Too many times athletes lose sight of the big picture and become distracted. It doesn’t matter if Amy Van Dyken spits in your lane, Martins Dukurs lays down three great skeleton runs before you, or another team seeking home court advantage wins their final game by a large margin, you can only do your best. Keep your eyes on the prize and win. The rest will take care of itself. Don’t become consumed with anger, fear, or doubt; don’t let an imbalance of noradrenaline, adrenaline, adrenocorticotropic, or corticotrophin take you out of your zone. Focus on what simple actions must …
Basketball≠Moneyball?
A friend asked me to comment on this article, which was published by Michael Lewis in the New York Times. It is related to this article, published on by Howard Bryant on ESPN.com. The first article discusses how teams use statistics to assess performances. There are definitely methods to evaluate effectiveness beyond points, rebounds, steals, blocks, and assists. Plus/Minus, Player Efficiency Ratings, Points-Created, and Win-Shares all offer a more balanced approach. Billy Beane decided to eschew batting average in favour of on-base plus slugging percentage and other statistics, which was catalogued in Michael Lewis’ book Moneyball. Given the success that …
French Open 2009
The triumph of Roger Federer’s win is not in the compilation of fourteen Grand Slam titles but his recovery from adversity and the adjustments and evolutions that he has made to his game. Rafael Nadal has displayed phenomenal athleticism and power during his six Grand Slam wins but he has never exhibited the consistency shown by Federer in three areas: Consistency: Federer has always played the entire year and wins during each season. Like Tiger Woods – another blue chip brand name athlete – he wins about half the time. Federer has made every Grand Slam semi-final for the past …
Beat the Opponent, Not the Fans
It’s hard to say that John Tortorella cost the Rangers their season – up to and including Game 4 of the first round he seemed to be the spark that ignited their late season run – but he made several errors during the last three games of the series. It was still up to the Capitals to claim the thin sliver of opportunity that they had been presented, which they did. Early in the series, Tortorella seemed to focus on the officials and Sean Avery instead of New York’s outstanding play and Washington’s insecure goaltending situation. Whilst attempting to inspire …
Instant Replay and the Green Bay Packers
Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer and Run to Daylight by Vince Lombardi helped popularize the sport novel – a famous author partnering with an athlete or coach to bring fans into the locker room – whereas Vince by Michael O’Brien is a regular biography that benefited from popularity of those other works. Lombardi’s report of a week during the regular season is the most succinct and provides the best coaching advise and Kramer’s account presents the viewpoint of a thoughtful player throughout a championship season. On the other hand, O’Brien’s cursory biography does not introduce any new information or anecdotes …
Curling Faux-Pas
On Sunday evening, during the tenth end of the World Championship Final, Kevin Martin threw his first rock away. The match was tied 6-6 and Canada was lying one after David Murdoch’s first shot. Martin was worried about hitting the mess of rocks on the out-turn side of the house and wanted to maintain an in-turn draw for his last shot. Everyone knew Scotland was going to raise one of their rocks with their last shot. They did and Martin missed a double-takeout with his final stone. Never hand the opponent anything; that’s what friendlies and pick-up games are for. …
Superbowl XLIII
Most people would say that Superbowl XLIII was an exciting game and largely well-played. Is that true? How do casual fans evaluate success? Kurt Warner likely performed better than Ben Roethlisberger (112.3 to 92.3 passer ratings) and Larry Fitzgerald likely outplayed Santonio Holmes. Yet the Steelers’ performances will linger in the memories of the masses because they succeeded under pressure and created defining moments. A more arbitrary P.E.R. might have shown that the Cardinals played more consistently. If Arizona assesses their season properly and plugs the right holes, they have many building blocks for future success. Why do teams play …
Extraordinary Events
What is the overall effect of an extraordinary event on a single team? The death of Alexei Cherepanov during a game triggered an eight-game slide for Avangard Omsk in the K. The Superbowl champion New York Giants lost four of their last five games after receiver Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg. Teams can collapse when a key player is suspended or experiences a breakdown on the court. Yet other teams rally together when they experience a critical injury. What is the difference between a positive and a negative outcome in the face of adversity? A lot of a …
Silver and Bronze
