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DrCaseyCooper.com Most coaches, parents, and athletes are often in disbelief when I describe the likelihood that they are setting their team or athletes up for a failed and anxious experience when they train for Perfection. They will argue that training for a perfect swing, serve, return, or volley is the only way to WIN. Some will shake their heads and scoff at the idea that Perfection is actually an unobtainable goal, which makes it more likely that the athlete will fall short of these expectations come game time. Athletes will also stand their ground that demanding anything less than Perfection is the equivalent of an excuse or copout.
Well, my question is if training for Perfection is so successful, then why are so many youth, adolescents, and young professionals ending their athletic careers because the fear of failure outweighs the accomplishment or enjoyment of being in sports? If training for Perfection is the only way to go, then how do we tell an athlete after having their serve broken that the set and match isn't over?
Training for Perfection supports the overall belief that a well-trained and dedicated athlete can and "should" be able to perform without errors. These thoughts represent a type of "All or Nothing" thinking that often leads to negative self-evaluations and conditional self-esteem. If an athlete has too many "Nothing" performances the results are usually depressed or anxious symptoms. When left unchanged, the athlete will commonly develop a fear that they will surely perform below these "Perfect" expectations. This fear becomes so strong that the athlete will either sabotage their training or competitions, suffer through the competition with profound anxiety, and/or drop of our sports entirely.
