Take a moment, right now, to remember a time you did something to change the energy or flow or momentum of a game you were in. What was the situation? Who were you playing? What was happening? What did you do that changed the momentum or energy? Write it down.
I asked these questions of our summer soccer training cohort. The response from each player was different depending on the context and the player. For one it was deciding to make attacking runs to help her teammates get off their heels and shift their focus. For another it was paying attention to creating space for teammates to be able to step up and play their part. For someone else it was encouragement from the back line. For another it was giving out high fives and fist bumps to help restore the connection between players.
We think of game changers as the ones who make big plays; the one who scores the go ahead goal in a come from behind win. A great result for sure. We’ll take it. But, changing the game isn’t necessarily about big plays. It’s about the small shifts in energy and flow that got us back in the game so someone could score the winning goal. It’s about the shifts in energy that helped us tighten our defense, or relax when we were getting too tight.
Changing the game is not about taking over or standing out. Changing the game is not about changing the outcome. None of us can control the final results by ourselves. It’s about showing up in a way and with an energy that others can feel and follow. It’s about creating a shift and the possibility of reaching our potential.
We each have our own ways of changing the game. If you want to get some insight into your inner game-changer do that remembering activity three times and you’ll start to see patterns. Better yet do it with a friend or teammate and you’ll really get some insight. We all have what it takes to be game-changers. Let’s start.
FLOW STRETCH AND MOVEMENT 