The Cumberland Throw

The Spotlight – The Football Yips (The Psychology of Losing)

Back in April of 2017, the Eels were four games into a losing streak when I wrote a post about the sequence of losses. Titled, “The Importance of Winning” , it conversely examined the psychology of losing and began with this quote from legendary NFL coach, Vince Lombardi:

“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.”

I then made the following observation:

“When losing becomes a habit, there’s zero to be gained. The simple things seem strangely complex. You start to overthink every aspect of your play. In working harder and trying harder the errors seem to mount. You lose faith in the footy instincts that made you a success in the first place. Worse still, you begin to lose trust in the players around you.”

At this moment, this tells part of the 2018 story for the Parramatta Eels. It’s not the entire story, because other factors started the sequence of losses. However, this “habit” is now becoming a major contributor in Parra’s current inability to secure victories, even when they are the better team or have significant opportunities to win matches.

2017 – Good times!

In 2017, following that early string of losses, winning became the habit. The Eels secured the victory in 14 of their next 18 regular season matches. Often, their performances were pitched just a little bit above the level of their opposition, no matter what form the opposition was in. In other words, the team found a way to win.

In 2018 the opposite is true.

No matter the opposition, apart from a couple of blow-outs, the Eels are performing at a level just below the team they’re playing. If the opposition is playing poorly, the Eels go that little bit worse. If the opposition is playing well, the Eels are not quite good enough. They manage to find a way to lose, even when they deserve to win.

Just this past week, I was sent a message by a fellow Eels fan, “DOC”, via social media. In his detailed message, DOC likened the team’s performances to a golfer having the “yips”. He further stated that it provided an answer as to why there was a stark contrast between their preparations and their execution on match days.

This clearly resonated with me and I found myself referring back to the 2017 post.

* Atrocious completion rates or critically timed incomplete sets
* Poor body language
* Lack of faith in the player beside them

All of these factors were explored in that post, and I believe it to be as true now as it was then.

Consider last week’s loss to the Knights.

At one stage, towards the end of the first half, the completion rate sat at 51%! That’s ludicrous. Even more frustrating was that it wasn’t forced errors – we saw mistakes in the play the ball and forward passes. Then to amplify the problem, you could see the heads drop after each of these errors.

These moments are far too rare!

And we witnessed the classic example of not having faith in the player beside you – or having a negative mindset – George Jennings and Corey Norman in the in-goal. Norman fields the ball with chasers closing in. Instead of staying wide, Jennings moves behind Norman in case something goes wrong. Had he stayed positive, there were open pastures in front of him as the chase hadn’t shut down support runners. Norman was ready, Jennings played it ultra-safe.

These aren’t complex aspects in football. They come naturally to NRL players. Even more so to those who’ve played representative footy.

Now reflect on how we as supporters are impacted by the negative mindset of our team.

Hands up anyone who immediately began thinking negatively when Gutherson shanked that conversion attempt. The team was on fire, they’d just gone up by ten points after a brilliant try, and my first thought was how those two points would cost us. I wonder whether any of the team reacted similarly?

Could this be symptomatic of the negativity prevalent in the team during matches? I’ve watched BA and the coaches deal with this at training. When the players vent at their own errors during opposed sessions, the instruction is to stop blowing up and stay in the game. Errors will happen, and they can worry about that in the dressing room or the review session. For now, there’s a moment to stay in, a game to play.

How do we find something in this season, with the roster as it is?

Last year I stated that it was as simple as jagging a few wins. Indeed, that eventuality came upon the team soon enough.

This year it’s a deeper, darker hole. The season is nearly over. The victories seem tantalisingly close and yet frustratingly out of reach.

With the rationale that essentially the same coach and players shouldn’t fall so heavily within 12 months, it was suggested by DOC in his message that it may be time for a sports psychologist. Though I should disclose that I hold a psychology major in my own degree, I am not certain how beneficial a sports psychologist can be in a team sport. Those experienced in that field can best answer that.

The Club’s review into this season will obviously have ramifications for the longer term. Recruitment for next season has added three players to this point and I believe the youth in the club will be given their opportunity. But even in a season entering its last seven rounds, we need to look at whatever methods can grab some victories before the year is out.

Answers have been sought. Training has been kept fresh and positive. New staff have been added. Whatever criticisms have been levelled at the quality of the roster, the fact remains that the team have put themselves in a position to win matches. Indeed, look at the number of games statistically lost on goal kicking.

However, none of us are naive enough to believe that goal kicking was the sole reason for the losses. There are reasons that the Eels have not measured up, but we cannot deny that the losing habit, or footballing yips, has taken hold.

