Inside AFLW: Managing Mindset in the face of selection: Tips to better navigate team selection
Let’s face it, team selection is a big deal. If you are an athlete in a team-based sport, you want to be on the court or on the field, playing the game you love you’re your team, which means you need to be selected. But, selection time can be more than just physically demanding, it can also be mentally challenging and tough to navigate for even the most experienced players.
There is often a sense of the ‘elephant in the room’ each year, as pre-season draws to a close. Everyone is excited, the sometimes months of hard work (because pre-pre-season is very much a thing in AFLW), the sweating it out in gruelling sessions in the middle of summer, early mornings, late nights and plenty of gym sessions, are all hopefully going to pay off and you will be selected for the team.
As pre-season comes closer to an end, the feeling of self-doubt can become more and more present, even for the most experienced of players.
Some coaches address will address the ‘elephant’. Luke Dwyer did this at West Coast in season one. Three weeks out from the season, we sat in the team meeting room and there was literally an elephant on the screen and it was discussed with the team directly. Some coaches will stress it from day dot, and others just won’t mention the S word, although it is inevitable.
Mentioning it can go one of two ways; it will either spur someone, for varying reasons. Maybe they’ve been going through the motions, or they’ve been working so hard but forgotten why. Or on the flipside, it can scare people. They go into their shell, scared about missing out, what missing out means and the fear and disappointment that is associated with that.
SELECTION & ME
I remember my first season at Fremantle in the AFLW. I would get so worked up for trainings, particularly on our main training nights. I would hardly sleep with a lot of nervous energy and anxiety, all because I was scared of not getting picked.
Looking back now, I was so focused on how I thought those I cared about and respected, would think less of me if I wasn’t playing AFLW. Because somehow getting there wasn’t enough. The external validation of wanting to be an AFLW player scared me so much and had a significantly negative impact on my performance.
Later in my 2021 season with West Coast, when I was struggling through injury, I was so shot on confidence, I was petrified about being in the main group and being up for selection. My head would fill with questions like ‘what if I got hurt again?’, ‘what if I stuff up and then get dropped?’, and on top of this I knew if I didn’t play a game that I was going to be on the chopping block anyway.
The mental game is real.
WAYS TO DEAL WITH & PREPARE FOR SELECTION
My experience has taught a thing or two when it comes to selection. Everyone is different and will prepare differently and hopefully these tips will help you approach your game from the best mental place possible.
Let go of the result and the outcome. Yes ,everyone wants to play but remember that selection is out of your control. Coaches may be looking for a specific positions or shorter/taller players depending on the opposition. Focus on what you can control and that certainly isn’t the outcome
What is it that scars you about selection? Once you figure that out, think about why that scares you? Is it the external expectation? Which in the end means nothing, because those people have no control over who gets picked. Is it a fear of ‘failure” and who are you failing? Write all this down because it is easier to visualize on paper. Then, next to that write the worst case scenario next to each of those fears. Break them right down, are they legitimate or irrational fears (which we all have). From here break it down further into actions you can control
Do the work, seek feedback and know that you put the effort in. Honest assessments with yourself and your coaches are the best way to get and act on feedback. If you know you’ve tried and left no stone unturned, then unfortunately there was nothing else you could of done. But, you can know that you’ve put your best foot forward and that will ultimately make your team better as well, healthy competition for sports keeps everyone improving and pushing for more.
Find someone you can trust to confide in, open up to, particularly if it is overthinking that is damaging your mindset. Spill it all out to someone else, because saying things out loud always helps.
Work out what parts of the decision you can control, through asking questions/ seeking feedback and then improve. Smash down the door of whatever doubts are surrounding you. No one can ask anymore than that of you!
MINDSET, MINDSET, MINDSET
Mindset is the key when it comes to team selection. It’s important to acknowledge it is daunting and it is okay to be upset or frustrated by selection calls. Learn how to flip those emotions into positive emotions, into change. Growth is scary and hard, but by adopting a mindset that embraces those challenges, the better off you’ll be on and off the field.
The best teams can clearly communicate around selection, and if you and your team want to be successful, early and clear explanations of what is required allows for the pressure to be taken off everyone involved. Taking small steps as an individual to ask one question a session, force both yourself and the coaches to be held to account, opens the door for conversation, growth and most importantly vulnerability within the team.
Bea is an ACSA Level 2 Strength & Conditioning Coach currently working at PEAQ Performance Centre. If you are looking at taking your football to the next level or just getting yourself in PEAQ condition, get in touch with her via Instagram. Or to hear more from her, check out her podcast - The Buzz with Bea