A jigsaw puzzle isn’t complete until every piece of the puzzle is fitted together. Each piece has equal significance and needs to be fitted together to complete the picture. The picture could be of absolutely anything, a landmark in the world, a beautiful scenic picture or a picture of a dog. Regardless of that, no jigsaw puzzle is complete without all the pieces.
This is why we can draw comparisons between jigsaws and performance. For us to reach peak performance, we need to fit all the relevant pieces together that makeup performance. Now this isn’t simple. Performance is complex and is made up of many pieces, for example:
Technical components
Tactical components
Nutritional components
Physical components
Psychological components
Many more components contribute to performance, with each of the above being able to be broken down into smaller pieces. The point here is to understand performance as a sum of many parts, just like a jigsaw puzzle. As an athlete, or someone who performs in some aspect, we need to do these three things:
Understand and become aware of each component
Train and work on each component
Integrate each component
Again, this is a simplified view of performance and the topic itself is much more complex than this. However, understanding this viewpoint of performance can help to see what is needed to reach peak performance. Performance is like a puzzle and can be frustrating at times, however, it is arguably one of the most fulfilling puzzles to complete and work on.
Psychology is one of the pieces of the performance jigsaw. It is probably the least understood piece of this jigsaw and underappreciated piece. The psychology piece consists of many smaller pieces, for example:
Dealing with pre-competition anxiety
Self-confidence
Motivation
Concentration and focus
Managing emotions
Your relationship with your thoughts
Implementing adaptive behaviour
Coping with failure
The list could go on but those are just a few examples. The highest performers understand and appreciate each unique component and work to understand and enhance each one, as peak performance requires each piece to be fitted together.
Reflect on your recent performances and try and understand what pieces were missing or needed to be fitted. What area is missing pieces?
Sport and performance psychology are integral to the performance jigsaw, just like each other piece. We need to take a holistic approach and appreciate each component whilst integrating them all. This is no easy task. It is painful, frustrating and difficult. Just like a jigsaw is. However, it is also fulfilling and enjoyable.
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, or comments, or would like to explore how sports psychology can enhance your performance, feel free to reach out to me at drodgerssportpsych@gmail.com or give me a call at 07475 925 292. You can also check out my website by clicking this link https://www.thesportingbrain.com/. I'm here to help you unlock your full potential.