Even though we can expect important roster changes for next year, the current team has so much more ability than they’ve demonstrated this season. Maybe it’s as simple as the players realising that they are merely suffering from this short term lack of belief that many sports stars go through. Some players have been accused of not caring enough. Perhaps, for a number of them, it’s a case of caring and worrying too much.

Let’s hope a short term solution can be found. After all, there’s no yippee to be had in those yips!

Eels forever!

Sixties

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23 thoughts on “The Spotlight – The Football Yips (The Psychology of Losing)

  1. BDon

    Yes sixties, totally weird season. From 2nd half v Storm 2017 finals to now, we have consistently self destructed via fumbling and bumbling. Only 3 or 4 games where we put together good all round stats. It happens in front of our eyes and there’s a 100 opinions as to why. Completions @80%+, errors around 8 and close penalty counts generally see you winning more than losing, but we are mostly well away from this profile. We gifted the Knights their comeback momentum at the same time we couldn’t buy a penalty, a double whammy yet stayed in the game…problem is we are serial offenders at this caper. I’m not sure the cicuitbreaker comes from minor adjustments, or waiting for things to click. The club hasn’t yet got that top down fluency required for success.

    1. sixties Post author

      To be fair, we’ve all been waiting for things to click since round one, but the problem is that different errors or different players let the team down at crucial times on a weekly basis. At the start of the season it was discipline. As the season has unfolded it’s been a range of different errors – just when it looks like the team could be back on track, we take that step backwards.
      It’s obvious that confidence is at an all time low – our resilience when things go against us is sadly lacking.
      Even if changes happen with staffing, facilities, and personnel – that will impact next year. Can we get a solution in the weeks remaining this season?

  2. Colin Hussey

    Sixties, top blog and reflections and nothing really to disagree with. To me the sooner the review is started and all those who need to be interviewed have their chance and say, the better. I read where BA has indicated his eagerness in having his say/input. Who would like to be a fly on the wall?

    What you say about the aspect playing just above the opposition with winning and just below with losses actually resonates very well, especially after this was posted on the eels webb site following the loss to the saints, its 5 days old so a few days after that match. I never bothered reading the article as I had the feeling it would be a let down, and seems to me the players words were very prophetic.

    King: That’s our standard now, we can build on that for the rest of the year

    Parramatta Eels hooker Cameron King spoke to the media this afternoon about restoring pride in the Blue & Gold jersey, and taking on the Newcastle Knights in Round 18 and the recent signing of Blake Ferguson

    The primary headline rings out, That’s our standard now, I think the building on it was with wet sand but the standard certainly seemed to be there.
    PS, I hate the negativity and its starting to get to me now, sadly.

    1. sixties Post author

      Colin, I’m sick of the negativity too. I’m trying to look for answers or explanations. Obviously, there are a myriad of factors at play and I expect the review to provide direction and improvement moving forward. Whether we have issues with the roster, facilities, staffing, pathways, or even as I suggest here – a psychological impact, the fact remains that we are performing at an unacceptable level. What the review recommends should make for interesting reading, but for now, wouldn’t some wins be nice!

  3. Shelley

    I think there is something important about on field leadership that stands out this year and last. We won many games last year when we had players out and Gutho stepped up and we had one voice, one person who made the decisions. Look at the difference Cronk, Maloney and Green have made this year and how much more composed the Raiders are with Hodgson back. The other talented, quick, skilful players in the Warriors, Roosters and Panthers need that calm leader who takes control. On the weekend I watched the Broncos v Warriors game and Green kept putting the ball over the sideline. Corey Parker was criticising it, but it was exactly what the Warriors needed. They did what the Broncos did not want. Broncos like quick, open football so he did the exact opposite. He slowed the game down.

    So many times I watch Parra and say, why that kick or why that offload. They do the exact opposite to what is needed. To me we are missing that calm head who can read the game or more importantly read what the opposition don’t want you to do and then set about doing just that. To me we need that player who is a dominant 9 and or halve who makes the decisions and the rest of the team goes with it. I think we have many talented players but not all halves are calm and should not be made to be so. It took the Warriors years to work out Johnson is a runner and brilliant attacker and not an organiser. Trying to make him one failed and once they got an organiser they are suddenly much better and more consistent. I only hope we don’t take as long to find that organiser.

    1. sixties Post author

      Intelligent analysis Shelley.
      Against the Dragons, the kicking game was close to faultless. Norman seemed to take the dominant role and we should have won. Norman again played a solid game vs Knights, but we needed greater control. Game management in the spine does need to be sorted.

