Johnn Morrison advises on how to bounce back from a defeat

In any sport, teams/players cannot always dominate the opposition and win every time. Exceptional teams, together with their managers/ coaches are much better at keeping their motivation, fitness, team play, tactics and performance at high levels to help them dominate
games and seasons.

This, however, is difficult to sustain and sometimes previously dominant teams, like Kerry, Dublin, Tyrone and Armagh, Liverpool, Manchester United, New Zealand, etc, can go for a lengthy period of time without significant success.

The difficulty is that if you have enjoyed a period of success, eg, Armagh 2002, Tyrone (2003-2008), Kerry’s Golden years, Manchester United’s 20 Premiership and Division One titles. Teams are expected to keep winning.

This year, Slaughtneil suffered a heavy defeat in the All Ireland club final, Arsenal crashed out of the Champions League for the fifth time at the last sixteen stage and Ireland lost out on another Grand Slam opportunity.

The Chinese have a simple threefold way of dealing with this, allowing players to move on as, after all, form is temporary.

The Chinese advise:

1. Always have something to do, eg, Slaughtneil can now prepare to do it all again next year.

2. Always have something to love, eg, Slaughtneil will always love their team, sport and community.

3. Always have something to look forward to, eg, Slaughtneil can perhaps look forward to another Derry title or Ulster title next season and perhaps another trip to Croke Park.

Few players/teams go through a glittering career and still finish at the top. Maybe it’s how we like our heroes as they have the same background/geographical base as us, making it easier to relate to them.

We appreciate their wonderfully successful careers but we look forward to them returning to the places and people from where they came, eg, the Armagh 2002 players now working with the County, Academy and Club teams.

Whether winning or losing and despite trying our best if our previous form isn’t there, remember the ‘Chinese way’ – always have something to do so just keep trying to live up to what we value and hold to be important.

One of the quickest ways to unhappiness is to compare yourself to others or yourself – for example, when you were younger/fitter. Doing so will only make your life more difficult as you will not be focusing at all or enough on what is positive, healthy, satisfying, important or helpful in your own life.

Often the problem is that we simply don’t notice or acknowledge the strengths or positives in our own teams/lives, instead only noticing what we think may be missing or be wrong.

Central to this is the perception (often inaccurate) that other teams/people careers/lives are better than ours because they appear to be.

Equally problematic is some teams/players/people’s sense of entitlement believing that it’s their right to have certain things in life, success, status, etc.

Sport teaches us that no person or team are entitled to anything and that life is not always fair. Think Slaughtneil, Arsenal and the Irish rugby team in recent times.

Usually hard work is needed to attain success and perhaps harder work to hold on to it. Thus it is most important for players/teams/people to look at their own situation and make the most of what we’ve been given and what we have; there will always be someone who ‘appears’ better off than us.

Here’s a thought – if the grass is always greener on the other side, maybe you are not looking after your own side well enough.

Things to try:

1. If you were to look after your own side better, where would you start? What/who have you been neglecting, even yourself? What can you do?

2. Be aware/note times in your/your teams life that you enjoyed success. Be aware this was down to a range of factors – when we’re successful not everything is perfect, and when we lose not everything is wrong either.

3. Remember in disappointment or failure we still hold control of our effort/work rate – give it your all every time.

Remember the Chinese Way – Have you something to do? Have you something to love? Have you something to look forward to?

Give it a go.