Compete with instincts. And, at times, compete with your intellect. Engage your intellect to think about things intentionally. Engage your instincts to trust yourself and play freely. But, most of all, don’t get in your way. Find a balance that works for you.
A Place for Both
Great athletes are both instinctual and intellectual. What this means is that they play by instincts. They don’t overthink. Their brains and bodies are trained to compete to the best of their abilities. They trust that and roll with it.
However, they also use their intellect when necessary – when they need to make adjustments, analyze feedback, and set goals. Their intellect is typically engaged outside of competition time. These are in preparatory periods (e.g., off-season, timeouts, halftimes, practices, meetings, etc.). Yes, an athlete might be intellectual during games, but the majority of their playing ability comes from their instincts. And during preparatory periods, their instincts are informed by their intellects.
The intellect might help correct faulty instincts. The intellect might help pull a player out of distraction and guard them from being impulsive or reckless. Athlete must have both. There are players that are all instinct and could use a healthy dose of engaging their intellect. And there are players who overthink and overtrain, and they could use a healthy dose of trusting their instincts.
Put simply, some players should think less and some should think more.
Examples
This could look like a basketball player shooting a free throw in the final seconds of a tied game. They worry about missing it and letting their team down. They begin to think through each step: elbow in, shooting pocket, roll off the fingertips, hold the follow-through. With each thought, their shot becomes less rhythmic and more robotic. It loses its flow and automaticity. The shot is missed, and the player’s worry becomes real.
This player engaged their intellect when they should’ve engaged their instincts. They should’ve trusted themselves.
The message here is: get the mind out of the way of the body and what it knows how to do. Let it be and trust it.
This could also look like a volleyball player struggling to hit the ball because the other team is double-blocking and shutting down their go-to shots. The player gets angry. They try harder to swing through the block. And when it fails, and the other players talk trash through the net, they get even more heated. Their instincts push them to try and prove that they are better and can get a point by swinging harder.
This player is dysregulated and can’t fully trust their instincts. They need to take a step back and engage their intellect. This would help them listen to their coach, make adjustments, and not take things too personally.
The message here is to take a step back sometimes. Reflect and make adjustments when necessary.
In sports and life, we want to be both instinctual and intellectual. There will be moments when we should trust our instincts and let our bodies and brains operate automatically. There will be other moments when we want to think more intentionally about our decisions and create goals to help us perform better.
