The Sports
Psychology Blog
Today's Sports Psychology blog is a response to an email received from Ireland. It concerns the challenges facing amateur players in the GAA (Hurling and Gaelic Football), playing in front of crowds that sometimes, at Croke Park in Dublin, number 80,000. How best can a player focus in the face of such daunting crowds? It's a classic sports psychology dilemma.
GAA: The Croke Park Effect - Blessing Or Curse
So, imagine you were a Laois player, involved in the Leinster Cup Final this weekend. An amateur player facing a crowd of 80,000. What is the mentality that a player needs to have to thrive in this intimidating, big-match atmosphere. And more importantly, how would they build that focus and mentality?
It would be easy to get overwhelmed by the atmosphere and occasion and play within yourself. Scared to make a mistake. Unable to try anything different. Scared of failure.
However, there are a number of attitudes than can be
developed to help in this kind of situation: If it's a hostile
crowd - the more hostile the better. Anger...hate...bile...it's perfect
for focus. Your mission - to shut them up. They hate you. They want
you to lose. They want you to screw up. This should naturally trigger
Defiance. Defiance that says - I'm not having that.
Remember Scotland v. England at Murrayfield in 1990, when David Sole
was Scottish captain...he led the Scots out at a walking pace...yet
loaded with a simmering defiance that let England know they were in
for an afternoon of 'in your face' intensity. It was compelling
to watch.
Defiance is a cold state of mind...it absorbs the fear
and channels it into a quiet resistance, that is born from
what you simply will not have or be subject to. It's not emotional.
It's like a good night club bouncer. One look tells you all you need
to know. You will not have your values inveigled by this enemy.
Also take into account what the opposition are feeling...the pressure
to perform...to handle the demands of a big crowd...how nervous
are they...how much fear are they feeling?
Another good strategy for playing away, is The Familiarisation Strategy. This strategy is designed to take all the strangeness out of the occasion. Michael Jordan, whenever he played away from Chicago, would be very thorough in his preparations. He would introduce himself to all the staff at the away venue...say hello..catch a name...he would walk out onto the empty arena, well before the start of the game and sit in a seat off court...familiarising himself...the ads...the colours...the feel of the court...until nothing felt strange. Until his mind was settled. He was at home.
Martina Navratilova, the night before her many Wimbledon ladies titles, would sit all by herself on Centre Court. Late at night. The court...the moonlight...the history of Wimbledon. Soaking in the atmosphere. She would quietly reflect on it. Her part in the story. It all made perfect emotional sense for her.
An away team, can increase familiarisation by, say, an hour before kick-off, taking their positions on the pitch. Stand in formation and visualize the surroundings. So when the game begins, nothing looks strange. This will reduce the amount of nervous energy generated, and increase focus on the job in hand.
Another way to build focus, is after every training session to measure the levels of focus...measure it out of ten..individually and collectively...build on focus all the time...discover what small distractions impact on focus...aim to put that right the next practise session. Build the focus muscle. Watch videos of the worlds most focused sports professionals e.g. Tiger Woods... look at the mindset...the look in the eye...the walk...the concentration...Become Focus Experts.
All of this will prepare an amateur player for thriving in a crowd of 80,000. Bring it on!
