“We don’t really get going until the second game on Saturday”
“We always come out slow in the second half”
“I can’t believe our best player got hurt. We are in trouble”
“This team always cheats”
“We never lose to this team”
“We have momentum. Let’s gooooooooooo!”

The stories that coaches and players tell themselves are dangerous. Whenever you look to the past or the future to find information about your upcoming performance, you are taking yourself away from the task at hand. It is a trap and gives you an illusion of

control. The best teams know that they have to bring it every time against every team no matter what. While you should use strategic information, remember that the result is not predetermined. That’s

why we play games. That’s why upsets and collapses occur. Beware the stories you tell yourselves. Write new ones instead.