What makes winners? Are they born, or made?
What are the important traits that characterise winners?
With the Olympic Games in London in 2012 this is focussing minds in British sport.
The UK Sports & Exercise Medicine Conference in London last week threw up many themes, one of which was based around skills & talent.
But another thread was that of character, and whether that was key to producing not only champions in sport, but also in life itself.
As the Rugby Football Union washes the dirtiest of linen in public and the passing of someone almost universally liked within the highly strung, highly competitive world of English Professional football, this past week has seen sport hold a mirror up to itself and society too with the term 'character' reflecting both negatively and positively.
One of the greatest of the presentations last week at the ExCel London was one by John Neal, on 'More important than winning'. A pyscho-physiologist with over 2 decades of experience in the military & elite sport he now consults to UK Sport and pro rugby union, and his key expertise lies in personal performance & motivation.
In summary, he suggested that those with character but less skill will win more often than more highly skilled individuals. Brain physiology demonstrates that those with character to cope when under pressure, and those who cope with pressure win more often. Thus if individuals with characteristics that offered up the likelihood of coping with pressure, but with application could develop skill, then there is more chance of individual and therefore team success.
John has turned to applying these principles to youth selection in cricket with one of England's leading cricket academies. These demonstrate a conversion rate of 5% in traditional clubs from academy to professional contract. Since the change in emphasis to character from skill there has been a 70% conversion, which is significant. This is not dissimilar to the selection criteria employed by the most successful Super Rugby team, the Crusaders & echoes Melbourne Storm, similarly a successful rugby league club.
Contrary to the trend for learning more from failure, John also focusses on the positive experiences of success, and suggests we can learn much from winning as the brain processes positive images more swiftly & efficiently than negative ones from the focus on failure or losing.
Winning experiences develop positive emotions from perceptions, beliefs and thoughts which hard-wire the brain building characterful experiences establishing a set of cognitive values.
As John concludes, these traits are beneficial both on and off the field for our young people. Isn't that important? Thinking beyond winning is a process that could be creating better people for life.
What are the important traits that characterise winners?
With the Olympic Games in London in 2012 this is focussing minds in British sport.
The UK Sports & Exercise Medicine Conference in London last week threw up many themes, one of which was based around skills & talent.
But another thread was that of character, and whether that was key to producing not only champions in sport, but also in life itself.
As the Rugby Football Union washes the dirtiest of linen in public and the passing of someone almost universally liked within the highly strung, highly competitive world of English Professional football, this past week has seen sport hold a mirror up to itself and society too with the term 'character' reflecting both negatively and positively.
One of the greatest of the presentations last week at the ExCel London was one by John Neal, on 'More important than winning'. A pyscho-physiologist with over 2 decades of experience in the military & elite sport he now consults to UK Sport and pro rugby union, and his key expertise lies in personal performance & motivation.In summary, he suggested that those with character but less skill will win more often than more highly skilled individuals. Brain physiology demonstrates that those with character to cope when under pressure, and those who cope with pressure win more often. Thus if individuals with characteristics that offered up the likelihood of coping with pressure, but with application could develop skill, then there is more chance of individual and therefore team success.
John has turned to applying these principles to youth selection in cricket with one of England's leading cricket academies. These demonstrate a conversion rate of 5% in traditional clubs from academy to professional contract. Since the change in emphasis to character from skill there has been a 70% conversion, which is significant. This is not dissimilar to the selection criteria employed by the most successful Super Rugby team, the Crusaders & echoes Melbourne Storm, similarly a successful rugby league club.
Contrary to the trend for learning more from failure, John also focusses on the positive experiences of success, and suggests we can learn much from winning as the brain processes positive images more swiftly & efficiently than negative ones from the focus on failure or losing.
Winning experiences develop positive emotions from perceptions, beliefs and thoughts which hard-wire the brain building characterful experiences establishing a set of cognitive values.
As John concludes, these traits are beneficial both on and off the field for our young people. Isn't that important? Thinking beyond winning is a process that could be creating better people for life.
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