A friend who used to play international sport as a professional tells me he is enjoying his game infinitely more, and playing it better than ever, now he isn’t getting paid for it.
A friend who used to play international sport as a professional tells me he is enjoying his game infinitely more, and playing it better than ever, now he isn’t getting paid for it. And the reason is he’s relaxed; the anxiety is gone. I wonder how much better sportsmen would perform if they could conquer their fear and anxiety about failure, if they had the psychological discipline to relax and express their skill rather than conspicuously trying their guts out?
Look at Barcelona. For all their mesmerising gifts, their most precious quality is their nerve. Outplayed by Manchester United for the first ten minutes of the Champions League final, they thought nothing of it and calmly, competently, and seemingly effortlessly went about their business.
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