Hello, and welcome back to Brain in the Game. Brain in the Game is a podcast that's been specifically designed for athletes, coaches, and parents who are out there looking to do this sport just that little bit smarter. Brain in the Game is like a treat you give yourself just before bed. And I'm your host, Dave Diggle.
In this episode 68, we're going to look at an issue that so many athletes are faced with when they're looking to make into a national team or a selective team. Do I fit into their mould, or do I create my own? Now, this is a common issue and a common discussion I have with so many athletes and so many sporting spheres. And it doesn't have to be a team oriented sport. It can be as an individual trying to appease a coach or a selection committee or a national team selection committee. So that question, do I fit into their mould or do I be myself? Is such a critical one for an athlete, especially a tipping point of making it into a team or not. Now, the scenario here is, as I say, very common. And you may have been through this process yourself, and the outcome may have worked for you or may not have worked for you, but let me explain to you how we can optimise this.
I'm going to start by giving you a couple of examples of clients I've worked with over the years that have been down this path. One of them where it worked for them and one ran against them. Now, I had a client who came to me about five years ago, and he was incredibly frustrated. He was at that tipping point of being selected to play for his country. Yet every time the selection process was complete, he was one or two or three points short of making it into the team. And it got to the point where he was deciding, do I stay within this sport or do I give it away? He turned up on my door and just before our first strategy session, and I said to him, right, what have you done thus far to be selected and be the best athlete that you can be? And he's gone. Dave, I know exactly what those selectors are looking for. I've studied them. I ask questions of other people, and I then go out and I change what I do so that I can fit and be selected. And I said, okay. How's that? Working?
And he goes, I don't know. I don't get it. I do all the things that I think they want, and I go and perform the way that I think they want me to perform. And they look over me. They don't select me. They turn around and say to me, oh, well, you've improved or you've done this, but it's never been enough. And I said to them, what if it's not necessarily the quality of what you do, but the specificity of what you do. If you're going in there and you're looking at what you think they need, number one, do you really know what they need? Number two, how specific are you being and how relevant to the time that you're playing? And he goes, I don't really understand. I said, well, if you're one guessing what you think that selection team are looking for, then that's just your assumption. That's just you're assuming that, you know, number two is, okay, how specific are you being? Are you generalising or you're saying they need skill sets x, Y, and Z, and that's what I'm delivering. And three, how relevant is it at that time? So by the time you've assumed you know.
What they're looking for. Gone back. Changed the way that you're preparing. Changed your objectives for that game and your strategy for that game. And you delivered that. Are they still looking for the same thing. Or have they moved past that. Made a selection in their brain of. Okay. That's a person to fit that box. Let's move on to the next one? And he said, I never thought of it like that. So for him, that strategy of chasing down what he thought the selectors wanted just did not work for him. We did change a few things, and he's now playing for his country, but we'll get to that. The second example I want to give you is another guy in a different sport who did it a little bit differently. He had an idea that what his skill set was was already well catered for within the team dynamic. His position, his unique skill sets were already being attended to by longstanding members of a team. So the strategy that we had was, how do we get you into the team? And then gravitate you to take over the position that you're naturally more suited to?
So we had a bit of a longer term plan, and we looked at what does the team need, what are the key areas that they're currently flourishing in, and what are the areas that they're struggling in? And we addressed some of those struggled areas with this client, and he got selected once he was in the team, our strategy changed, and it changed from just getting into the team to how do we get the position that we want? And over a couple of sessions, we built a very robust process that allowed him to, one, get in two, to manoeuvre to a position that better suited him. So for him, it was a more calculated process. It was a longer process in the concept of it wasn't just about getting into the team. There was a manoeuvre within the team. However, it gave him the outcome that he was after. So we know that being able to adjust and adapt can work, but I think we need to be very strategic about it. So why is it just becoming this chameleon and being what you think that team wants? Why is that an issue? Why doesn't it work?
So there's a couple of things here. The most obvious drawback is you don't know specifically what they're looking for. You can make assumptions, you can listen to communication and have a guess. They can even tell you, we're looking for this. But the reality is we don't know that's exactly what they are looking for, or that's what they're telling you they're looking for. So the reality is we don't know. We don't know what to look for, to be aware of, and to be able to build our strategy to dovetail into that and be optimally selectable. So that's number one. And that's definitely the issue. The first client I described to you as having, he thought he knew. He was convinced he knew what they were looking for. He was so incredibly frustrated. His game was suffering. His ability to play the game that he had been playing for all his life dropped off because his focus was on meeting their needs, not doing what he does. The next one is, even if you do work out what they're looking for, you're constantly playing catch up, you're constantly playing, okay, that's what they want. I now need to adjust and alter what I do in preparation to be that, because it's not normally who you are.
