Developing a Champion Mindset
How far can natural talent take you?
Is being naturally talented enough to succeed as an athlete?
Oddly enough some people have so much talent but fail to reach their full potential, however those who don't show this natural ability are able to exceed their talented counterparts. A range of athletes from Tom Brady, being told he was not intelligent and physical enough to play as a successful quarterback, to Muhammad Ali being told he didn't have the right physique for a boxer and having a punching technique similar to an amateur, have shown a mindset that overcomes mere talent. The current article takes research and principles based on Carol Dweck's fixed and growth mindset to help coaches, parents, athletes, and instructors understand the importance of athletes having the right mindset.
Different Mindsets
Put simply, there are two ways of viewing ones own capabilities when it concerns varying tasks.
A fixed mindset is rooted by the thought and belief that each individual is limited by their born ability is their full, true potential. For example, these people believe we all have a fixed amount of intelligence, physical ability, confidence, etc., that we are born with and cannot change. From this viewpoint, individuals will start defining themselves by their innate abilities (e.g., those who score highly in tests will categorise themselves as smart and those who score low would believe they're stupid). Since the individuals believe these traits are innate and can't be changed, it means they rarely engage in behaviours to boost the said traits or improve themselves.
However, a growth mindset stems from the belief that our own true potential is unknown and our current capabilities can be moulded through learning and engaging in behaviours that can improve them. For example, these individuals will believe they are able to increase their tactical awareness and intelligence in a sport through effortful practice and learning, resulting in engaging in more practice and having a higher sense of mastery.
Which mindset is best?
The growth mindset harbours more benefits compared to the fixed mindset. If an athlete (fixed mindset) defines themselves as stupid and doesn't posses the ability to understand certain plays, then they believe no matter how hard they try their true potential for intelligence and understanding will remain low. Contrarily, an athlete with a growth mindset would believe even though they don't show high intelligence, they are able to increase their understanding of plays through practising the plays and running through it step by step. This means those with the growth mindset will engage in practice with more effort and focus on improving themselves. The difference in mindsets explains why some teams have players who are highly talented but fail to reach their potential, as they believe all they are now is all they will be, and training will not drastically improve their ability. However, those who are not as gifted may embrace a growth mindset and, with consistent practice and training, outshine the naturally talented athlete.
A growth mindset enhances athletes' ability to cope with failure. Fixed individuals define themselves through their failure and internalise it "I'm just not good enough and never will be", but growth individuals view it as a learning opportunity "I didn't do as well as I wanted so I need to identify what I should do to improve myself to face this challenge again". This difference in self-talk shows those with a growth mindset engage in greater positive self-talk which positively impacts sport confidence and lowers anxiety, and ultimately improves performance.
Growth mindset athletes are better able to maintain healthier levels of self-esteem and mental well-being, which both have a positive impact on an athlete's performance. It also means they are able to better cope with failures and adversity in other aspects of their life, which would otherwise impact their sport career and performance.
Additionally, those with this mindset see challenges as obstacles to be overcome rather than barriers they are not equipped to break. The growth mindset has been empirically shown to enhance persistence in challenging educational games compared to a fixed mindset, and even enhances the persistence of struggling students. Despite being specifically applied to education, the principle is transferable to a sporting context with struggling players trying to understand a complicated set movement, and when facing a highly skilled opponent.
Who influences what mindset we develop?
The formation of a mindset is initially influenced by the individuals around us when we are young. As children we take in information and feedback given to use like a sponge. How parents, teachers and coaches give us feedback on our ability shapes which mindset we adopt later in life.
Those with fixed mindsets would have grown up with people giving feedback on their natural ability:
"You are very smart, well done!", "You just aren't good enough to join this team", "You are a strong boy!"
From these words the child develops a mindset where they begin to believe their basic qualities are all they are and training/practice won't change it. Contrarily, those with a growth mindset are more likely to have grown up with feedback that rewarded effort and learning:
"Well done, you must have studied hard for the test", "Working hard may be difficult but it makes you stronger", "You've made so much progression since you started training".
Simply changing how a person talks to a developing athlete/child has a great impact on their mindset development. Therefore, an intervention to alter the mindset of a player who seems to have a fixed mindset is to reinforce effort through rewarding effort, persistence, and progression. This method to shift an athlete's mindset has been used as interventions in research that has concentrated on facilitating growth mindsets. Finally, as a coach, parent or instructor, you should enhance the athlete's awareness of their thoughts and encourage reflective thinking to facilitate a growth mindset by asking the athlete "What have you learned from this experience?". This allows the athlete to start valuing the learning experiences of success and failure similar to those with a growth mindset, and will start to find lessons in all experiences they engage in. Overtime these methods will help the athlete internalise these adaptive thoughts.
Summary
Fixed mindset: Innate qualities cannot be changed
Growth mindset: Basic qualities can be altered through effortful practice and learning
Growth mindset advantages: Enhanced motivation - Facilitate positive self-talk - Take on challenges - Better coping - Aid mental well-being - Aid performance - Maintain healthy self-esteem
Shifting mindsets: This can be done by praising effort and encouraging reflective thoughts in athletes
Article by Edgar Chekera