During the 2008 Olympics, China has placed a premium on gold medals. To some degree, the philosophy suggests that if the medal isn’t gold it doesn’t matter. Like Johan Bruyneel said in the title of his new book “We Might as Well Win.” Many times, falling just short – pulling up instead of driving for the line, missing the critical foul shot – is an example of a lack of focus. That said, there are other occasions when a podium position is still an example of excellent mental training. During Tuesday’s triathlon, Simon Whitfield had been dropped by the lead …
The Path to Olympic Success
Donovan Bailey said that while athletes participating in the 100m dash share genetics and other physical characteristics, it’s entirely mental when they arrive in the stadium for the final heat. Swimmers and other athletes would be remiss not to take the 1996 Olympic Champion’s advice. Self-confidence, technique, overcoming fear (of success and failure) are among the essential skills possessed by an Olympic Champion. Michael Phelps won eight gold medals in a single Olympics. He is an amazing athlete. But Phelps also performs consistently and never wavers from his game plan. He’d only have six medals if the competition were as …
Wimbledon 2008
Rafael Nadal finally beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon. After five consecutive championships, Roger relinquished the crown in five sets. Even McEnroe finally beat Borg in 1981. Pour toute la gloire du monde… Nadal’s game has the sense of inevitability about it: his athleticism, the longer rallies, Federer’s unforced errors, the sense he gets the ball back (with a lot of power and spin) and the opponent screws up…. Eventualy, it all caught up to Federer. Had he taken advantage of his break points, he would have been in a much better position. But he needs to develop new strategies to …
Choices and the Usual
Choices and consequences are consistently highlighted yet the message – on many levels – often struggles to get through. Recently, athletes have showcased self-evident and senseless decision-making during championship competition. During the Champions League final, Didier Drogba, one of Chelsea’s most skilled strikers, slapped Manchester’s Nemanja Vidić with minutes remaining in added time and metres in front of the referee and received a well-deserved red card. Drogba knew that penalties were imminent but he still chose to strike his opponent rather than the ball. Minus one of their top penalty takers, the Blues lost to United in sudden-death penalties. In …
Sport in Canadian Society
The anthology, Sport in Canadian Society, contains theses about gender, violence, class, and other issues in sport. Although published in 1991, the chapter regarding media remains very salient. The authors believe that broadcasting sporting events can lead to a slippery slope wherein ratings influence telecasts in many ways. For example, a legitimate sport like skiing could be replaced by a dilatory exhibition like arm wrestling on A.B.C.’s Wide World of Sports or commentators might go beyond describing the action and actually create their own storylines. Competing for viewers, the networks distort the competition more and more, in order to create …
People Who Play Sport
When asked about Bill Belichick’s coaching success, analyst Chris Schultz said that New England’s coach understood the difference between football players and people who play football. When asked about Sam Cassell’s potential as a coach, Sam Mitchell said that Los Angeles’ point guard must learn what to do when players don’t see what he sees. Major-General Isaac Brock was appreciated for the charisma he employed while commanding British forces in Upper Canada. Colonel Roger Sheaffe was equally disliked for his aloofness and occasionally cruel management style. The critical trait was to treating the 49th Regiment of Foot as a group …
West Viriginia Will Regret that Game for the Rest of their Lives
West Virginia’s football team lost a gift-wrapped part in the B.C.S. National Championship Game thanks to a loss to Pittsburgh. The No. 2 ranked team was so heavily favoured that the combined score of both teams didn’t equal the spread. The Fiesta Bowl is a big deal but is nothing compared to a championship. What could Mountaineers have done to win the game? Could an extra practiced have been held, an additional weight training session scheduled, or more coaches’ meetings extended? Andre Agassi lost the 1989 French Open final to Andrés Gómez and was haunted by the loss until his …
Education of a Coach
David Halberstam’s Education of a Coach explores the path that Bill Belichick took to reach his position as head coach of the New England Patriots, winners of three Superbowl titles. Influenced by his father, long-time Navy coach Steve Belichick, Bill began breaking down film at a young age — though he never played football professionally or at a major college, he continued to study the game diligently under coaches such as Ted Marchibroda, Ray Perkins, and Bill Parcells. An unsuccessful stint coaching the Cleveland Browns interrupted and delayed a meticulously planned rise to the top of his field. Coaching suggestions …