The likelihood of you working out specifically what those selectors are looking for and then go, that's a perfect fit to me, then we wouldn't be having this conversation. But the reality is, there's always going to be some adjustment if you change what you do to suit or potentially suit a selector's criteria. So that means all your preparation, all your skill acquisition or your planning is last minute. And it will never really be about you. And it's always in the now you're reactionary, you're reacting to what you think they want. This increases pressure both internally for you to be ready, and externally you think, okay, what are they looking for? What are my coaches seeing? What are my parents seeing? What about my fan base? What are they seeing? If I'm constantly changing all over the place and never really been selected because I'm always one or two steps behind. So that pressure increases both internally and externally for you to produce, which, again, we've heard in previous podcasts, that never really works. When you're looking to be the optimal you as a performer, your true uniqueness, your flare your skill sets are going to be unlikely utilised because you're going to have to adapt and be something that potentially doesn't highlight those things that make you shine.
So the reality of you stepping up and being the best you is again inhibited because you're not maximising on you. You're being, as I say, that chameleon and fitting in and covering gaps with the second athlete. I explained to you that can be a strategy to get you over the line and get you in the team. As long as you've got a bigger plan or if your goal is just to get in the team, then that could very well suit what you're trying to do. But it won't allow you to grow and thrive in that position. And I don't know too many elite athletes who are happy just to be there. So in reality, you're never ever going to be you when you're trying to be that chameleon. And there are a couple of the key issues why trying to chase down what you think other people want in a performer is never really going to allow you to be the best you. Now let me just put a caveat in here. I'm not saying that you're not adaptive. I'm not saying that you don't change or grow or improve skill sets in order to better utilise the position within a team.
What I'm trying to say is we don't change who we are in order just to fit a new piece of the puzzle. So what do we do about it? How do we fix this? What are the main areas we need to focus on? We need to have a robust, personalised and strategic plan to optimise you, whether that's growing skill sets so that your skill set speaks for itself. Or like my second client, you have this strategic plan to get in and then manoeuvre so that you can get the opportunity to optimise you. So that having a plan of attack, whether it be optimising straight away or getting in and then optimising, needs to be clear, concise, and precise. It needs to be something that you're comfortable with and it needs to be something that you'll look at and go, I'm happy to follow that and I know where it's going to take me. We want to ensure that our training has the best return on investment by ensuring daily objectives, feed the comp objectives, feed the career objectives, and feed the big end step objective. Everything that we do needs to have a purpose. So when we're going and training, we want to make sure that that framework that we're creating is optimised to get the best out of us.
We want to make sure that when selectors turn up and they see us play our game or they turn up our training and see us training, what they're seeing is the best you and in you in control of that skill set that you own. You're creating a balanced, structured, purposeful driven plan. It needs to be balanced between growth and consistency. I describe this when I'm talking to people. It's like the pedals on a bike. Sometimes on that bicycle, you're pushing with your left foot and you're drawing with your right foot. And then it's time for the right foot to push and the left foot to draw. And it makes a consistent and efficient momentum forwards. The way that we acquire skills and apply skills needs to be the same kind of philosophy. Sometimes you're learning and sometimes you're applying. And then we learn again and we apply again. So having that balanced process allows for consistency and consistent growth. And when a selector is looking at a player to be part of a team, that's what they want. They want somebody who's on an upward trajectory, not somebody who's on a roller coaster or somebody who's constantly chasing, just trying to fit, want to make sure that they see potential in you, not just the now in you.
Because this reduces unnecessary internal and external pressure and allows you to learn, process and grow efficiently. We want to reduce that external expectation where people get to see the you the best you when someone is growing, but internally, you know they've got this plan that you're applying. So we want to consolidate, construct, and implement. This is one of the key phases. I teach all my athletes about upward trajectory, not downward spiralling. Now, upward trajectory needs what I mean by this is we want to consolidate what we know now. All the skill sets, all the action processes, everything that we do need to be consolidated. Then we construct a robust, purposeful and tailored plan, a framework that we're going to follow. Then we implement and we implement what we've just created right away up to an objective that we've set. When we get to that objective, we go through this process again. We consolidate all the things that we've now learned. We add into the pot of all the things that we've learned previously. We then adjust the plan if we need to, and then we apply that plan. And then we follow that cycle again.
