The secret of High Performance in sport

A reflection on performance and effort applied to sport.

There are many people who believe that there are secrets, shortcuts or keys to obtain maximum performance, which brings us closer to achieving our most desired successes. For all those people is this article as a reflection on the secrets contained in the word performance itself, in its etymological originsin its etymological origins.

What do we understand by High Performance?

Performance means to give back, it comes from the Latin word "reddere" (to render). Among the meanings of the word "yield" we can find the following:

1. To defeat the enemy and force him to surrender.

It is probably because of this meaning that we consider that performance in itself implies success based on the achievement of the result.

2. To submit to one's dominion

Which would be in line with the first one, as far as the achievement of objectives is concerned.

3. To give or return one's due

In sporting terms, this would be more accurate and would be in line with the effort expended.

As a product of associating the suffix "-miento" to the word "rendir", a new word "rendimiento" is produced, the result of yielding or returning the effortIf we adjust ourselves to the third of its meanings, which is what the knowledge of the sports field invites us to do. For a high performance does not always entail a high result, paradoxically contrary to what many might believe. And if this were the case, don't you think that the contexts of sporting excellence would be called high performance centers instead of high performance centers (CAR)?

It is essential to emphasize this kind of nuance in sports learning and in life in general. The highest goals demand everything from us, and even if we offer everything we have within ourselves, sometimes it is not enough, because we may come across other competitors who manifest greater talent than we do. than what we manifest.

The relationship between result and performance

Results never come before performance. It is important to internalize this in order to develop a personal work culture based on effort. This is the real secret of success. That and to consider one's success as the enjoyment experienced by the mere fact of doing what one most desires, what one loves.

In other words, learning to focus on the process (performance) rather than the product (the result). Sometimes we set ourselves objectives based on high performance goals, which push us to experience high levels of performance.This leads us to experience high doses of frustration, even more so when the athlete is not mature enough in terms of personal self-confidence to set such challenges.

This is where we find young athletes obsessed by the inevitable commission of mistakes.. No one has ever learned to walk without stumbling at least several times. This is also where unrealistic expectations of performance and results appear, the "I have to achieve it", "I can't fail that" or "how is it possible that I won't succeed". All of them based on the moral imperative of achieving an ideal result, based on a perfect path, without mistakes, which inevitably pushes us towards frustration and possibly, towards the abandonment of sports practice.

If, as an athlete or as a person, I am a product of my results, my self-confidence will suffer the blows of the mistakes made, as if it were a personal failure. In the end, any sport is a task that we have to face repeatedly in order to improve, Excel and advance. And the task is not us. We are the ones who produce the results and not the other way around. Everyone cares about results, but they never come without effort, without mistakes. but they never come without effort, without mistakes and without learning.. If, for every failure, I mistreat the machine that produces results, I will hardly be able to produce them.

It is important to be aware of this, to be able to master any skill or sporting task for which we decide to bet, without obsessing about whether or not I will be the best tomorrow or if I will achieve the highest goals, who would want to excel in something that causes suffering or do not like? To enjoy the effort spent in an activity that I am passionate about, without setting higher expectations than that.For me, that is true success, without setting higher expectations than that.