A09. Things you can't control

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It is said that for an athlete to be successful, it is essential that they control what they can control and let go of everything else (Udelf D. Psychology Today. Posted 2024).

Things that are uncontrollable include, for example, weather conditions, opponents, teammates, refereeing decisions, injuries, past events, automatic thoughts, and injuries.

In outdoor sports, you cannot control weather conditions such as strong winds or light rain, which may hinder your performance. You cannot change the weather conditions even if you don't want to play against a strong opponent , and you cannot control the performance level of the opponent. You cannot control the condition of your teammates , and you cannot control the referee's decision . Injuries can occur even if you try to prevent them in various ways. You cannot change the past, such as mistakes you made in the past or during a game. Furthermore, you cannot control the automatic thoughts that come to mind in response to a certain event.

What happens if you become obsessed with these things you can't control ? You become irritated, angry, depressed, and emotionally unstable . You also become obsessed with things you can't do anything about, and start thinking about them all the time, which causes a lot of stress. These things have a big impact on your motivation and concentration during practice and games , and reduce your performance. This decrease in performance then creates regret, which further reduces your motivation and amplifies your anger, creating a vicious cycle.

Therefore, it is said that it is important for athletes to let go of things they cannot control . However, letting go is difficult. How should we handle things we cannot control?

　Make good use of stress management techniques, change the way you perceive things, and use mindfulness and switching techniquesp. Goal setting is also important. It is also important to work on things you can control. What athletes can control are "action, concentration, and effort" ( ACE). Let's work on it in an innovative way to improve our performance.

Long-distance marathon runner Osako Suguru said, " Of course I want a medal, but this is something that I have to compete against , so I'll compare my time with the other athletes. Rather than thinking about the results, I want to give 100% of my strength as much as possible in preparation for the competition, and then give 100% on the day. If I can give 100% as a result, no matter what place I come in, it's meaningful to me to be able to do that. I'm not selfless, but I'm kind of resigned. I think it's important to give up on trying to get a medal in a good way." Rather than aiming to win a medal, which I cannot control, he aims to perform well by setting the goal of "giving 100% of my strength," which I can control . (SportsPicks 2020/5/29 [Osako Suguru] Face and understand your own "reality")