Tola Performance: 2021 Lessons Learnt

Jason coaches professionals to help and support them throughout their season, working with clients to help them maintain a good headspace and work on their personal development on and off the field.

Photograph by Emily Gordon

2021 Lessons Learnt

Five things I’ve learnt from working with players

1) You’re basically 10 goals!

All professional players have a similar experience on and off the field. Whether you’re 3 goals, 7 goals or 10 goals you are probably having similar experiences. How many times over the last year have we seen the top 10 goalers and teams getting beaten and looking a bit lost for ideas on the field. Sure, they are playing against better teams/ players, but the relative experience is the same – everyone experiences positive and negative moments. The higher handicap players may be lacking in confidence and motivation as much as the average Joe. Off the field also, things like favourite horses going lame, a battle with motivation or other stress unrelated to your polo will be felt by all people in varying positions.

What can we learn from that?

Placing people higher up the ladder than you on a pedestal can give you an unrealistic gap, an unhelpful comparison and creates self- limitation. i.e. ‘it’s easy for them, they’re in this position’.

If you’re facing a challenge, many other players/people will be facing a similar one.

2) Are you talented?!

If we look at most of the top players, they have similar backgrounds. For example, they may come from Argentina, have a father that used to play and breed polo ponies. This isn’t to say they aren’t talented because they are, but it does show with the right environment there’s a much bigger chance talent will thrive. The right environment means that you are growing up doing the things that matter (practices, horses, advice) – you may not even notice that you are doing the right things. Therefore, talent plus doing the right things creates what others would call ‘talented players’. Of course, there are outliers and people more talented than others, but there is a clear correlation.

What can we learn from this?

We have a better chance of succeeding or progressing if we develop/change or adapt our environment. How can you change your environment in a small way? Are you limiting yourself by not?

3) People are judged by their front cover

Reputation in polo and life can be important for getting into teams/job opportunities, being able to hire good staff or many other reasons. How you think you are as a person doesn’t necessarily mean other people think that. For example, I think I’m pretty cool, other people might not think I’m that cool. If you look at famous artists or sportspeople, they begin to build a reputation due to what people see in the media, but equally these people might be very different in real life as the saying goes ‘don’t meet your heroes’. In the same way what you give out on and off the field may require some effort or intention.

What can we learn from this?

If you want to change your reputation you need to change your front cover.

4) The bad performances

A topic discussed in previous articles is the negative bias, meaning it’s much easier to remember negatives, fears or dangers than it is something going well. In coaching you can really pick up on how people view themselves and their performance which is due to the negative bias. It’s ironic the 1 goal city slickers with bright white branded jeans and a strong smell of aftershave think they are Cambiaso, versus 7 goal players that are highly critical of their performance and aware of the gap between them and the top.

What can we learn from this?

Don’t be the guy in the clean white branded jeans (although in my opinion there is nothing wrong with clean whites or smelling nice). Look for ways to improve but also focus on what you do well after bad periods or performances. Getting hung up on the negatives may not help the bigger picture.

5) Commitment phobia

It’s easy to make plans, but plans are hard to stick to. Whether it is fitness, a new routine or habit, it is hard to be consistent. It happens a lot, I’m talking things through with someone and they’re not quite happy with something or they’ve lost a bit of their mojo, we look at the problem and find that we set the solution to the problem four weeks ago, but they stopped believing in the process. They might start looking to blame something or feel they lack something; well it usually comes down to a commitment to the cause and not trusting the process.

Photograph by David Lominska

With the right environment there’s a much bigger chance talent will thrive

What can we learn from this?

Patience and consistency are key to any progression, if you make a plan and fail to commit to it, recognise that’s the reason not the excuse you’re about to apply to the problem.

Contact Jason on tolaperfomance@gmail.com www.tolaperformance.com