Calmness and Aggression - Two sides of a coin?

Pressure is felt by the privileged. The weight of expectations on you rise when people know that you are capable of achieving more and being the best in the world. It is this weight of expectations that makes or breaks players. Champions find a way through while the others succumb to the mounting pressure. All sportsperson’s playing at the highest level receive formal training so what is it that separates the best from the lot? No you can’t just tag someone who is brilliant at his game as ‘god gifted’, that would be just plain insult to the hard work he/she has put in all those years.

Seldom do people realize the psychological aspect of a player’s game. During their careers, players must realize what drives them on and what helps them to bring out the best in them. Two traits that come to my mind are calmness and aggressiveness. Different players have different mindsets on how to approach a game. Some believe that it’s all about the rush while others are intent on staying calm when it comes to crunch situations.

Don’t just switch on the ‘angry Marat Safin mode’, instead keep calm and trust your skills

First and foremost, aggression must never be misunderstood for anger, anger is always used in the negative sense whereas aggression is largely a positive based energy. Aggression comes off naturally while playing a sport whereas calmness is often forced upon. Coaches, experienced players etc advice you to maintain a calm demeanour while playing so that you keep your head straight and think clearly. Now you can’t argue with people who have been in the business for most part of their lives. Staying calm is important not only in a lost cause but also when you are cruising along the way. This way you stay focused until you reach the finish line and also the victory doesn’t get to your head.

Getting flustered when the odds are not in your favour is an amateur mistake. You lose half the battle if your mind is not in a sane condition. There are going to be days when you feel that nothing is going your away, don’t just switch on the ‘angry Marat Safin mode’. Instead keep calm, stay focused, trust your skills and give it your all. It’s the off-days when a players mettle is tested and the best way to handle these sometimes inevitable days is to play through them with a smile but inside keep thinking about the mistakes committed and rectify them later in training.

Now remember the time you smacked a fast bowler behind his back or hit a cross court winner when you were pinned right to the wall or run through the entire defence to score a miraculous goal. This picturesque backdrop is enough to get the adrenaline going. Aggression does not mean simply beating up the opponent or bringing about a holocaust when angry. It is something which helps players to get a foot hold of the game and to take the game to the opponent. Staying aggressive and upbeat during the game creates a sense of insecurity in the opponent’s head. It’s about playing the game with all your might and pumping yourself up when in need of some inspiration. There is a common misconception about aggression that it means getting stifled quite easily whereas it actually means staying calm in your mind and displaying attacking play on the field. Players who are calm tend to display no emotions, they might be bursting inside but manage to keep a cool exterior whereas aggressive players sometimes lose their way reacting to a small mishap in their bid to win.

Calmness and Aggression are not two sides of the coin, rather the coin is a perfect blend of both. Perfect game play demands the player to be Aggressive as well as calm, though these are required at different stages of the game. At the start of the game to get the ball rolling you need to be aggressive, not let your opponent settle down and as the pressure mounts you need to stay calm and composed. Show your aggression through your game and not by your words. Frustration and vivid emotion showing creates panic. Players have to remain focused on the job at hand, be aggressive, keep their emotions to themselves and strive to be the best at what they do.