    2. Rowdy

      Shelley, I can see where you are going with this analysis, but if it’s Mitch rather than Corey then I would have to disagree simply on the basis of MM’s performance in the 6 or 7 rounds he played as sole playmaker for Tigers when Brooks was out in their run for the finals in 2016. Mitch killed it and won 3 or 4 MoM awards as the Tigers tore teams apart. I believe that was why BA brought him to Parra!

  4. John Eel

    Call it yips, call it confidence call it whatever you like the players are losing the game in their head and it is just painful to watch.

    I agree with Colin the negativity is getting me down and does nothing to fix the problem. All the keyboard coaches are full of dribble and I have barred myself from all social media with the exception of this site

    Like Shelley I think we are seriously in need of a single voice. Also I have not given up on Moses as our game manager. He has a great footy brain and at his best can do the job well for the Eels. There is obviously things going on in the team that we can only guess at but I feel confident by next season those issues will be addressed.

    1. sixties Post author

      I agree like the issues will be solved too John, but I think we need whatever springboard we can get going into next year. I think getting a few wins is vital.

  5. Anonymous

    interesting comment of yours Sixties- you have a major in Psychology and don,t have a belief in addressing the issues of confidence and communication form a Psychological perspective. I have posted a lot on the other site about this topic. I suppose in some respects you maybe right — having a heart to heart talk fest may be okay to a degree. I think their are different approaches related to this which are very useful. Their is lots of evidence around on many different Psychological methods high performance Athletes all around the world in many different sports use to help them with their sporting disciplines. There seems to be a feeling by many that tough sports are all to do with the Physical and that performance is based on attitude- Lazy or tough- Its alot more complex than that

      1. sixties Post author

        Tad, my comment was based on such methods needing to be individualised, yet it’s a team sport. It’s possibly worth exploring in some capacity.

        1. Tad

          Sixties How do you address the lack of confidence issue—–lack of confidence in your team mates etc—Could be a group osmosis or virus which feeds throughout the team. Maybe changing the dynamics a bit to break the chain. Introduce some new players not affected by the “virus” to break the chain . I noticed Dean Pay said he would trial a lot of younger players from lower grades to give them a run with the intent to break free from the losing bond between players.. Introduction of Kaysa,s spirit may have a similiar impact for us– a different energy which may shift some mental stagnation

          1. sixties Post author

            I can’t disagree about the possible impact from Kaysa. He only knows one way to play, and that’s positive.

  6. Rowdy

    Interesting post Sixties. Your point that perhaps it’s as simple as the players realizing they are in a short term slump for whatever reason. Not making of the excellent one you’ve given. I don’t believe our problem is a major one. I think it may well be the small one which you’ve mentioned along with a few other, similarly small, simple problems which can become a habit if not addressed by each individual regarding what he can do. Rather than what he can’t or isn’t doing.

    I have no degree in anything except a Masters in Hindsight that has kept me abreast of my own shortcomings which on a positive note has continually given me a starting point for the next chapter of my life. At times it has unfortunately been a starting point for the next sentence in my life. Sometimes the group think is necessary, especially in a team sport or professional activity where the contribution of the whole is far greater the some of the efforts of all of it’s individual parts. But, I have experienced in many cases where the answer lies in the attitude of the individual and his or her willingness to confront their own small issues for themselves rather than for anyone or everyone else including the group that has contributed far more positively for both!

    Hidden inside every human being is a desire to feed on oneself. Pride holds a place of high esteem in professional sport or career which can be a catalyst for greater success. It can also be the one thing that holds us back from esteeming whom we are, rather than what we do. When my greatest critics (wife and children) remind me of my shortcomings, I sometimes put my tongue firmly in my cheek and reply. “isn’t it good I’m not who I used to be” Everyone gets to chuckle. Perhaps that’s what a few of our players need to be encouraged to do, then we fans might all have chuckle.

    1. sixties Post author

      I
      One of the greatest challenges for the team and indeed the coaches, is that for the last two months, there is a different issue or a different player not performing in any particular week. So how best to address this? I guess I’m just throwing this open for ideas because it may be a whole series of small issues, but collectively it’s become a major problem.

  7. Milo

    Good post again mate.
    The 1%ers seem to come back and bite us; and on field leaders.
    Could have, should have, would have etc. a few games we have used these as sentence beginniners.
    I think the more i see the team play it seems Sterlo is close to it; the halves not gelling etc. that seems a common trait in many areas.

    1. sixties Post author

      All of these are factors. I think a number of those have repaired in the last two months, but the ability to find a loss has remained.

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