The best of the best and underdogs

The difference between players in a competitive setting

There are many cases of players that put in stellar performers in qualifiers or in practice but crumble when it comes to crunch time. What separates the winning players from excellent practice partners? If we start with the premise that winners are not born, but developed over time, with hard work and a certain amount of luck, we end up in place where players can be deemed the architects of their own destiny. They are in control of where they can be and should be held accountable for where they are currently.

For this reason we can generally admire the talent and skill that a person can show in games, even more so if the player can do this in a competitive setting. It is much harder to perform at the highest level in competition because of the vast quantity of variables that can affect both mind and body. In a practice setting conditions should be close to perfect. You, the player, control when you eat, what you eat, how you hydrate, what quality of practice routine you will use. Other factors including sleep, exercise, and specific practice focus are also within the player’s control. What can separate the good players from better players is mostly the ability to either: control these variables and use them to make you better or to have the ability to not let these conditions affect your potential play. The outcome of both methods results in a performance increase but only one of them is proactive in nature.

If we can see what separates the good players from the better players, what is the defining characteristic that makes the best players so good compared to better players. The best players will utilize both of the previous methods. They are able to control the variables that they can while being able to not let external factors influence their performances. This mindset is paramount for improving as well being able to take what is learnt in practice into a competitive setting consistently.

How does a world class player lose to someone of lesser skill?

Colluding with popular opinions of players from the public we can assume that in competitive play there are cases whereby ‘less skilled’ players or teams will play ‘higher skilled’ players or teams. This is where the ‘Underdog’ or ‘Cinderella story’ lends itself into sporting vernacular. There is nothing more exciting than a giant slaying with a smaller team beating the odds and beating a big named team.

The better player can underperform for a number of reasons, some of which are psychological as well as physical. The better players can be in a mental state whereby he/she is not expected to ever lose. This places a lot of pressure to NOT lose, so much so, that winning actually becomes difficult. The opposite also poses a problem if the better player decides that the game is a forgone conclusion thereby switching to autopilot and drastically underestimating their opponent. Even the best athletes in the world can get complacent, forgetting what made once made them great. Practice can become mundane with the players just going through the motions. It sometimes takes a shock loss to spur them to re-evaluate their craft.

A host of external variables can lower the overall performance level such as poor diet, sickness, lack of proper equipment as well as the all-encompassing variable ‘luck’. The more intangible factors such as concentration, motivation and other mental faculties are indeed exhaustible resources that must be controlled and used in moderation. Players that are jet setting across the globe in the hope of winning tournaments on foreign soil are much more susceptible to trouble performing at their top level. Going across time zones and spending a lot of time acclimatizing to a new environment can be mentally and physically draining. For every hour change in time zone you travel to you can expect to spend (approximately) one day adapting. These players also will be out of their standard routine for many days. It is very difficult to always be ‘on’ and in a competitive mindset. There is certainly a case to be made for developing off seasons for players to recharge and relax. In the current climate players must be flexible to attend and qualify for all the major league and tournaments which can lead to overtraining problems. Once overtraining is an issue it is usually too late to alleviate the downturn without full and substantial rest. Note that tolerance to overtraining can be supplemented with a holistic lifestyle and properly periodized plans. Athletes tolerance to overtraining is not always equal across the board, some players will feel the negative effects after a smaller amount of training hours while others will have a much higher upper level.

How can a lesser player beat a more skilled player?

A ‘lesser’ player can beat a ‘better’ player if he/she can play above their normal level. This can usually coincide with the better player playing at a lower level than they normally show. These two factors can come together to create a perfect storm of variables with the upset much more likely. There is usually little to no pressure on the underdog to win with nobody expecting anything more than a walkover for the better player. Another advantage also stems from the backing that the crowd will give towards the player who looks like he/she will cause an upset. Sport is a spectator event and the crowd bay for drama and shock value. Home advantage theory may also play a part as an unbiased crowd may often root for the underdog.

Winning can also stem from having a better strategy that can supplement obvious deficits in ability making the outcome of the game less in favour of the better player. Players can address skill discrepancies by limiting themselves to a more mechanical pre meditated game plan. Player styles can mix moreso than people expect with sporting upsets happening quite often. Sometimes athletes can struggle with some things that they are not familiar or have experience practising with. These are often the most tough matches as decisions or actions are not fully autonomous.

Winning is the product of aptitude of task, hard work, consistency, planning and dedication. The more you put into it the more you are likely to get. Consistently winning ensures a place in history and rightfully so. When you see athletes or teams losing to an underdog it highlights that when having an off day they can stumble, which makes their consistency to rarely falter all the more impressive.

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