What does “Learn to Win” mean?
Learning to win implies that winning is a skill. Which it is, and unfortunately means you can also learn to lose. There are many competitors that are born with the drive to compete and win, while the others have to find processes in order to find their competitive nature. “Winners” think, act, and talk a certain way and the same goes for “losers.” Let’s dive into some of the different topics that you will need to understand. Learning to Win means you have to learn to love competing and enjoy the pressures that come along with it. A great question to ask yourself is: Does competition and stress make you 20% better or 20% worse?
Pressure is a powerful motivator and driving force for improvement in competitive situations. Everything we do in sports is designed to create moments to shine. It’s the moments where we can show our best selves. Embracing and seeking out these challenging opportunities can lead to tremendous growth and success. When it comes to embracing pressure we really need to understand two easy ideas. When the moment comes – Will you overcome the moment or will the moment overcome you? It really could be a physical or mental question as well! Putting yourself through hard training and tough situations in practice will undoubtedly aid in your ability to handle competition. It’s important that you design your training to be tougher than any competition can throw at you so that you can just go play.
Loving to compete is an irreplaceable characteristic of a competitor. Killer instincts and the will to win, combined with determination and perseverance, drive athletes to constantly strive for excellence. This inner fire and drive are what sets true competitors apart from the rest of the pack, and makes them unstoppable on the court. These types of competitors, that love war, send a presence and aura out to the court before you play them. Often times resulting in opponents giving in to them before the coin toss. Winning before you play is a gift that you have to earn through consistent battling. That consistency is driven by the love of competition, and it is this love that propels them to greatness.
During competition, managing stress levels on the court is crucial for athletes. Establishing rituals and routines can help athletes cope with the pressure they may encounter during matches and tournaments. It’s important to distinguish between stress and pressure – stress is feeling overwhelmed and unprepared for pressure competition brings, while competitive pressure can be a motivating force when properly managed. The pressure makes diamonds mentality that many competitors live for! We have all heard the term “Rise to the occasion.” First and foremost this means you have played yourself into an occasion that is worthy of your best. That should be exciting and exactly what you train for. Why else would you put in the long hours and hard training? It’s to turn stress into a competitive advantage and have the ability to play free during competition.
When it comes to a successful career, it is important to understand that failure is just as crucial as success. Losing, if done in the right way, can bring valuable lessons and insights that can drive improvement and personal growth. Trusting your abilities and continuously honing your skills through proper training is key to becoming a top-performing athlete. However, this means accepting that failure and mistakes are a natural part of the learning process. It may require many failed attempts before achieving success, but that is what all players have to go through before tasting the success they want.
Positive self-talk and talking yourself into doing well is not normal. Your mind is a magnet for negativity. Creating a language surrounding success, whether it’s internal self-talk or external from your coaches or teammates, is very important to your overall mental health. Human minds are wired for survival. Because of this we know that pushing ourselves through tough situations and hard conditions is against our nature. The best athletes and teams in the world have systems in place that help them develop the skills to be more positive, train with intention and purpose, and create an environment that promotes growth and development.
“Vamos!!!” – Rafa
The Killer Instinct
Having a killer instinct is a gift that sets great athletes apart from the rest. This drive to absolutely destroy their opponents is ingrained in their DNA and is something that can’t be taught. It’s a primal instinct that fuels their performances and propels them to victory time and time again. Whether they are silent killers, confidently and quietly killing, or boisterous ones, making their presence known on the court, one thing remains true – they are a force to be reckoned with. They possess an unwavering belief in their abilities, a relentless work ethic, and a unwavering focus on their ultimate goal. The following are just some of the major characteristics of players with a killer instinct:
- Relentless pursuit of winning and creating opportunities to do so
- Never settle for anything less than the outcome they are aiming for
- A psychological need to dominate
- Absolute disdain for losing
- Consistently training to prepare for battle. Nothing left to chance. Nothing stopping them from success.
5 Types of Positive Pressure on the Court
Competitive pressure is the pressure that players apply to constantly strive for victory in the face of tough opposition. It is the drive and determination that motivates them to never give up, even when they are down in a match. This unwavering intensity and belief in their abilities leads them to always assume they can come back and emerge victorious. This pressure is what separates average players from elite athletes, and drives them to push themselves to the limit in pursuit of success. Applying competitive pressure makes your opponent feel stress, and in doing so gives you a great chance at coming back or closing someone out with killer instinct.
Situational Pressure is moments in a match that feel more important or have a higher consequence if they don’t go our way. For example, 1-1 in the first set does not have the same weight as 6-5 in the first set. There has been a rise in 10 point breakers and No-Ad scoring as well, which by design raises the severity of each point. Handling situational pressure with confidence and rising to those occasions is very important. Managing your stress, believing in yourself, and then executing with confidence is the pinnacle of our sport.
Tactical Pressure is the pressure that you apply to your opponent that breaks down their weaknesses. Applying this type of pressure requires strategic planning and adaptation during a match. It’s essential to have a well-thought-out plan before a match, but it’s also crucial to be able to adjust your strategy in real-time, as you identify your opponent’s vulnerabilities. Tactical pressure, when executed relentlessly, can put significant stress on your opponent. With a focused effort on targeting and exploiting your opponent’s weaknesses, you can effectively apply tactical pressure and increase your chances of success.
Score Pressure is when you are ahead in the score and you need to play accordingly. This means that when you are up, your game and effort should mirror the same confidence of being ahead. Offense, Attacking, Aggression, and showing that killer instinct when you’re up. This could be as simple as playing more aggressively at 30-0 or playing a more aggressive in general at 5-2. When you play fearlessly in the present it’s very hard for opponents to manage.
Positional Pressure is a strategical type of pressure. It’s your ability to advance in the court and force oppenents to come up with shots. When players feel stress, one thing they want is “time” and when you give them less time and apply that positional pressure, it can make them feel very uncomfortable and rushed. Step up on second serves and show them you’re about to attack, serve and volley, take the first short ball and go to the net. Anything to show them that you are going to be in their face and not give them the benefit of time or comfortable space.
SIMPLE WAYS TO WIN
1) Create space – hit to space
2) Dominate the middle
3) Get it out of their strike zone, find yours
4) Play to their weaknesses
5) Use your strengths
6) Play with positional awareness
7) Conserve your energy – Expend theirs
Although it can be very simple in theory, application can get tough. Performing at a higher level and learning to win more often requires you to really start consolidating all of your knowledge and training. This includes managing matches correctly, brain performance, and recovery routines. Start with this list and go from there.
