" Two out of three?" -a request made after a loss
I started reading a new book called Big Dog by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. The book discusses the science of winning and losing. In the book there are couple of case studies that highlight reactions.
The first study forced novices to in one day learn how to skydive and to make three jumps. The study collected saliva stress data before and after each jump. Interestingly, the stress level after each jump reduced by 25%. By the third jump the stress level reduced to a level we experience if we at late and stuck in traffic.
In a second study seasoned dancers were monitored using the same type of saliva samples during a ballroom competition. Some of the dancers had been practicing and competing for more than a decade. Their bodies have in a sense memorized the movements. The interesting find was that their levels did not go down like the skydiving case.
So what was the difference? The difference was that the ballroom dancers were in a competition against others and the skydivers were simply focused on what they needed to do.
Competition is great for forcing us to raise our level but as the study shows creates a great amount of stress even in seasoned competitors.The key is to learn how to completely relax during competition. The authors of The Power of Full Engagement book claimed that how quickly tennis players relaxed between points made the difference between being a winner or a good player.
Today's question is:
"How do you respond to competition?"
I started reading a new book called Big Dog by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. The book discusses the science of winning and losing. In the book there are couple of case studies that highlight reactions.
The first study forced novices to in one day learn how to skydive and to make three jumps. The study collected saliva stress data before and after each jump. Interestingly, the stress level after each jump reduced by 25%. By the third jump the stress level reduced to a level we experience if we at late and stuck in traffic.
In a second study seasoned dancers were monitored using the same type of saliva samples during a ballroom competition. Some of the dancers had been practicing and competing for more than a decade. Their bodies have in a sense memorized the movements. The interesting find was that their levels did not go down like the skydiving case.
So what was the difference? The difference was that the ballroom dancers were in a competition against others and the skydivers were simply focused on what they needed to do.
Competition is great for forcing us to raise our level but as the study shows creates a great amount of stress even in seasoned competitors.The key is to learn how to completely relax during competition. The authors of The Power of Full Engagement book claimed that how quickly tennis players relaxed between points made the difference between being a winner or a good player.
Today's question is:
"How do you respond to competition?"
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