Calm First, Then Intensity.

Calm isn’t a word that is commonly associated with many sports. We don’t think “calm” when we see hockey-players hurtling around the rink, crashing bodies into boards. We don’t think “calm” when we see basketball players dodging and weaving up the court, throwing their bodies into the air, and slamming balls through hoops. We don’t think “calm” when we see a downhill skier preparing to launch themselves down a near-vertical slope. Instead we think of words like pressure, focus, effort, intensity, relentlessness, purpose, energy, and even rage. And yet, calm is there. And it, alongside a few other unlikely words, forms the foundation for success.

Calm. Relaxed. Patient. Positive.

A mentor of mine, Dave Freeze, taught me early on in my training that these words form the foundation of elite performance. At the time, I remember thinking it all seemed a little mellow, or a little tame, for elite sport. However, as I have developed my work across multiple sports and professions, and have repeatedly seen the impact of this approach, I feel I now understand… and agree 100%.

The thing is, until we are calm, relaxed, patient, and positive, we can do nothing else to the best of our ability, including utilizing concepts like intensity and effort. If we are first calm and relaxed, we are able to act and react in a way that is driven by rational thought, reasoning, and mental strategies. From this mental state we can access intensity, energy, even rage, and use them strategically to our advantage. Most importantly, we can use them in a way that we control. Without calm, we risk the intensity and rage controlling us instead. If we are first patient, we are able to trust our skills and trust in our ability to use those skills successfully under pressure. If we are first positive, we are able to stay focused on what’s next, instead of getting bogged down in mistakes and uncomfortable moments.

Summoning intensity is easy. Doing it from a place of calm is much trickier. Imagine the challenge a boxer faces in maintaining their calm while under fire and pressure from their opponent. Imagine the challenge a soldier faces in maintaining calm while under literal fire from the enemy. In both of these situations it is do or fail… or even do or die. When we are calm we can access ourselves, our thinking, our reactions, and our mental skills. When we are not…. we don’t have control.

Calmness, relaxation, patience, and positivity are the essential starting point. The place from which we can operate with maximum impact and success. When we become masters at finding this state of mind, we are in control and able to hit our peak performance.

So, how do we find calm? Stay tuned for future blogs that will dive into several strategies for finding and holding onto calm under pressure.

Until then, have a wonderful day!