The Only Two Ways For Athletes to Push Past Fear and Break Limitations
There is much to say about how athletes push past fear to break through their limiting beliefs. However, today I’m just going to break it down to its simplest form. There are truly only two methods to help an athlete push past fear.
Method #1 to Push Past Fear: Sink or Swim
We all are familiar with the sink or swim method. This method is what a YMCA swim instructor attempted on me back in the 80s. This lady with good intentions I’m sure, basically pushed me in the deep end of the pool and told me to swim. I couldn’t so I sank. She fished me out of the pool with a pole, and I didn’t try swimming again for 2 years.
Looking back, all I can assume is that this method worked for other kids and that’s why she tried it on me. So although I’m not an big advocate of this method, forcing an athlete to sink or swim may have a place in their development.
If an athlete is afraid, force them to face that fear without giving them a choice. This could eliminate that fear immediately or scar them for life. This is unquestionably a significant trade-off. However, if the risk of scarring is not a big deal in the bigger picture, forcing an athlete to sink or swim may be worth it as a time saver.
For example, this method did work for me during my first high school football two-a-day conditioning practice as a freshman. Instead of practicing with the freshman, the coach called me up on the first day to practice with the varsity. I had no idea what I was getting into. By the time the afternoon session was over, I threw up in practice multiple times. Yet, I survived and got the benefit of staying with the varsity group and getting invaluable experience.
Method #2 to Push Past Fear: Boil the Frog with a Process
Helping athletes push past fear with a process that includes small goals allows for more frequent wins. When athletes reach these small goals, it keeps them motivated. When the athlete stays motivated, this helps them keep pushing towards achieving more goals. This process creates a slow and steady approach to facing fear and defeating limiting beliefs.
This method is basically just like boiling a frog. Except in this case what is being boiled is fear instead of the frog.
A great example of this is how most youth coaches approach teaching beginner wrestlers. Instead of throwing the new wrestler out to the wolves, there is a slow and steady process. Coaches teach basic moves and then have the wrestler compete in tournaments just with other beginners. This process is repeated until the wrestler is proficient and confident to attend an open tournament with experienced wrestlers. This could take a few months for some or a few years for others.
When using this method you must concede that time is not the important factor. Instead, progression and developing confidence are the only two metrics that matter.