So that process allows us to have consistency in growth and makes us way more selectable and it all becomes about us. The objective that we're aiming for may very well be the optimal position within that team. We want to maximise on you and your ability, your skills. We want you to play, not to fill gaps. So that's what we need to do. We want to make sure that the best you is constantly growing with a growth mindset. The athlete that is today is going to be better tomorrow. Because we know the athlete we got today is better than yesterday. Always want to be striving forwards. So let's look at some key strategies in how we do that. Number one is we want to know exactly what you've got to offer you need to know what your unique skill set is. What your unique you is the optimal performer. What does that look like to you? What would that optimal performer be saying? How would their presence be? What would you feel when you stepped up to perform as the optimal you? If you don't have a clear understanding of who that is or what that looks like or how it would perform, then what are you striving towards?
If you don't know, then you're taking pot shots at something that you think other people are going to want. And that might be why you're chasing the selectors rather than chasing the optimal you. Number two, know where you want to go, your objective, your plan, and most importantly, the big why. Why do you want to go there? If your objective is to become the best player on the national team, ask yourself why. Now, it might sound completely obvious and it might not. But if you struggle to articulate why you want it, then you don't understand it clear enough. And if you don't understand it clear enough. We cannot apply that laser focus in getting it. So spend the time to understand it. Be clear, concise, and precise about what it is you're out there to achieve the objectives that you want. Know exactly what that why is. Number three, we want to build a plan. Like I said before, that plan needs to be completely frameworked around you, optimising your efficiencies and looking at the areas where you need to grow. And we get skill acquisition processing in there. So we build the best you.
We want to outline that trajectory, make it so clear and concise that you know when you apply this skill set, you're going to be one step closer to that objective. Understand what you need to do to get what you want. And remember, we've talked about this before. A want is an emotion. It's a drive. And if your end objective is such a huge one to you, it's like a tractor beam dragging you in the right direction. A need is an action that you need to take to get there. What do I need to do? I need to get fitter. I need to get faster or I need to have quicker hands or I need to learn this skill or communicate that better. So a need is an action, something that you need to do to get what you want, and there won't be any emotion. We need to show application, we need to show purpose, and we need to show progress. Like I said earlier, people are very attracted to an athlete who's growing, who's improving, who's constantly surprising, and week after week who goes out there and not only does a consistent performance, but adds to that performance.
So we want to demonstrate that. And again, the only way we can have that consistency in application is having a process to follow. So the clarity of your process, dictates the quality of your outcome. And don't hide what you do. It's what you do that makes you unique. So if one of the things that you do and again, this is a situation I encountered with one of my clients, where she was not allowing her team to see the mental exercises she was doing, so she would go off and hide and do the exercises. So two things happen when that happens. One, people think, what are they doing? Where are they going? What are they up to? And naturally their brain jumps to they're doing something wrong. The other thing is, if you need to hide it, then you don't believe in it. So if you're hiding what you're doing, then you're not giving what you're doing 100% of your input, your focus, your application. Because obviously, if you feel you need to hide it, you feel there's something that's not right about it. So kind of be out there, be open about it and say, right, if I'm going to go and do this exercise, I'm doing it for this purpose, and be okay with that.
Let people see it and believe it and buy into it and see that your results are coming from it. Because the reality is, if you're doing something they're not doing, you're always going to have an advantage. And by telling them that you've got this advantage, you now have two advantages. You have a physical advantage because you have a skill set that they don't have. You also have an emotional vantage because they now know that you're doing something they don't have, so they will feel inferior to what you're doing. So by being out there and being open about what you do, you're actually improving your odds each and every time. We want to make sure that our communication model of our plan and our way with our coaches. With our peers. In. With our parents. And even with the media that will give you a verbal contract with these people if you turn around and say. This is what I'm doing. This is where I'm going. And this is why it's important to me. You've just turned around and given it an increased value. So not only do you know it's more important, the people that you communicated that to now know it's more important, they can also hold you account to that, which is often very good when you're in momentum and you kind of deviate a little bit and go, I can do this now, or I can expand.
We get a bit boisterous and go, yeah, I can do more. Sometimes having that external ratification of going, well, aren't you supposed to be on this plan from your coach or your parents or your peers? Yes, you're right back on that path. I know that path. We've talked about this when we talk about the Ant path and the most efficient path that an Ant will follow. That's why they walk in a line, then something breaks that. And then all we got to do, what's the one or two things I need to do to get around it and get back on my path? So we eliminate a lot of the fluff. When something doesn't work, we can turn around and say, okay, I know this whole plan works. There's a blockage. There's one or two things I can do to get around it, and I'm back on that track. I'm back in the swing of things. So communication is incredibly important and specifically with your coach and your peers, showing them that you have a plan and you have a direction. We also want to make sure that our calibration process allows us to be us.
