As mere mortals, we regularly tend to imagine that medal profitable athletes have all of it found out and that, by some means, the fame and fortune and the adulation of the group makes them full. Matt Anderson, who’s an Olympic bronze medal volleyball participant and regarded to be among the best on this planet at his craft is aware of that this isn’t all the time the case, and is right here to let you know that everybody can endure self-doubt, melancholy, and nervousness even when issues are wanting tremendous and dandy to these on the skin.

M&F sat down with Matt Anderson for a frank and courageous dialogue concerning the psychological challenges that he’s confronted in his stellar profession, and we got here away with some priceless suggestions for a way anybody, at any stage of sport, can be taught the identical classes that he has.

Matt Anderson is on the boys’s indoor volleyball squad for Crew USA. He’s a three-time Olympian and took house a bronze medal on the 2016 video games in Rio de Janeiro. Earlier than that, Anderson was a 2015 World Cup winner, and he’s additionally loved victory in a number of CEV Championship League finals all through his profession.

Success got here comparatively shortly for Anderson, who was scouted for the boys’s U.S. nationwide group throughout his time at West Seneca West Senior Excessive College in upstate New York. He skilled arduous, and by the point he reached his second 12 months, Matt Anderson had picked up an expert supply and signed a contract with the Hyundai Capital Skywalkers within the Korean League. What adopted was a whirlwind of intense play and journey. Not solely did he stay in South Korea, however he additionally hung out taking part in in Italy earlier than volleying the ball over in Russia.

All of it sounds just like the profession of an athlete that has the world at his toes and, for essentially the most half, that’s true, however similar to the remainder of us; unfavourable ideas can threaten the possibilities of us reaching our full potential. Having moved to Russia, the place his membership gained a bronze medal in that international locations Championship, he was additionally named MVP within the Russian League, however, with all of that success, 2014 proved to be a tough 12 months as Matt Anderson felt on the time that he had underperformed. This is able to be the 12 months that the participant wanted to placed on the brakes for the sake of his psychological state.

“I felt a variety of stress actually residing on me,” says Anderson. “I used to be actually the all-star of the group and arguably taking part in my greatest volleyball on the time, too,” he says with the good thing about hindsight. However the back-to-back competitions and the fixed journey ever since first beginning out with Crew USA in 2009 had lastly taken its toll. “I might go to the fitness center, and I might simply take into consideration house,” he recollects.

Then, when Anderson lastly did get house, he admits that he turned ashamed of himself as a result of he felt like he hadn’t given his all on the court docket. These damaging emotions, coupled with the truth that he was nonetheless attempting to course of the dying of his father in 2010, meant that the participant had so much to unpack, and wanted a while and area to lastly do the work for his personal wellbeing’s sake.

Luckily, after a number of weeks of digging deep inside himself, Anderson was again on the court docket earlier than the top of the identical 12 months that he’d left, in 2014, and though he’s nonetheless engaged on his psychological well being to at the present time, the favored participant is again to his medal profitable greatest. Listed here are three essential suggestions that assist Anderson to constantly hold his head within the recreation:

1. Making Errors Is Half Of The Course of

An skilled athlete should come to phrases with the errors and arduous realities of defeat however fortuitously, these negatives will be changed into positives. “Even on the highest of my accolades as a participant, I nonetheless battle with confidence,” shares Anderson. “I believe that’s a part of the perfectionist mindset that I’ve, and I’m all the time specializing in what I did mistaken versus what I did proper.” The Olympian says that being a profitable volleyball participant provides him confidence when coming into a room so when issues don’t go properly on the court docket, he takes it arduous and it impacts his very identification as an individual. However he’s additionally realized methods to cope with sporting losses. Anderson says that with each loss comes knowledge and an opportunity to pause, replicate, and glean details about the place issues went mistaken, so that he doesn’t make the identical errors once more.

2. Keep Constant By Embracing Change

Athletes discuss incessantly about preserving their coaching constant, and this implies sticking to an iron clad routine, however irrespective of who we’re, getting older will deliver change. Now aged 36, and with a spouse and two kids (aged 3 and 1), Anderson is aware of that his days can not revolve round simply his personal wants. Consequently, he’s tailored his schedule to get essentially the most that he can from each sports activities and household.

Now coaching for the 2024 Paris Olympic Video games, Anderson, and different members of his group with the identical obligations, are being supported by their coaches to satisfy a number of time calls for. This enables gamers to assault coaching with the extraordinary vitality and motivation required to carry out on the highest stage with out feeling underneath stress to provide extra time to their households.

“Our teaching workers was onboard with giving us one massive coaching (session every day) in order that the fellows who do have households will be with them,” shares Anderson. This can be a break from custom, the place gamers would beforehand have accomplished two coaching classes per day.

Now, the champion volleyballer has his head properly and actually within the recreation because of the tradition of embracing change, and continues to be placing in 100% of the work required. Anderson explains to M&F that he’s on the court docket for round 9am, however earlier than that he hits the fitness center at 7.30 a.m. to provide himself a extremely good warmup, going by way of any stretching and mobility work that could be required to organize him for the day. He leaves the court docket at round 12pm however hits the fitness center as soon as once more for at the very least an additional hour with the intention to raise weights. Embracing change is an effective way to forge practical routines that may be adhered to in the long run. “I additionally attempt to sneak in some date nights with my spouse every now and then,” says the balanced athlete.

3. Don’t Overthink (Defend Your Circle)

As a perfectionist and an overthinker, Anderson, similar to many people, will be the sufferer of overthinking. After we fail to only “go for it” our fixed questioning of ourselves can result in micro-adjustments that derail our efficiency. That is one thing that Anderson has struggled with prior to now, and has a way which will are available in helpful as taught to him by the late, nice, sports activities psychologist, Dr. Ken Ravizza.

“He talked so much with (psychological) photos,” shares Anderson, who says that Ravizza spoke of the sector of play as a circle and that overthinking creates a distracting mound throughout the circle. Anderson goes on to clarify that with this psychological train, you’ll be able to embrace overthinking every time you might be outdoors of the circle, however as soon as inside it you could go away these pointless ideas on the skin, the place they belong. “Don’t deliver your s**t into the circle,” Ravizza instructed Anderson. It was a lightweight hearted manner of creating an essential level and it nonetheless massively helps the participant to at the present time. Maybe the following tips may very well be priceless to you too.