Fake it till you make it!!

 

Often we wonder how cool our favourite sports stars are. We are amazed at not only their sheer talent, but their style and that oomph factor. We love to see them play, win, we love to hear them speak about themselves. We are curious to know what they do when they are not competing.

Can we try and emulate their style and habits and see what comes up for us? Will it really have any effect on us? What can we expect?

Young budding athletes often think of their favourite athlete as though they have come from a different planet. Ask tennis fans about Roger Federer and most will have the opinion that he was born to be a star. We often think top ranked athletes as, “they are there, and we are here” and there is no way we can get even close to that level. No doubt, they have reached there because of hard work and talent and we can close on that gap by working hard.  But there is something more we can do to get that tiny bit closer to them. Your favourite athlete has that style, charisma and those small habits which give them that make them look professional. They are unique not only because they are top performers, but also because of those habits, patterns. They even behave, walk and talk like a champion.

Professional athletes often use gestures to gather crowd support 

Young athletes, budding players or even amateur players can try and follow these styles and habits of the player they admire the most. For example, if your favourite star has a certain way to celebrate his win and you think its cool- you could copy that. The way he enters the field, the way he talks, walks…whatever inspires you. If your favourite cricket star has the habit of chewing gum while fielding and if you think that’s cool- you could do the same.

I personally grew at a time when we all wanted to be like Sachin Tendulkar. He was like God to us. I often saw him on TV get down from his team bus wearing huge (noise cancelling) headsets. I thought that was really cool. I remember fans shouting, reporters bombarding him with silly questions. But Sachin was always in his ‘zone’. He was conveniently ignoring all the noise and unnecessary chatter around. What a superb idea to stay away from the trash, I always wondered.

Sachin Tendulkar in his 'zone' while alighting the team bus

Many years later, I picked up the same habit when I used to go for my squash tournaments. Wearing my earphones and listening to my favourite relaxing music. It would help settle the butterflies in my tummy when I entered the club. I could also beat the distinct tension in the air which was clearly prevalent during the first few days of the tournament. Initially, I had that Sachin’s image inside me when I entered wearing my earphones. That had me feel confident and good about myself. Later this trend became my regular habit.

The point I am trying to make here is that sometimes you have to ‘Fake it, to make it!!’ There is a psychological aspect to it, but I won’t get into the details. Simply put- when you try to emulate the people you admire, it puts you in a confident spot.

Young teens can start by pasting the poster of their favourite sports star in their room. Read a lot about them. Listen to their interviews. See what makes them so successful and different from others. Get inspired. Study their habits, training routine, likes, dislikes. Which of these habits do you think make them so consistent? You can even use the same brand of equipment which they use (without burning a hole in your/your parents pockets). Be as close as you can to being like a professional athlete. Initially you may have to ‘act’ it out. So be it!!

I also strongly believe that at whatever level you play- club, league, national or international- if you play a sport, you are an athlete. Period. Nobody can argue with you on that. Sometimes you may ask yourself, “why are you behaving like a professional? you know you are not” Yes, but what is the harm in behaving like one. What do you have to loose? And slowly those habits will become your natural behaviour. Also research shows that it can transform into better results. From my own experience, I also know that your professional look may send jitters down your opponent’s spine even before you compete, giving you a real head start. This could prove useful because in competition, you need to grab every tiny bit of opportunity that comes your way. There have been instances when I have beaten players more talented than me because they had an image of me of a ‘coach’. They must have thought that “How can I beat a coach? He must be so good at the game”. After the match, few of them came to me and said that they were unlucky to have been pitted against a squash coach. That made me realize the psychological advantage I had over them. The truth is that coaches are also human and they are as vulnerable as any other player on a given day.

Athletes use the fist pump often when they win a point.

There will be some people who will ridicule you initially when you show this ‘attitude’. The idea is that you are doing this to feel good and confident about yourself and not to show anyone. So it would be best to ignore them.

Start by adopting one unique quality or habit of your favourite sports star which inspires you the most. A habit which makes you stand out from others. You need not necessarily follow a professional. It could be a habit which you have invented. Something totally new. It should make you feel good about yourself. So be confident, be unique and do not hesitate to follow your heart. My final piece of advice-

Starting today- you will play like a winner, act like a winner and most importantly- BE A WINNER.

Amit Gajria

WSF Certified Squash Coach

Mumbai, India.