So if we're adjusting and we're doing that calibration, whether it's our journaling every night, whether it's our communication with our coaches, whether it's I've set this objective for this session, did I achieve it or this week or this month, did I achieve those? Make sure that you're gauging that off what you want, not only off the feedback of others. So if you're looking at your calibration process and you think I'm off target here, this is not necessarily what I've set for me, ask yourself, where did that gauge come from? Is that something that you know, or is it something that somebody's told you? If it's something that somebody's told you, ask yourself the reason. Why did they tell you that? Did they tell it because that's where you should be? Or did they tell you that because that's where they think you should be? And they're very, very different. And this goes back to the communication model with your coach before. If they know specifically the path that you're on and why you're on that path and what you're trying to achieve, then that will allow you to stay on that path and then hold you account for that path.
If there's ambiguity around that, there's not really any boundaries to that, then it's very easy to come off and get dragged into somebody else's belief system. Doesn't matter about somebody's intentions. Every bit of information they give you, they give you that with a little piece of their emotion. It's their buy in. So even coaches are best intentioned. Coaching in the world will give you some advice, but that advice is candy coated in their emotion because they believe in it. They've given you that advice because they think it's the right thing. So therefore the emotion is buying. We need to be able to see that clinically, and we want our coaches to see that clinically, and it also holds account to that. So calibrate often make sure that you know your track and most importantly, you reward when you hit objectives. Now, we've talked a lot about rewards, and they're one of those key things that many athletes struggle intently with because they assume they should be doing the skill rather than recognising what they've done to make that skill occur. When we reward, we increase. We've talked about before, dopamine serotonin, makes you feel good, makes you want to chase it again and do it again.
So having that calibration process and that communication model is important because you can then turn around and share your successes with your peers, with your coaches, your parents. And that's going to drive you forward and make you believe even more in the path that you've chosen is the right path. So we talked about the consolidate, construct, implement process. We want to make sure that that model is constantly adjusted to fit you in part of that three step process, each step has another three steps, and one of those is constant calibration adjustment and application. Each time that you do that, we want to constantly assess, where am I at with this? Adjust if I need to, and then implement. So making sure that upward spiral, that upward growth model is constantly adjusted to make the best you you. And the last one is to make sure that you work with the people there with you. So your teammates, your peers, your coaches, the selectors, work with them as long as you know that everyone is going in the right direction. And it's your direction. Like I said before, be willing to accommodate as long as you've got a plan.
If your plan is just to get in, then drop down. If your plan is to get in and then manoeuvre to where you want to be, then make sure that you're preparing for that. If your plan is to only get in under your optimal year, then be prepared to be patient and focus on achieving the details rather than the emotional recognition. So we got a bit of a plan there. We got a few highlights. Number one is know exactly what you've got to offer. Number two is know where you want to go, your objectives, your plan, and the big buying a big why. Number three was to build your plan, outline your trajectory, and know what you need to do to get what you want. What action steps do I need to take to achieve my goals and my objective? Number four was show application, purpose and progress. Make sure that the people around you are seeing you're constantly growing and moving forwards. Number five was communicate your plan with your coaches, your peers, even as selectors. So if everybody knows the trajectory you're on, they're seeing you grow. That makes you more selectable. Number six was Calibrate.
Make sure that you take the time to make sure the plan is always frameworked for you. Number seven was consolidate, construct, and Implement. So we know that upward motion of growth is a structured, reliable, replicable process. Number eight was to be aware that you have to work with people to get what you want, but make sure you have that plan. So when we go back to the first question which was do I fit into the mould or do I create my own path? I think by now you know what I believe. I believe that you should always be you, be the best you that's going to give you the best opportunities to shine and be the best performer that you know you can be. Adopting the role of the chameleon or filling of gaps will never allow you to shine because you will always be forced into a position that doesn't necessarily give you the opportunity to grow. Be patient, be focused, be purposeful. Make sure that every step you take is designed to make you the best you. I hope this episode has given you something to think about and allowed you to see your selectability and your growth in a way that you have better control over rather than being at the mercy of somebody else's selection process.
And until the next episode, train smart and enjoy the ride. My name's Dave Diggle. And I'm the mind coach.
