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Why does 'playing smarter" hardly even happen?

Roar Rookie
26th June, 2011
2

It has taken Tom Carter, one of the Waratahs’ own, to highlight a fundamental flaw in the attitude and approach of a team consistently stamped as having the best talent roll call of the Australian Super teams. Indeed, I find this quite bizarre in a union that has nearly as many experts and managers as it does players.

For a number of years now the Waratahs have been talked about (from within the team … and habitually endorsed by a host of external commentators) as the team with both capability and potential … developing their players and “growing as a group”.

The flaw that “a brutally honest” Tom Carter has pointed out is ‘looking’ at one’s mistakes and the incapacity to actually DO something about the situation.

There is nothing unusual about this shortcoming, as it seems to be a regular element of many contested events.

In the case of the Waratahs, ‘superior’ personnel seem to find great difficulty in coming up with superior performance as effective combination of the group regularly fails to mature.

One of the quirks of human nature is that those who see themselves as ‘superior’ do not recognize the need to do the things necessary to capitalize on that superiority.

Attitudes and beliefs are formulated around protecting that view instead of using talent to move into new territory … take the necessary risks … to innovate … move beyond the reputation … to craft that ‘invincibility’ that personifies the truly great performers

The need to do precisely this is always stated at the outset, when coaches and players talk about “playing smarter” and “doing things differently” and “going to surprise”.

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But the reality is that, when it comes to the crunch, a majority of ‘humans’ will stop short of doing what is perceived to be unsafe and chancy, and seek the protection of safer options. Again this is a bit odd because the fundamental reason we play and watch sport is that we are all seeking the excitement of not knowing what will happen!

It is evident that a ‘fear to fail’ inclination dominates the Waratahs’ thinking and strategies.

There is incessant loose talk of “winning ugly” and “field position” – tactics that not only close up the game, but also, and more significantly, shut down the minds of the players.

This is when “smarter”, “difference”, and “surprise” are firmly locked out … the players end up “disappointed”, and the public, sponsors and marketers shout for more “entertainment”.

George Shirling – Author: “EXPLODING SPORTS MYTHS”

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