Being clutch in athletics is sought after by anybody that has ever played at any level! We all know that person that always seems to make the right play or shot in the biggest moments. Some believe that you either have it or you don’t. To some degree this is true but a person doesn’t just wake up one day and become clutch. So, what does it take to be ‘clutch’ and how do YOU get there?
First thing to understand is that being Clutch doesn’t mean that you don’t fail. According to statmuse.com, Kobe Bryant missed 14,481 shots in his career. Through 2011 Kobe was 29 of 71 on game winning shots. Yes, he did hit 29 game winners but he also missed 42. If Kobe had stopped shooting after his first missed game winner, he would not have gone down as one of the greatest ‘Clutch’ basketball players of all time. Understanding that failure isn’t fatal is priority number 1 if you want to become Clutch!
After covering priority number 1, then it comes down to 3 main components: putting in the work, confidence in yourself and an undying belief that you will succeed!
Put in the Work
After accepting that failure isn’t fatal, you’ve got to put in the work. The work that you put in during the off-season is especially important. In season skill development will be very limited with most sports. Off-season development is when you have the ability to completely change your game and your outlook. Rule No. 1 – Never be out worked!
Confidence
One major by-product of putting in the work is self confidence. Becoming a Clutch athlete requires confidence in yourself and your abilities. There is a lot the goes into confidence but much of it can be summed up in our practice, our own self talk and being able to replace our own self doubt in the biggest moments. Ball to Life has previously covered these topics so if you missed them, click the links above.
Undying Belief
You might think that an undying belief in yourself is nothing more than confidence. I think it’s more! Kobe played with a lot of players over the years and they all had confidence. Kobe’s confidence went to a completely different level, it was undying. He always believed that he would make the next shot no matter how many he had missed, the time remaining or the score of the game. In his mind, he wasn’t going to miss! Ever! But yet, he missed 42 game winners through 2011. I’m betting he missed number 43 in 2012.
The undying belief is probably the toughest part of this equation to achieve and perhaps comprehend but it is definitely the most important to becoming Clutch. There isn’t a magic recipe to help you achieve this level of confidence but I believe that it’s a conglomerate of many aspects of personal development. If you’re serious about becoming Mr. Clutch, check out next weeks blog as we go into more detail to help you achieve that undying belief. Until then, keep putting in the work and as always, be you!
BtL
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