The Confidence Coach's Sports Psychology Articles
On The Couch With Dr. Martin - 442's Sports Psychology Expert
The Confidence Coach's monthly Sports Psychology Article in 442 magazine. This article was written after Darlington manager, Dave Penney, raised concerns over his teams lack of leadership, in the Division Two promotion run-in.
Darlington - The Quiet Suppression
'In any promotion battle, one thing that managers crave for their team is experience. They need players who have been there and done it; players who are not phased by pressure; players who can set the example for the rest to follow. They need leaders.
Up until a month ago, Darlington seemed on track for automatic promotion. But, after a poor sequence of results, it looks as if the play-offs will offer The Quakers their best hope of a visit to League One.
Darlington manager Dave Penney is quick to point out one of the key reasons for his team’s blip. ‘I thought that I had enough leaders and characters in there, but, right now, we haven't. It's a quiet changing room. There's pressure to succeed and they've got to thrive on this. There are not enough players in our squad who have had promotion. Some players have had long careers and not enjoyed promotion’.
So what can Dave Penney do to resolve his difficulty? The first issue is to understand why the dressing room has gone quiet. This may be because there is too much expectancy in the air. The level of anticipation in the town increases with each passing victory.
However unrealistic, the fans grow from hope to certainty without much in between. At the same time, local media force feed the always hungry tiger. And so players will feel the pressure of not wanting to let themselves, and others, down. Pressure and expectancy builds inexorably until it hangs like a cloud of Quiet Suppression [QS] over them.
Meanwhile, each minor setback in the promotion battle increases a sense of potential failure. And this, like a self-fulfilling prophecy, makes players start to become introspective; so some will recall other seasons when burgeoning hopes were dashed on the rocks of uncertainty.
Now, the good manager will recognise the problem and will discuss the issues with the players. What are they frightened of? Why are they letting the fear get to them? The players may never have achieved a promotion, but they must have won cups and leagues with other clubs. Even at schoolboy level. What did they do to overcome the pressure then? Perhaps they have coping strategies which they can share.
Some may have never learned to cope. One need look no further than Arsenal captain, William Gallas, who has a wealth of experience at the highest level but could not cope with the burden of failure against Birmingham City and embarrassed himself in the process. The kind of pressure he imposed on himself was too much for him to bear.
Next, Dave Penney and the players would be wise to look back at their season. They could analyse all the things that they have done well. They could point to the times they overcame adversity. They could replay the magic moments from the season? They could identify where they have shown mental strength. This will resurrect the feelings of confidence that comes from past success.
Also, they could discuss why they actually want to get promoted; for some it might feel a step too far, but if they have confidence in those around them they won‘t feel afraid to express their qualms. Importantly, they need to discover what it would mean to them individually, and collectively? How have their families and friends reacted to the possibility? They could invite some fans into the dressing room to tell of their hopes for the team. All this to raise the emotional bar and to release inhibition, and to get the players communicating in a positive way.
When the players start talking, begin to bring things into the open, the Quiet Suppression [QS] begins to dissipate, fears are allayed and confidence rebuilt. This time of the season is the true test of a team's mental strength. As a manager, you cannot simply hope that your team have it. You have to know they have it. Dave Penney's job right now, is to build that sense of certainty.
Martin Perry: Confidence Coaching & Sports Psychology - 0044 (0) 77897 56425
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