As mere mortals, we frequently generally tend to imagine that medal successful athletes have all of it found out and that, in some way, the fame and fortune and the adulation of the group makes them full. Matt Anderson, who’s an Olympic bronze medal volleyball participant and thought of to be the most effective on this planet at his craft is aware of that this isn’t at all times the case, and is right here to inform you that everybody can undergo self-doubt, melancholy, and nervousness even when issues are wanting tremendous and dandy to these on the surface.
M&F sat down with Matt Anderson for a frank and courageous dialogue concerning the psychological challenges that he’s confronted in his stellar profession, and we got here away with some useful ideas for the way anybody, at any stage of sport, can be taught the identical classes that he has.
Matt Anderson is on the lads’s indoor volleyball squad for Team USA. He’s a three-time Olympian and took dwelling a bronze medal on the 2016 video games in Rio de Janeiro. Before that, Anderson was a 2015 World Cup winner, and he’s additionally loved victory in a number of CEV Championship League finals all through his profession.
Success got here comparatively rapidly for Anderson, who was scouted for the lads’s U.S. nationwide workforce throughout his time at West Seneca West Senior High School in upstate New York. He skilled laborious, and by the point he reached his second yr, Matt Anderson had picked up an expert provide and signed a contract with the Hyundai Capital Skywalkers within the Korean League. What adopted was a whirlwind of intense play and journey. Not solely did he dwell in South Korea, however he additionally hung out taking part in in Italy earlier than volleying the ball over in Russia.
It all sounds just like the profession of an athlete that has the world at his ft and, for probably the most half, that’s true, however similar to the remainder of us; detrimental ideas can threaten the probabilities of us reaching our full potential. Having moved to Russia, the place his membership received a bronze medal in that international locations Championship, he was additionally named MVP within the Russian League, however, with all of that success, 2014 proved to be a tough yr as Matt Anderson felt on the time that he had underperformed. This can be the yr that the participant wanted to placed on the brakes for the sake of his psychological state.
“I felt a lot of pressure really residing on me,” says Anderson. “I was really the all-star of the team and arguably playing my best volleyball at the time, too,” he says with the good thing about hindsight. But the back-to-back competitions and the fixed journey ever since first beginning out with Team USA in 2009 had lastly taken its toll. “I would go to the gym, and I would just think about home,” he remembers.
Then, when Anderson lastly did get dwelling, he admits that he grew to become ashamed of himself as a result of he felt like he hadn’t given his all on the court docket. These damaging emotions, coupled with the truth that he was nonetheless making an attempt to course of the dying of his father in 2010, meant that the participant had lots to unpack, and wanted a while and area to lastly do the work for his personal wellbeing’s sake.
Fortunately, after a number of weeks of digging deep inside himself, Anderson was again on the court docket earlier than the top of the identical yr that he’d left, in 2014, and though he’s nonetheless engaged on his psychological well being to this present day, the favored participant is again to his medal successful finest. Here are three essential ideas that assist Anderson to constantly maintain his head within the recreation:
1. Making Mistakes Is Part Of The Process
An skilled athlete should come to phrases with the errors and laborious realities of defeat however thankfully, these negatives might be became positives. “Even at the highest of my accolades as a player, I still struggle with confidence,” shares Anderson. “I think that’s part of the perfectionist mindset that I have, and I’m always focusing on what I did wrong versus what I did right.” The Olympian says that being a profitable volleyball participant offers him confidence when getting into a room so when issues don’t go nicely on the court docket, he takes it laborious and it impacts his very id as an individual. But he’s additionally realized methods to cope with sporting losses. Anderson says that with each loss comes knowledge and an opportunity to pause, mirror, and glean details about the place issues went improper, so that he doesn’t make the identical errors once more.
2. Stay Consistent By Embracing Change
Athletes discuss incessantly about protecting their coaching constant, and this implies sticking to an iron clad routine, however irrespective of who we’re, getting older will deliver change. Now aged 36, and with a spouse and two youngsters (aged 3 and 1), Anderson is aware of that his days can now not revolve round simply his personal wants. As a consequence, he’s tailored his schedule to get probably the most that he can from each sports activities and household.
Now coaching for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Anderson, and different members of his workforce with the identical obligations, are being supported by their coaches to fulfill a number of time calls for. This permits gamers to assault coaching with the extreme power and motivation required to carry out on the highest stage with out feeling underneath strain to offer extra time to their households.
“Our coaching staff was onboard with giving us one big training (session each day) so that the guys who do have families can be with them,” shares Anderson. This is a break from custom, the place gamers would beforehand have accomplished two coaching periods per day.
Now, the champion volleyballer has his head nicely and actually within the recreation due to the tradition of embracing change, and remains to be placing in 100% of the work required. Anderson explains to M&F that he’s on the court docket for round 9am, however earlier than that he hits the fitness center at 7.30 a.m. to offer himself a extremely good warmup, going by way of any stretching and mobility work which may be required to organize him for the day. He leaves the court docket at round 12pm however hits the fitness center as soon as once more for a minimum of an extra hour with the intention to carry weights. Embracing change is an effective way to forge lifelike routines that may be adhered to in the long run. “I also try to sneak in some date nights with my wife from time to time,” says the balanced athlete.
3. Don’t Overthink (Protect Your Circle)
As a perfectionist and an overthinker, Anderson, similar to many people, might be the sufferer of overthinking. When we fail to simply “go for it” our fixed questioning of ourselves can result in micro-adjustments that derail our efficiency. This is one thing that Anderson has struggled with previously, and has a method that will are available in helpful as taught to him by the late, nice, sports activities psychologist, Dr. Ken Ravizza.
“He talked a lot with (mental) pictures,” shares Anderson, who says that Ravizza spoke of the sector of play as a circle and that overthinking creates a distracting mound inside the circle. Anderson goes on to elucidate that with this psychological train, you possibly can embrace overthinking at any time when you’re exterior of the circle, however as soon as inside it you should go away these pointless ideas on the surface, the place they belong. “Don’t bring your s**t into the circle,” Ravizza informed Anderson. It was a light-weight hearted approach of constructing an essential level and it nonetheless massively helps the participant to this present day. Perhaps the following pointers could possibly be useful to you too.