WHAT’S YOUR COMPETITIVE STYLE?

Read the following statements and circle the answer closest to the way you might respond in each situation.

1. You meet your best friend in the final round of the club championship.
On the tee, you think:

A. This is terrible. If she wins, I’ll feel awful. If I win, she’ll feel awful. With anyone else, I would have stood a real chance.

B. I know this will be a challenging match. I need to keep focused on my pre-shot routine, and develop a game plan for each hole.

C. This is what I’ve been waiting for--a chance to play in front of all those people.
I hope she has an off day. It will feel great to have that trophy in my hands!

2. For the closing day at your club, you are a strong intermediate golfer
who’s designated the "A" player on your scramble team. Your reaction is:

A. It’s unfair! My team obviously won’t be in the running.

B. How can I use the strengths of the team? What a great opportunity to see how
I hold up in this position--becoming an "A" player is one of my goals for next year.

C. This is fabulous—I’m the top dog! I know I have the potential to be a leader.

3. You’ve knocked your drive down and it rests on a giant rock. After taking
a one stroke penalty to drop off the rock, the ball lies well above your feet and you whiff. You finally punch the ball out, lying four where the other women lie one. You think:

A. The round is shot. I already lie four, and even Annika Sorenstam couldn’t have gotten off that rock.

B. Too bad, (big sigh), but I need to focus on how I can recover my equilibrium and
hit the next shot.

C. I won’t count the whiff. The lie was unfair and lying three is already punishment enough when I’m trying to break 90 again.

RATING YOURSELF

Dr. Shane Murphy, sports psychologist for the U.S. Olympics Committee and author of The Achievement Zone, has identified three types of competitors. If you chose "A" responses, you may have what Dr. Murphy calls a "failure focus". To avoid the pain of trying and losing, you choose easier tasks at which you can succeed, or very difficult tasks which are obviously too hard for most people.

If your answers were primarily "C", you may have a success focus. Your goal is to win, whatever it takes.

"B" answers reflect an action focus. You concentrate less on winning, and more on improving your own performance by setting internal goals that are independent of scores.

Which style is most successful? The research is clear: athletes with an action focus are the best competitors. Players who emphasize either success or failure are focused on results. As a consequence, they tend to play conservatively to protect their self-image, instead of taking risks to enhance their skills. With an action focus, you concentrate on getting the job done, not on the rewards to come. You choose new learning opportunities to improve your skills and persist in the face of failure.
And here's the good news: this approach can be learned!

SHAPING YOUR STYLE

Actions are under your control-- results are not. So set goals that emphasize an action focus. These should be concrete, hard rather than easy, both long and short-term, and phrased in positive terms. For example, rather than setting as a goal for a round: "I will break 90 or score five pars " (results), say: "I will recover from trouble by staying focused, and I will work on getting up and down on each hole" (process or action). Action goal-setting helps players avoid focusing on externals (i.e., your opponent, the spectators, your coach).

Keep track of your progress and give yourself positive feedback. And don't forget mental goals such as: "I'll be a good sport throughout the round even if I'm playing badly". Or, "I'll concentrate on my own game even if my opponent is playing especially well (or poorly)".

Finally, the research is clear. People who put their goals in writing are more likely to meet them than those who don’t. WRITE YOUR GOALS DOWN!