How to Properly Respond to a Loss

*Stefon Diggs after 2021 AFC Championship loss

“No Individual should take blame for a loss, because no individual should take blame for a victory."                                                                                                                                                                              -John Wooden

This quote by John Wooden highlights the proper mental approach athletes must have after a loss or victory. If you play football long enough, then you are going to lose some games. We as athletes often do one of two things after a loss. We either place blame on ourselves, or we blame others such as teammates, refs, or coaches. Rather than placing blame on anyone, it is best to focus on what you can control. Rather than placing blame, try following these three steps after a loss, and you will see development mentally and physically. 

• Assess your performance

The one thing that you can control in a team sport is your individual performance. After a bad loss, take the time to re-evaluate your performance and see what you could have done to put your team in the best position to win. Be critical of your performance but do not beat yourself up. Assess the problems and begin to think of ways you can improve in training/practice.

• Implement corrective drills in Training or Practice

Once you have evaluated your performance and identified the weaknesses it is time to work to turn those weaknesses into strengths. Begin to implement drills that will improve your performance in your pre/post-practice routine. For example, if you're a wide receiver and you struggled in the previous game getting off press coverage, then you should do press release drills with a teammate, or ask a teammate to get to practice early or stay after to work on this with you. The same goes for any position on the field. If you never find time to correct your mistakes then they will continue to reoccur. It is good to have an extra set of eyes to ensure you are progressing in the right direction, so do not be afraid to ask for assistance from a teammate or coach.  

• Short-Term Memory

I advise all athletes to adopt the “24-hour rule” after a loss. The 24 hour rule allows athletes 24 hours to examine their performance. After 24-hours it is time to stop feeling sorry for yourself and move onto the next game. All great athletes have the mental mindset to recover from any bad performance. 

If any athlete struggles with breaking down your own film then I recommend you sign up for  “Perfect Performance Virtual Hudl Review.” Our Virtual Hudl Film Review will be a 45 Minutes session via Zoom for High School Football Players to review their game film with Perfect Performance Coaches. These sessions will be used to assess strengths and weaknesses of the athlete and our Coaches will provide feedback for them to improve their game. Additionally, our coaches will use their knowledge of recruiting to help identify key plays for athletes to include in their highlight film to send to colleges. If interested, view the link below. 
Virtual Football School | PP NOVA | Northern Virginia

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