UNDERDOGS

As an athlete, you are always going to be faced with challenges. One of the greatest challenges that athletes face is being the underdog. In college, this happens all the time. You are always going to be playing teams that are bigger and better. What is even harder than playing these teams, is getting in the right mindset and not putting negativity in your head before the game has even happened. It is easy to put in your head that you are going lose or not be as good as the other team, and it’s extremely difficult to get out of this mindset. Something that really helps in staying positive and focused on being successful in the game is making sure that you are surrounding yourself with positive energy. By avoiding negative talk with your teammate or coaches instead, focus on what makes your team strong and what makes yourself a good player. Having team meetings about what the team wants to achieve or goals they have for the game is an important aspect in preparing for the upcoming game. Another thing that helps in playing an opponent that is said to be better, is watching film on that team. By doing this teams are able to evaluate and asses what the strengths and weaknesses are of the other team and they can pinpoint what needs to be done in order to capitalize on their weaknesses. Trust is another major factor in getting prepared to play bigger teams. Not only do you need to trust in your teammates and your coaches, but you have to trust in yourself.

When being the underdog it is very easy to lose sight in the qualities and skills you yourself and your team has, because it is easier to focus on what you do not have and what your opponent does. This is the problem so many teams have when playing higher ranked teams. They put themselves down before the game has even began, already giving the other team an advantage.  There is nothing wrong with being the underdog, just because your team might not be ranked as high or thought to be “equal competition”. With perseverance, trust, the willingness to succeed and the mind set to win, it is possible for great things to happen.