So, you have lost to a team three times in a row. That means the team, aka enemy, has your number. It, also, means it is time to recalibrate and change up the way you do things. There are five steps to help you in that process, and they include knowing yourself, recreating yourself, outsmarting the enemy, get into your opponent’s head and accept responsibility for the outcome.
First step, study yourself. Learn what you are good at and what you need to work on. Determine your mediocre skills as well. Skills not only need to be the ones used in the actual game but also those used in conditioning. Where is your conditioning level? Are you able to play a full game at 100 percent? Or, are you out of breath by the end of the first period from skating? If you recovered the ball in your own end zone, could you run the 100-plus yards to score a touchdown? You have got to know yourself as well as your opposition especially if that opposition has ever played on your team.
Once you have an understanding what you need to work on, then get busy recreating yourself. So, you are great at faceoffs, then become better at being aggressive. Stop fearing penalty minutes and learn to take and lay hits. There is nothing wrong with being a John Lynch if you play football or hockey. (You may want to avoid being a Rodney Harrison though–No offense to Harrison personally). If you are missing the physicallity to land the hits, then hit the weights. While your opponent thinks you are going to respond as before, you will have the ability to zig where you once would have zag. This gives you the advantage of surprising your opposition by catching her off guard.
Next, you have got to really study your opposition. Watch tape, listen to commentary on him, dissect his moves on the court. If he has a tendency to skate a particular way in a certain situation, then learn to counter that move with a few new moves of your own. If she tends to hit players when their backs are turned, be prepared to avoid such situations. The more you learn about your opponent the easier it will be to accomplish the next step.
The next step is to get inside your opponent’s head. Is it easy to make her angry? Can you intimidate him with your play? Rattling your opponent gives you an advantage even when your athletic play is weak.
Finally, you have to accept responsibility for the outcome–win or lose–of the game. It also means accepting responsibility if you cheat (e.g., steroids, shaving points, etc.) to gain an advantage. It is always better to do things the right way even if you do not believe you will get caught. Doing things the right way prevents your opponent an opportunity to rattle you. Plus, you gain more confidence as you build strength and improve your game if you go about it in the proper manner. It may mean learning a new training regimen from a similar sport; in other words, soccer, football, and hockey players can learn from each other just like softball and baseball players can learn from individuals who do field events like shotput or javelin.
Together, each one of these tips should get you started to defeating the enemy next time you see them . . . say in the playoffs.