking in their performance should rest with them? When players may be battling mentally, I find it is very rare for them to seek out help from a mental coach or psychologist without being prompted by their union, club or school. My underlying point is that although the head coach is indeed in charge of his team and accountable for his results, at some stage accountability needs to rest on the players themselves, and to examine whether they, in line with their job descriptions and performance areas, are meeting their requirements and more importantly doing all they can themselves to meet them.

The second area of accountability, and one that I believe is extremely relevant now, is that of the administrators. In my opinion, sport administration is simply political and removed from true performance evaluation. In the corporate world, recruitment is seen as massively importance, with the hunt for scarce skills and top talent being a vital ingredient of organisational performance. Should the recruitment be poor, the performance will suffer, and major questions will be asked of the recruiters. Now we sit with an obvious skills gap within the Bok coaching structures, and all the blame is pointed at the coaches themselves, whilst the administrators sit ‘giving their full support’ and ‘conducting the due processes’. How often do we see coaches being selected at all levels that are just not up to the job, then when they fail, as they inevitably were going to do, the fingers are all pointed at them, and not the recruiters. When selecting coaches, all sorts of areas need to be examined within their skills range. I have written an article before highlighting what a complete coach should look like in fact. My belief is that often administrators either recruit poorly or support poorly (WP officials complaining about young talent at a time when WP are finally doing well) and thus the coach ends up looking worse than he should do due to poor administration.

I fully agree with performance reviews, and people needing to be accountable when things go wrong, but I would like to challenge who truly is accountable for what in the world of sport. And therefore when things become cut-throat as they often do, the correct people’s reputation suffers, and the correct people carry the can.