:: Don’t Be Fooled by the Underdog! ::

By Shaun Smith – Absolute Mental Training

With the chance to see many Olympic hockey games, I was reminded of the power of the underdog.

Getting beat by an underdog is a coach’s worst nightmare. Underdogs beat the favorite teams every day in sports. The best team or athlete does not always win and we often cheer for the underdog team to surprise us. The reason the underdog team can win is because the favorite team can get surprised by the underdog especially when the favorite takes it easy thinking the underdog team will be easy to beat.

As a goaltender or athlete, I am sure that you have played a game or tournament/championship in which you were favored to win. Going into the game you probably thought, “No problem, we just need to show up and the game is ours.” The problem starts when you underestimate your opponent’s ability, which likely causes you to take it easy in your preparation, thus leading you to being less then mentally and physically prepared to compete against them. The outcome is that you don’t play up to your ability and obviously not playing at your best can lead to an upset.

When Russia played Slovakia this year, it appeared as though the Russians should win. They had just mowed over their previous competition and the Slovaks had just lost to the Czech Republic, 3-1. How is it that a talented team like Russia was able to lose to a team like Slovakia in a shootout?

It seemed that Slovakia’s inability to put the game away in regular time would lead to their demise in a game where they held their own on the back bone of Jaroslav Halak. How could Slovakia beat the Russians with players like Radulov, Ovechkin, Federov and many more coming in one-on-one on Halak?

While watching players like Malkin, who had a less than motivated performance in the shootout, it would appear that either his ego had gotten in the way of the team, or that he and his team were playing down to their competition. The Russians went into the game thinking that they were the best and that the Slovaks had just lost their last game, and that it would be no problem. The Russian team found out real quick that they couldn’t beat Chara and Halak as they continually shut them down even when on the powerplay.

So how should we deal with these underdog teams to ensure that we don’t lose like the Russians did to the Slovakian team? Well the first step is not labeling your competition as less than you. When you label the other team as the “underdog” or as a “weaker opponent” you create expectations about the quality of your opponents immediately. Expectations about the quality of your competitor can often prevent you from fully preparing yourself to play at your best. When you expect a losing team to be a pushover, you don’t give the same preparation or effort you would if you were playing a rival.

In this year’s Winter Olympics, there have been many athletes that were expected to win but instead under performed. High expectations can sometimes lead to too much pressure. Or, overconfidence can cause an athlete or team to be under prepared. Finally when you expect your opponent to be inferior to you or your team this can cause you to perform with little intensity causing an athlete to be distracted and unfocused. All of these scenarios lead to big upsets.

:: Playing against a weaker team? I leave you with the following tips ::

1. Do not underestimate an underdog team or set expectations about who should win. You must prepare your best for every opponent, rival or underdog. Sound preparation and planning is a hallmark of championship athletes and teams. If you approach every team or opponent with respect, you will be prepared to perform at your best.

2. Take time to design a game plan or strategy for every opponent even if your team is expected to win big, or you might end up losing to this opponent.

3. Create some intensity and get excited for competition. Some athletes simply can’t get “psyched up” or xcited to play a losing team. Without intensity you will not be able to focus correctly which will create mistakes. If you expect to win and can’t get mentally ready for the game, you will not focus at optimum levels and your performance suffers.

If you approach a weaker opponent flat, lacking intensity, or overconfident and under prepared, you run the risk of not performing at your best and even losing the match. The crazy part is that losing to inferior opponents can actually cause the slippery slope of the favorite team.

Losing causes a loss in confidence and losing to the underdog team can often deliver a large blow to the ego of the team and individual athletes. Don’t let this happen, learn how to prepare properly by working with a mental performance coach. Any questions, comments or concerns feel free to email me at ssmith@absolutementaltraining.com!