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Year after year as sport fans we see teams/players in the playoffs or championship of their sport trying too hard. Initially it seems like an unlikely thing to do, how could an athlete try too hard? Don’t we expect our favorite athletes to give it everything they have. Of course we do, but it’s not that simple. There is a difference between trying too hard and giving 100% of their effort.

Think back to the 2007 NLDS playoff series this year between the Colorado Rockies and the Philadelphia Phillies. As soon as the Phillies fell behind to the Rockies you could see the players trying to hit almost every ball out of the ballpark and pitch every ball perfectly. They strayed from their “let loose” approach that got them into the playoffs and instead panicked. Meanwhile, the Rockies were just playing baseball without trying to do something different. The Rockies players were never seen trying to do more than they had to.

Another example in baseball is game 4 of the 2007 ALCS between the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Red Sox. The Indians had a lead of 2-1 in the series so in game 4 they played loose, took chances and never pressed despite being shutdown in the first four innings. On the other side the Red Sox played like a frustrated and flat team. Consistently batters were swinging too hard, changing their approach or simply not performing. Yes, Cleveland’s pitching staff has done well but by trying to do too much and play a different way than normal the Red Sox continue to struggle in this series. It is easy to argue that getting a lead early helps but the Indians lost the first game badly behind their ace pitcher and did not change their approach in game 2, showing that they had confidence in their abilities.

The simple lesson is that when you find yourself in a tough situation try to stay calm and focus on doing what you normally do. That is what got you there in the first place. So make sure you have clear and consistent routines and your strategy is planned out ahead of time because no matter what sport you play you never want to be caught trying too hard.

For more information about mental performance as well as overall athletic performance enhancement check out our websites. The links are on the left of the page.

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