"Lets make windmills" - a positive post (COVID-19 and Sport - 3 of 4)

"When the winds of change blow, some people build walls

and others build windmills.” - Chinese proverb

I don't think that anyone can argue that COVID-19 has brought 'the winds of change' to our lives. And it is up to us as to whether we build walls or windmills. Furthermore, considering Darwin's theory of evolution, I'm sure he would advocate that 'windmills' are better than 'walls'.

The Chinese proverb captures the idea that when you are resistant to change and 'build walls' you miss out on the opportunities to harness and benefit from what the change could bring. In addition, Darwin would recommend 'windmills' as it is those building 'windmills' that are more likely to survive! The theory of evolution, simply put, is 'descent with modification' - those that can modify / adapt to meet the challenges of the environment will survive. Also, the greater the environmental pressure the greater the modification / adaption. COVID-19 is certainly putting a lot of pressure on our race... AND our SPORTS!

As humans we need to evolve physically e.g. our immune systems. But this is not my field of expertise, so lets put this to one side for a moment and think about sport.

COVID-19 AND THE EVOLUTION OF OUR SPORTS

From the outset I'm not saying that I have the answers here. But as a psychologist (and sports person) I would like to raise key issues that are important for us as people, and then help think about how we can manage, adapt, and move forwards. Also, it is imperative to act proactively to increase our chances of evolving. Hopefully my posts can help instigate some thoughts and discussions for people, and then maybe those people could come to me to help put their new ideas and plans into action. A psychologist can be helpful in all sorts of ways! Anyway...

Some areas of sport may be more vulnerable to the pressure of COVID-19 and have to adapt more e.g. indoor sports (spectators close to each other, air conditioning), contact sports, team sports etc. Other sports may be able to adapt more easily, e.g. golf has more opportunities to apply safety measures and as such courses are open. Cycling can continue via virtual applications such as Zwift, and maybe there will be an increase in time-trialling (individual competitors covering a set course and distance in intervals of a few minutes). So lets consider the evolution and sports, and please keep your sports of choice in mind.

EXISTING ADAPTATIONS

What adaptations have you already made regarding your sport?

- are you playing / training with different people?

- are you focusing on a different part of your game, e.g. short game in golf in your back garden? Cyclists focusing on time-trialling?

- are you focusing on a different part of yourself, e.g. strength, conditioning, flexibility, diet, psychological strength and resilience?

- are you watching more videos, Youtube clips or reading more regarding tactics and technical aspects of your sport?

- has working or studying from home meant you can focus more on your sport, e.g. less travel = more training!

- are there adaptations to other parts of your life that have benefited you and your sport? Have you learnt to cook different foods that will benefit your fueling?

During the complete lock-down period you could not purchase a golfing net for love nor money, so many people were wanting to practice at home. Local social media showed athletes using beach fronts and steps on coastal paths to train for speed and strength. People adapting their garages, gardens and homes to train and practice in a whole variety of creative ways. What is it that you have been doing or that you want to do during this time?

WHAT TO KEEP?

I understand that the 'lock-down' and continued restrictions are extremely challenging for many. However, this does not equate to 'life before lock-down being perfect'. This is quite a shared realisation for many, especially from a psychological perspective - busy hectic lives often focused on consumerism and not our well-being. Therefore, lets take time to think about the same concept for sport.

- have you enjoyed training in a more varied manner?

- have you benefited from focusing on the psychological aspect of your performance? If you haven't then please contact me :)

- have you discovered new training partners or coaches that are more local and can develop your performance in different ways?

- have you noticed that any part of your training regime was actually harmful in some way? By training differently, or less, have you had time to recover properly from injuries?

- maybe playing less competitive matches has increased your enjoyment, and ultimately imagination and performance?

- have you noticed the impact that constant travelling for competitions has had? Would you consider travelling up a day early for competitions and resting properly?

- for those living away from home at an academy, have you noticed the impact of having more contact with family, friends and supportive figures in your life. Would you want to keep this level of contact once you can go back to the academy? Personally, since everyone now seems to have, and know how to use, Microsoft Teams and Zoom (other conferencing platforms are available!) I know it will be invaluable for me in the future!

What is it you want to keep when the social restriction lift further?

AREAS TO ADAPT

Premiership football is due to make a comeback soon, but from behind closed doors. There has been a charity golf match with four of Taylor Made's key players, and general golf courses are open with social distancing measures. What in your sporting areas needs to adapt immediately in order to survive?

- what can contact sports like taekwondo and rugby do? Can more focus be on technicalities of the sports making them non-contact for a period of time? Or if there were separate non-contact versions of these sports then would this attract more people?

- as there are restrictions on travelling, then would it make sense to create county or country based competitions? For example, golf competitions for UK based golfers only instead of competitors competing all over the world? Would it be better to have competitions across the county or country than no competitions at all? The same could be said for any sport once a certain level of restrictions have been lifted.

How can your sport adapt in order that you and your fellow athletes can train and compete safely?

LONG TERM IMPLICATIONS

When it comes to long term changes this may be a little more tricky to contemplate as we have very little accurate knowledge as how COVID-19 is going to develop, and also how effective our responses will be (social distancing, vaccines etc.).

So, I would like to briefly widen this discussion...some of you may not like this bit, but everything is 'food for thought'.

Will the ramifications of this pandemic be big enough that

society re-evaluates what is important in life?

For example, why do bankers get paid millions whilst health, education and social care employees get paid so little. Regarding sport, why do footballers get paid millions when other athletes hardly anything, plus the obvious gender inequalities in sport. Inevitably there will be winners and losers if there were changes, but there is currently a lot of inequality. Wouldn't it be good if we could use this 'wind of change' to make some positive outcomes in our society as a whole as well as in the areas of sport?

If the money from sport is spread more equally across each discipline, and across all levels of each discipline, then surely more people would have access to sporting activities. This would mean that more people would be brought into sports and more people would have more of an opportunity to develop, and in-turn making it more competitive throughout. Surely that's a good thing!

Once again, you are important in the evolution and development of your sports, so lets make 'windmills' and bring about some positive changes at this difficult time.

As always, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts, and be happy to help.

Yours

Dr Paul